Service Director Jobs in Woonsocket, RI (NOW HIRING)

The Director of Business Services leads a statewide, employer-focused strategy that strengthens how the workforce system engages, serves, and partners with businesses of all sizes. The role oversees a comprehensive business program designed to connect employers with qualified talent, including specialized services that support Veterans in securing meaningful employment. This position provides strategic direction and operational oversight to a small internal team while coordinating closely with 16 workforce boards and more than 20 Career Center business teams to streamline, align, and elevate business services across the Commonwealth.
The director builds and maintains strong relationships with large corporations, mid-sized companies, and small businesses, ensuring the system delivers consistent, high-quality employer experience. Through data-driven insights, cross-regional collaboration, and a deep understanding of employer needs, the role ensures that business engagement efforts are coordinated, responsive, and positioned to drive strong employment outcomes for Veterans and the broader jobseeker population.
The Director will also help guide the organization through changes. In this role, assist people to understand, navigate, and embrace new ways of working-whether the change involves processes, technologies, structures, or culture. Collaborate, design and deliver clear strategies, build alignment across audiences, and support leaders in driving successful, sustainable transformation.
• Statewide Strategy and Leadership - Formulates, recommends, and implements policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives to support agency goals, ensure regulatory compliance, and advance organizational effectiveness. Set the vision, priorities, and strategic direction for business services across the Commonwealth, ensuring alignment with statewide workforce goals and employer needs. Provides leadership in the formulation of organizational policy and strategic direction, evaluating operational, legislative, and programmatic impacts to inform executive decision-making.
• Program Oversight and Performance Management - Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the business services programs, including specialized initiatives that connect Veterans with employment opportunities and statewide administration of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program. Ensure timely processing, compliance with federal requirements, and consistent coordination with employers and partner agencies. Establishes policies, priorities, and performance expectations for assigned divisions, ensuring consistent implementation and continuous improvement across programs and operations.
• Coordinate Rapid Response activities in accordance with WIOA requirements, including early employer engagement, service planning, and alignment with local workforce boards and career centers. Monitor program performance, data quality, and reporting. Identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement across regions.
• Cross-System Coordination - Coordinate and align business engagement efforts across 16 workforce boards and 20+ Career Center business teams, promoting consistency, shared standards, and a unified employer experience.
• Employer Engagement and Relationship Management - Build and maintain strong relationships with large to small businesses, ensuring the workforce system responds effectively to hiring, training, and talent pipeline needs.
• Talent Connection to State Partners - Serve as the primary workforce liaison to the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) and other state partners, coordinating talent solutions, responding to business needs, and ensuring employers receive seamless, cross-agency support.
• Team Leadership and Staff Development - Supervise and support a small internal team responsible for organizing, streamlining, and elevating business services, providing coaching, direction, and performance oversight.
• Veteran Employment Services Oversight - Guide staff who work directly with employers to expand hiring pathways for Veterans, ensuring strong coordination with specialized staff in MassHire Career Centers that work with Veteran customers, employer partnerships and high-quality job placement outcomes.
• Data, Insights, and Reporting - Use labor market data, employer feedback, and performance metrics to inform strategy, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement across the statewide business services network.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Representation - Represent the business services function in statewide initiatives, interagency working groups, and external partnerships, advancing collaborative solutions that strengthen the employer experience.
• Operational Alignment and Standardization - Develop tools, processes, and guidance that support consistent service delivery, shared practices, and streamlined workflows across business teams.
• Employer Experience and Quality Assurance - Ensure that employers receive a coordinated, high-quality experience regardless of region, reducing duplication and strengthening the system's reputation as a reliable talent partner.
Qualifications:
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below. Substitutions: I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience. II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience. III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience. IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.
Comprehensive Benefits
When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.
Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.