BWA STAFFING AGENCY MANAGER
Job Description

The Boston Workers’ Alliance (BWA) seeks an entrepreneurial manager to head up a community-based staffing agency focusing on temporary and temporary-to-permanent placement of workers with barriers to employment. In particular, the staffing agency will focus on those who are excluded from the workforce due to a criminal record in the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system. This new social enterprise is supported by Boston Connects Inc, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and a private Jamaica Plain donor.

This exciting social enterprise will be a not-for-profit staffing company that seeks to deliver competitive staffing services to local employers by offering motivated and well-supported workers from Boston’s urban communities of color. By applying the advanced techniques and database matching systems of the conventional staffing industry to the job placement functions of the nonprofit sector, the BWA aims to expand the range of job opportunities that are available to our capable and motivated membership base. The new staffing agency will provide its workers with pre- and post-employment supports to promote their success on-the-job and help them advance in the local labor market.

The Manager will be critical to staffing agency’s success. We are seeking someone with unusual strengths as both an entrepreneur and sales manager. BWA intends to build a professional, efficient organization based on an internal culture of participation and respect for all its employees. To succeed, the manager will need strong business skills, general problem solving skills, good judgment, and excellent marketing and communication skills. The Manager's responsibilities will include:

Pre-startup Phase: Assisting in startup and business plan implementation with the co-developers; developing marketing and public relations materials; establishing relations with area training programs; screening and assembling an initial pool of workers; marketing the company to potential customers.

Start-Up Phase: Establishing financial systems and employee payroll process; learning and developing staffing industry matching software; selling contracts to employer customers; developing a quality control system to ensure that both employee and customer needs are being met; developing an employee support strategy so that employees are able to function to their fullest potential.

Ongoing: Selling new placement contracts and developing employer relations; strategic planning, marketing and sales, budgeting, grant writing and fundraising, fiscal control and reporting, maintenance and administration of operations systems, management of personnel, and coordination of training.

Experience:

The ideal candidate will have management experience in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Previous work experience in a selling environment is also a plus. Interested candidates must have demonstrated entrepreneurial drive. While previous experience starting up a business would be ideal, entrepreneurial drive might also be manifested in having conceived, developed, and implemented a new service within a not-for-profit organization. In addition to backgrounds in business and sales, relevant experiences include Human Resources, non-profit job development and placement, community organizing, business consultation, financial administration and marketing. As a project of a grassroots social change organization, the staffing agency Manager must be driven to help Roxbury, Dorchster and Mattapan improve their livelihood through an innovative job development model. MBA or strong business experience is highly desirable. People of color, women and those with connections to Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods are encouraged to apply. BWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, criminal background or veteran status.

Process:

We will be interviewing managerial candidates in July-August. The BWA aims to launch the staffing agency in November 2009. The company will be located in the BWA’s Grove Hall office. The manager will be expected to join the company several months prior to start-up and participate in the completion of the business planning and pre-startup implementation work. Salary and benefits will be competitive based on experience and qualifications.

If interested, please email jobs@bostonworkersalliance.org with a resume and cover letter, or with your inquiry.