Workforce Development Associate Jobs in Beltsville, MD

Compensation: $82,000 - $97,000

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is seeking a Senior Manager (Sr. Mgr.), Community Engagement to join our growing not-for-profit technical and educational organization that connects and supports the global water community. With more than 30,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations, WEF brings together operators, engineers, scientists, utility leaders, regulators, academics, manufacturers, and other professionals working to protect public health and the environment and advance a future free of water challenges. WEF is the convenor for WEFTEC, the water sector’s largest and most impactful annual event.

The Sr. Mgr. leads operational, administrative, and strategic activities for the Students & Young Professionals (S&YP) Community and related volunteer engagement initiatives. Serves as the primary staff liaison for assigned volunteer groups, student chapters, and community leadership teams, ensuring alignment between WEF strategic priorities, workforce development initiatives, Member Associations, and volunteer engagement objectives. Provides operational leadership, program management, volunteer support, and process improvement expertise to enhance member value, leadership development, networking, and workforce engagement opportunities across WEF. Proactively collaborates among internal WEF departments, Member Associations, WEF Communities, and volunteer leaders to advance organizational goals and create an exceptional volunteer experience.

The Sr. Mgr. must thrive on initiative, problem-solving, being agile, inclusive, and a team player. The ideal candidate will have experience working across our mission and industry (but not required) to best serve the Water Community.

Principal Functions

• Serves as the primary staff liaison and substantive point of contact for the Students & Young Professionals Community, volunteer leaders, committees, task forces, and assigned WEF volunteer entities, while overseeing the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of Students & Young Professionals programs, events, and initiatives, including Springboard, Service Projects, Water Palooza, leadership programs, networking events, and other volunteer-driven activities.
• Works collaboratively with Workforce Development staff and other stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment and coordinated delivery of student and young professional initiatives, including the Student Design Competition, WEFTEC Career Fair, and related workforce development programs.
• Responsible for the execution of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, including coordination with the Member Associations, planning of the national event, and supervision and attendance of the national award winner at the global event in Stockholm. · Coordinates the creation, administration, support, and growth of WEF Student Chapters in partnership with Member Associations, educational institutions, and volunteer leaders.
• Leads and facilitates WEF community group and volunteer leadership meetings by developing agendas, preparing briefing materials, tracking action items, documenting outcomes, providing staff perspective and organizational guidance, and offering strategic and administrative support for volunteer initiatives.
• Works with volunteer leaders to identify opportunities for new programs, services, and member engagement activities that advance WEF’s strategic priorities and provide meaningful value to students and young professionals.
• Maintains and manages community collaboration platforms, including WEFUnity pages, event information, community communications, discussion forums, resource libraries, and volunteer documents.
• Maintains project records, historical program information, volunteer activity data, and performance metrics to assess program effectiveness and support data-driven decision making.
• Develops, monitors and briefs to senior leadership key performance indicators (KPIs) related to volunteer engagement, community participation, student chapter performance, workforce development initiatives, and program outcomes.
• Collaborates with technical and non-technical community managers and other stakeholders to develop and deliver cross-community programs, educational content, networking opportunities, and volunteer engagement initiatives.
• Coordinates project logistics, budgets, contracts, financial tracking, and resource planning for community programs and volunteer-led projects in partnership with Finance and Accounting staff.
• Leads process improvement initiatives within Community Engagement, including documenting procedures, defining roles and responsibilities, identifying operational efficiencies, and implementing best practices.
• Ensures effective collaboration and coordination among WEF staff, Member Associations, WEF Communities, workforce development partners, educational institutions, and volunteer leaders.
• Represents WEF at community, industry, academic, and association events and provides planning, engagement, and program support as needed.
• Participates in internal committees, special projects, and organizational initiatives that support WEF’s mission and strategic objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned within the scope of the role.

At WEF, we are committed to an interview experience that is authentic, transparent, and equitable. Candidates are asked to answer interview questions in their own words, without real-time AI assistance, so we can fairly assess individual experiences, skills and qualifications.

To support a genuine interview experience, WEF’s interviewers also refrain from using AI tools during live interviews. If a candidate’s responses appear inconsistent or suggest outside assistance, WEF’s interviewers may pause to clarify or adjust the interview to maintain fairness for all candidates. These measures are not intended to be punitive; rather, they aim to ensure a consistent evaluation process that aligns to WEF’s cultural and ethical principles.

This person will work primarily in an office environment using standard office equipment. WEF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

• Bachelor’s degree
• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in volunteer engagement, community management, workforce development, membership organizations, association management, program administration, or a related field.
• 2+ years of people leadership experience
• Demonstrated experience managing volunteer leaders, committees, task forces, student organizations, or member-driven programs.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, budgets, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Project Management Professional Certificate (Preferred)
• Experience planning and executing events, workshops, educational programs, and volunteer engagement activities.
• Ability to build productive relationships with volunteers, members, students, Member Associations, educational institutions, and internal stakeholders.
• Experience developing performance measures, analyzing program effectiveness, and utilizing data to improve outcomes.
• Knowledge of online community platforms, collaboration tools, and volunteer management practices.
• High degree of initiative and interest in program development, member engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to serve as a professional representative of WEF with volunteers, members, industry partners, and external stakeholders.

Travel Requirements

Ability to travel, including internationally up to 15 - 20% for WEF events, conferences, volunteer meetings, student chapter engagement activities, and industry programs.