Regional Director, Vocational Programs

Regional Program Director
Midwest CEO Office Locations
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Pontiac
In-person

Anticipated deadline to submit application: April 3, 2026 by 5pm EST. Position may close early if application limit is met. Apply promptly for full consideration.

The Opportunity

The Regional Program Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of replication and operation of the CEO vocational model across multiple sites, including hiring and developing high-performing local program leadership and ensuring achievement of program performance goals, adherence to the vocational budget, and compliance with performance-based contracts. The Director will collaborate with their region’s Social Enterprise leadership and team to support participants through transitional job training and workforce development. The Director will work with other Program Support teams to assist in the cultivation and stewarding of funding partners, improvement in learning and program quality, and collaboration on system and process improvements.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

Who You Are

• You have at least 7+ years of demonstrated leadership and program management experience within a mission-driven organization
• You are proficient in leading direct and indirect reports to meet performance based goals 
• You are proficient in leading teams to collect, analyze, and apply data to drive program strategy and decision making
• You have proficiency with technology, including Google Suite and Salesforce
• You are a strong communicator, advisor, and negotiator, with demonstrated ability to build relationships with stakeholders of all levels
• You have a strong ability at coaching others, supporting them in identifying their development areas and navigating solutions and motivating action
• You have organizational and management skills that lead to effective juggling of multiple team and org-wide priorities
• You demonstrate respect, fairness, patience and efficiency to participants, employees and others to problem-solve and satisfy their needs with the resources available
• You demonstrate the ability to identify and/or anticipate a problem, analyze the situation, offer and/or seek assistance in order to identify solutions and, when appropriate, decide on and implement a course of action
• You can work effectively under pressure and at a sustained pace, maintaining focus on objectives despite setbacks or opposition
• You are dedicated to achieving personal, team and organizational goals through time management, data analysis, focused communications and teamwork, and continuous learning
• You are deeply committed to achieving CEO’s mission, the work it involves and CEO’s future success by inspiring, motivating and supporting others to engage, perform and do what it takes to meet this commitment
• You are comfortable making decisions and taking a leading role; exhibit sound judgment when facing uncertainty; reach conclusions in a timely manner using the best available evidence and data; adapt to new circumstances quickly, develop alternative strategies and weigh the risks of implementing them; exhibit urgency when resolving issues or managing stressful situations
• You can direct operational activities and monitor performance with emphasis on efficiency and quality, customer satisfaction, and model/procedural adherence

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Key responsibilities of the Regional Program Director include but are not limited to:

Program Leadership (Vocational)

• Provides leadership and guidance to vocational operations at multiple sites, accountable for ensuring implementation of the CEO vocational model with fidelity and building capacity at each office to achieve program outcomes
• Work with local leadership to set and achieve impactful, measurable annual goals for vocational programming. 
• Responsible for achieving program outcomes aligned with annual goals and multi-site grant agreements, while ensuring accurate tracking and comprehensive support for reporting
• Oversees local management of site budgets; including SNAP and other performance based outcomes, staff related costs, and vocational OTPS 
• Cultivates and drives a culture of performance management by monitoring and holding self and others accountable for program operations and performance outcomes through data review and response
• Ensure each office has the ability to set and meet vocational performance goals through effective staffing structure, training, culture, performance management, and data-informed decision making
• Effectively lead major problem-solving across the vocational region while coaching program service delivery site leaders and staff to proactively address performance challenges, analyze data for improvement, and drive continuous service quality
• Ensures that all program activities operate consistently and ethically within the mission and values of CEO
• Accountable for the implementation and monitoring  of program improvement processes that address areas of under performance including but not limited to meeting contractual or site specific goals, staff performance management, and quality service delivery
• Support CEO’s investment and fundraising teams to create site-specific business and fund development strategies
• Support the development of grant and business development proposals
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key players at referral partners such as Department of Corrections, Federal Parole, and County Corrections
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with statewide Reentry Task Forces and statewide workforce boards and task forces that could increase the employment opportunities for individuals with felony convictions
• Collaborate and support CEO’s Participant Resources team with building strategic partnerships and referral relationships with local organizations that provide holistic and complementary services for participants, such as housing, substance abuse, etc. 

Team Support and Management

• Hire, train and develop high- performing Vocational teams across the entire region
• Establish regional culture that aligns with CEO values, promotes continuous learning 
• Hold program management accountable to performance goals, team and people management that are person centered, consist of professional development practices

Successfully replicate, implement and operate CEO’s vocational model with fidelity and ensure that all participant performance goals are achieved including enrollment, placement and retention

• Collaborate closely with Central team leadership (e.g. Employee Experience, Legal & Compliance, Finance, IT) to effectively implement organizational initiatives, programs, and policies at the local site level, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and adapting approaches to meet site-specific needs.
• Perform other job-related duties and responsibilities that will be assigned from time to time

Collaboration Across Program and Social Enterprise Teams

• Work closely with regional and local social enterprise staff to ensure that CEO’s program model is effectively implemented collaboratively, establishing and maintaining regular communication loops
• Ensure local social enterprise and vocational staff members are able to troubleshoot issues affecting participant progress (e.g. census management)
• Co-develop improvement plans based on local insights and trends

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $95,000-119,000/annually. CEO's compensation philosophy considers a variety of factors including experience, internal equity, and the labor market associated with the city in which the position is located. The labor markets associated with the cities in which CEO is based are variable, and the salary range included here reflects this. Our salary offer will fall within this range and will be reflective of the labor market of the city in which the position is based, as well the other factors named above.

We recognize that salary is a part of the overall compensation package and also provide a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, as well as professional development opportunities to our staff.

We also offer paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. We are a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more for our staff.

More About Us

Center for Employment Opportunities believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. People who are justice involved are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. CEO is committed to the CROWN Act, and creating an open space where our employees can present as their true authentic selves.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, gender, gender identity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact.

Please note that due to the volume of resumes received, we are unable to contact each applicant regarding the status of each position or reply to candidates' inquiries via phone or email.