Rural Initiatives Senior Manager

The Rural Initiatives Senior Manager reports to the Director of the Office of Rural Prosperity ("Office") to advance the Office's mission and vision of fostering vibrant, prosperous, and resilient rural communities across Wisconsin. The Office provides a one-stop shop to help rural stakeholders navigate programs and resources serving rural communities and businesses.

The Rural Initiatives Manager will support rural communities by managing federal grant compliance, overseeing training and technical assistance work of the Office, providing strategic direction to enhance regional collaboration and alignment with State initiatives, and developing toolkits and webinars that support growth in rural communities. Strategic priorities of the Office include rural housing, broadband expansion and adoption, small business & rural industry development, rural leadership and organizational development and promoting rural people, places and cultures. The Office also values the economic impact that inclusive and welcoming rural communities and tribal led organizations have within rural Wisconsin.

Salary Information

$80,500.00 - $96,600.00

Job Details

The Rural Initiatives Senior Manager will spend most of their time in these activities:

• Convene regional partners around strategic priorities and identify strategies to work to create alignment between regional and statewide partners toward collective impact in rural Wisconsin.

• Develop a suite of technical assistance programs and tools for rural stakeholders on a range of issues impacting rural communities and businesses.

• Oversee programmatic compliance and reporting for federal and philanthropic grants that the Office of Rural Prosperity manages.

• Develop tools and resources for rural communities to navigate federal funding opportunities such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) or the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Support initiatives that enhance grant writing and compliance capacity building across the State.

• Collaborate with WEDC departments to create programmatic partnerships that advance rural priorities within WEDC and connect rural communities to WEDC grant programs and initiatives. Provide input on program design that advance rural realities.

• Build and maintain relationships with rural stakeholders.

• Engage with team members with a high level of trust, commitment, and accountability toward our common goals.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree and 7 years of increasingly responsible and relevant experience in rural development, community-based economic development, workforce development or a related field.

• Experience in state and federal grant writing and compliance.

• Program and curriculum design experience for Statewide initiatives. • Minimum of 4 years of project management experience.

• Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: regional planning, rural housing, broadband, capacity building, small business development, placemaking, and/or rural tourism.

• Strategy development and implementation.

• Management experience, while not required, is a value-added experience.

Skills and Talents:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and prioritization skills.

• Highly motivated and able to work independently with direction.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects; strong project management skills, planning, prioritizing, and organizing.

• Ability to work cooperatively with internal and external partners.

• A passion for supporting rural Wisconsin.

• Knowledge and interest in sustainability and the impacts of climate migration.

Other Requirements:

• State-wide travel will occur on an occasional basis, less than 20% of the time. Travel is anticipated to include day and overnight travel.

• Based on the responsibilities of this position, this position may need to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

How To Apply

Applicants for this position must apply online at https://secure2.yourpayrollhr.com/ta/7760.careers?CareersSearch. There is no application deadline. Questions may be directed to HumanResources@WEDC.org.

Deadline to Apply

Applications will be accepted until position is filled.