Chief of Talent andWorkforce Strategy
Opportunity Profile 2024
Overview

NASA Wallops Flight Facility,
Accomack County

One of the wealthiest and most beautiful states in America, the Commonwealth ofVirginia offers exceptional human capital, geographic, and infrastructure assets.
Virginia is also home to a diverse array of leading private-sector firms, importantmilitary installations, and nationally recognized universities, as well as one of themost educated populations in the country. Virginia’s integrated transportation
system of highways, railroads, airports, and seaports provides logisticaladvantages for companies in every industry, including notable access to thedeepest and widest port on the East Coast and Dulles International Airport.
For nearly three decades, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP)
has served as Virginia’s state economic development authority. Like the special
Commonwealth that it serves, VEDP is regarded as among the best in the country.
As a quasi-independent state authority governed by a board of directors that spans
gubernatorial administrations, VEDP is a nonpartisan organization with stable
leadership and nimble, creative, mission-focused operations.
VEDP collaborates with local, regional, and state partners to encourage theexpansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy. VEDP works to accomplishthese objectives through a variety of activities, including marketing and leadgeneration; business retention, expansion, and attraction; trade development;
business intelligence; competitive benchmarking; site development; performancebased incentives; and talent solutions. VEDP has offices in Virginia, Germany,Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
By statute, VEDP creates economic opportunity for the Commonwealth througheight core categories of responsibility:

Old Rag Mountain,Madison County■

Ensure that effective marketing programs are delivered■

Engage in business development activities■

Engage in product development activities■

Encourage coordination of economic development organizations■

Encourage exports of Virginia’s products and services■

Assist in formulating Virginia’s economic development strategies■

Administer economic development incentive programs■

Fulfill administrative and reporting responsibilities

With dedicated and knowledgeable professionals committed to Virginia’s
economic success, VEDP helps businesses find the resources they need tosucceed in relocation and expansion.
VEDP has approximately 200 staff members and an annual operating budget ofover $50 million.
Virginia Tech Innovation Campus rendering,Arlington County

1The current Strategic Plan for Economic Development of the Commonwealthof Virginia is a five-year plan, updated every two years, and was developed andadopted in 2024. During the planning process, VEDP collaborated with hundredsof local, regional, and state partners to establish five Transformational Goals
for Virginia and VEDP. These goals, updated for the first time since 2018, now
include the aim of positioning Virginia as America’s Top State for Talent.
1. Robust State Growth: Position Virginia to achieve a growth rate in employment
and median earned income among the top 5-10 states in the U.S.
2. Every Region Wins: Ensure that every region participates in the growth of theCommonwealth (i.e., all with positive growth in employment and medianearned income)3. Best State Business Climate: Cultivate a leading business climate andsector-specific ecosystems
4. Top State for Talent: Position Virginia as a top state for talent retention,
attraction, development, and alignment
5. Most Innovative, Collaborative, and Effective State EDO: Solidify VEDP’sposition as one of America’s top state EDOs through an innovative strategy,
collaborative approach, and effective outcomesPowered by the vision and initiatives of the Strategic Plan, the following are afew notable examples of VEDP’s recent progress:
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Implementation of the Innovative Framework for Economic Growth – a model
for accelerating economic growth in Virginia by focusing on three key areas:
1) Cultivating deep industry expertise for a small set of fast-growing sectors;
2) Strengthening the ecosystem of talent, infrastructure, innovation, taxes, andother essential industry assets; and 3) Employing a collaborative approachacross state agencies and with communities
Launch of the country’s best custom workforce program, the Virginia Talent
Accelerator Program (at VEDP) — ranked #1 in the U.S. by Business Facilities.
Creation of the $1.1 billion, performance-based Tech Talent Investment
Program to double the number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees conferredeach year in computer science and computer engineering, as well as establish
the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
Nationally praised Amazon HQ2 victory, with a novel bid focused on educationand infrastructure
Development of the most sophisticated site intelligence of any state in theU.S., enabling the strategic deployment of more than $200 million in site
development funding in recent years
Substantial improvement in job growth and growth outlook for Virginia, as
well as most of its regions

Today, VEDP is poised to build on this strong foundation and accelerate progress
toward realizing the Transformational Goals of the Strategic Plan. With significant
new funding for economic development in the state budget and state leaders
embracing economic development as a top priority, VEDP has an opportunity tofully achieve all five transformational goals over the next several years.

