Program Director for Manufacturing

Position OverviewNebraska manufacturing is essential to the state’s economy, and this role leads a movement to increase the prominence and influence of the state’s manufacturers, working directly with Nebraska manufacturers.The Program Director for Manufacturing leads the NE Chamber’s statewide manufacturing initiative, aiming to serve the approximately 3,000 manufacturers across Nebraska. The Program Director position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing in Nebraska by convening and coordinating leaders from education, workforce, and policy partners around shared solutions, using partnerships and the NE Chamber team to carry out the vision.This is a leadership role for someone who enjoys building relationships, educating, creating momentum, and turning big ideas into real impact. The Program Director reports to the Executive Vice President of Partnerships & Programs, serves as a trusted voice for manufacturing across the state, and is a vital part of the NE Chamber team.What You’ll DoLead a Statewide Manufacturing MovementHelp develop and execute the vision for the NE Chamber as the state’s leading manufacturing association. Convenes manufacturing leaders across the state to set strategy that aligns with outcomesServe as a spokesperson and thought leader for manufacturing in NebraskaEstablish functional councils, creating workforce/policy initiatives that demonstrate engagement and impactEstablish collaborative manufacturing industry growth goals and lead efforts to identify performance indicators and strategies to meet the goals Lead efforts to assess manufacturing health in Nebraska by leveraging key partnerships to collect strategic performance dataIdentify opportunities for grant or program proposal development and collaborationWork with the Chamber’s policy team to advance manufacturing priorities through advocacy and engagementEngage and Grow the Manufacturing CommunityRecruit and retain manufacturing members to the NE ChamberIdentify new or existing event opportunities to build the manufacturing community. Work with event programmers and the NE Chamber team to create or build on Nebraska manufacturing eventsLead and conduct outreach to non-member manufacturers and demonstrate the value of participationIdentify and establish partnership, membership and policy outcomes as key performance indicators; track engagement, satisfaction, and retention to ensure the NE Chamber and its manufacturing members continue to grow and thriveCreate operational systems to record, track and increase manufacturing membership, collaboration and influence, such as building a member database and using constituent relationship management to coordinate and track outreach, events and research, along with member engagementIdentify and use data to analyze, present and report growth as part of a strategic planBuild the Workforce of TomorrowCreate employer-driven training programs addressing manufacturing skills gapsExpand apprenticeships, internships, and work-based learning opportunitiesBuild strong partnerships with K-12 schools, community/state colleges, universities, technical programs, and workforce agenciesConnect People and IdeasEducate stakeholders on the importance of manufacturing and advanced manufacturing at the state and national levelBuild trusted relationships with manufacturers, educators, chambers of commerce, economic developers, and community leadersRepresent the manufacturing members of the NE Chamber at industry events, legislative sessions and public forumsUnderstand and work with NE Chamber legislative, marketing and event teams to increase awareness and engagement in Nebraska manufacturing initiativesSupport Safe, Strong Manufacturing OperationsLead adoption of safety programs, training opportunities, and regulatory guidanceChampion a culture of safety excellence and continuous improvement across the manufacturing communityWhat We’re Looking ForRequired QualificationsLeadership experience in manufacturing, workforce development, economic development, association or a related fieldProven membership growth/retention successStrong communication, relationship-building, and strategic thinking skillsAbility to identify, use, report and track dataWillingness and ability to travel statewide (estimated 50% work outside of office)Preferred QualificationsBachelor’s degree5-8+ years of progressive leadership experience Manufacturing operations or manufacturing-related industry experienceExperience with membership-based organizations or statewide initiativesBilingual (English/Spanish) or multilingual communication skillsAbility to use advanced business analysis technologies to collect, analyze and report industry dataProven membership growth/retention successWhat Success Looks LikeYear 1Developed a strategic plan for manufacturing collaboration, including a member development plan with manufacturing membership and sponsorship goalsEstablished functional councils focusing on specific manufacturing needs, and developing a framework to operate in a manufacturing council structureIncreased participation and engagement in existing manufacturing events and an additional 1-3 manufacturing-specific events and activities, with attainable attendance/outcome goalsIncreased satisfaction among Nebraska manufacturers in the quality and quantity of collaborative opportunitiesIncreased awareness among Nebraskans of the role of manufacturing in NebraskaCreated a plan to continue to increase the impact of the role in Year 2 and beyondWhat We ProvideNE Chamber covers employee’s health insuranceRetirement plan matching contribution (after six months)Professional development opportunitiesA culture of teamwork and respect with a focus on policy over politics, civil discourse, collaborative problem-solving, and \"disagreeing better\" to move Nebraska manufacturing forward