2Position Overview
VEDP seeks to hire a Chief of Talent and Workforce Strategy who will play a central
role in positioning Virginia as a Top State for Talent by developing a strategy andcoordinating across VEDP divisions, regional partners, and state government toimplement the strategy.
While Virginia has long focused on meeting employers’ talent needs, efforts to truly
differentiate Virginia as a Top State for Talent are in the early stages. VEDP has
developed three strategic focus areas for this effort and is working to align ourefforts with workforce development organizations, higher education, and otherstatewide talent stakeholders. VEDP’s primary strategic focus areas for talent are:Martinsville Speedway

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Retain and Attract Talent: Strengthening and highlighting the Commonwealth’s
assets and economic opportunities is necessary to retain and attract the talentthat will meet the demands of employers
Develop Talent that is Aligned to Employers’ Needs: Understanding industry
needs and production of in-demand talent aligned with those needs is criticalfor creating pathways to opportunity and building a thriving workforce
Unlock Individual Potential by Reducing Barriers: To ensure Virginians engage
in the labor force, the Commonwealth needs to reduce barriers to participation
and advancement (e.g., childcare, transportation, housing)

VEDP believes that excellence in these three strategic focus areas leads to bothindividual and economic benefits. Prioritizing talent-related initiatives will provide
economic mobility opportunities for Virginians, enable employers to meet theirtalent needs, and grow revenue and jobs for the Commonwealth.
The position reports to VEDP’s President and CEO and requires strong leadershipand management experience working to meet employers’ talent needs with aproven track record of collaborating with diverse partners and constituents toachieve mutually beneficial goals and objectives.

Core Responsibilities
Dynamic Aviation,
Rockingham County

The Chief of Talent and Workforce Strategy has direct responsibility for three corefunctional areas of VEDP:
1. Virginia Talent Accelerator Program: Supports the human capital needs of newand expanding businesses by delivering world-class, customized recruitment
and training solutions in partnership with the Virginia Community CollegeSystem (35 staff positions).
2. Virginia Office of Education Economics (VOEE): Provides a unified, consistentsource of analysis for policy development and implementation related to talentdevelopment; offers resources and expertise related to education and labormarket alignment (3 staff positions).
3. Regional Talent Solutions and Business Outreach (RTSBO): Supports growth
and retention of Virginia companies through business outreach to foster
relationships and understand challenges; collaborates with partners andpromotes programs, services, and incentives to support companies’ growth;
engages in statewide and regional initiatives to support talent development
ecosystems (11 staff positions).

CMA CGM Marco Polo,
Virginia International Gateway, Portsmouth3In addition to these three teams, seven other teams at VEDP regularly engage intalent-related initiatives. Those teams are VEDP’s three Sector Teams (Knowledge
Work, Manufacturing, and Logistics); Business Investment; Strategic Projects andLead Generation; Economic Competitiveness; and Marketing and Communications.
Specific responsibilities of Chief of Talent and Workforce Strategy include:
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Coordinate and communicate all of VEDP’s talent-related efforts (single VEDPvoice ­— internally and externally), including the Talent Accelerator, RTSBO,
VOEE, and VEDP’s Sector Teams.
Develop and implement a statewide talent strategy, in coordination withworkforce and education partners.
Work closely with Sector Teams to develop and implement talent initiatives forcore sectors.
Supervise the development and oversee the implementation of custom talentsolutions for major economic development projects in coordination with other
VEDP staff and education and training providers.
Educate and translate VEDP’s work and insights to stakeholders, including
education and workforce partners, economic developers, and members of theGeneral Assembly.
Represent the needs of the traded-sector business community to education
and workforce providers.
Leverage data-driven insights from VOEE and other sources to drive strategic
priorities.
Build awareness of Virginia’s talent pool and talent pipeline with companies
and site selectors in coordination with VEDP’s Marketing and Communications(M&C) division.
Support efforts to attract and retain talent in Virginia in coordination with theM&C division.

Experience Required■

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Minimum of 10 years total professional and five years progressive experience
leading talent and workforce development efforts, ideally in the context ofmeeting employers’ needs and supporting economic growth.
Deep knowledge and understanding of workforce development and education
systems (K-12 and post-secondary).
Demonstrated experience in leading strategic planning processes to achieve
stakeholder alignment around a clear vision with specific objectives and metricsto measure progress.
Highly professional management approach to planning, organizing,coordinating, and directing programs.
Ability to identify key factors and differentiators for business decision makers,
and to craft marketing messages and customized proposals accordingly.
Experience leading teams of workforce and education stakeholders to meet
the talent needs of employers.
Strong understanding of relevant data sources, analyses, and tools that canbe leveraged to inform both the production of talent and skills, and employer
demand for skills.

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Effectiveness in implementing an organizational structure with clear roles andaccountability and fostering a culture that generates productivity, innovation,and success.

■Providing strategic vision while also ensuring tactical progress is made.

■Managing stakeholders across government, education, and private sector.

Preferred Experience■

Danville Community College

Direct experience with talent / HR issues of businesses (i.e., deep understandingof how businesses think about and deal with these issues)

Personal Attributes■

Strategic thinker■

Results-oriented implementer■

Excellent communicator with the ability to adjust communication style to beeffective with the audience/situation■

Strong attention to detail■

Creative and entrepreneurial■

Strong work ethic■

Highly responsive■

Leads by example■

Able to delegate (trust and verify) and prioritize the level of personal
involvement■

Good instincts, flexible, and adaptive to change■

Promoter of talent development in direct reports and staff■

Strong relationship-building skills (natural, instinctive)■

Likable and comfortable in social settings■

GEICO, Stafford County■

Understands and is able to earn credibility in the dynamics of a multiple
stakeholder position
Apolitical yet politically savvy

Education■

Graduation from an accredited university with a bachelor’s degree in a
related field (e.g., business, economics, marketing) is required. Graduate
degree preferred.

Compensation■■

Humpback Rocks,
AugustaCountyLake,
Smith
MountainFranklin County

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience andqualifications.
VEDP provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees andapplicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, age, disability, or genetics.

5References and Background Information
It is VEDP’s policy to complete an extensive background and reference checkof candidates. Once strong mutual interest has been established, candidates
are asked to provide a list of references that should include, but not be limited
to, a supervisor, a peer, a development client and a subordinate, as applicable.
Candidates will be asked to sign an authorization to release Information for the
purpose of background investigation, which may include verification of education,
credit check, criminal, and driving records. Should an offer be extended prior tothe completion of these checks, the offer will be made contingent on thesuccessful completion of the reference and background checks.

Application Process
Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. VEDP uses
the E-Verify system and does not provide sponsorship.
All candidates must apply through our website www.vedp.org/careers. Applicantsmust submit a resume and cover letter. A valid Virginia driver’s license and ability
to obtain a passport is required. Application deadline: Open Until Filled

VEDP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants are considered for employment
without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity
or expression, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or against otherwise qualified
individuals with disabilities. It is VEDP’s intent that its employment and personnel policies
and practices conform to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations
regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applicants requiring more information
or requiring assistance may contact VEDP Human Resources at 1.804.545.5634 orvedphr@VEDP.org. TDD 1.800.828.1120.

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