Merit’s verified identity ecosystem helps trusted organizations across government and enterprise solve critical real-world problems in workforce development, emergency services, licensing, education, defense readiness, and other sectors. Thousands of trusted organizations – including government agencies and nonprofits – use Merit for digital verification of credentials, licenses, training, and skills.
Using Merit, organizations can capture and certify people-data in containers called merits, and permission them to individuals. All of an individual’s merits are stored in one place, providing people agency over their verified data, giving people secure access and selective sharing with other organizations.
By connecting organizations and individuals, the Merit Platform supports a robust verified identity network that serves as a source of truth and trust for entire industries; bringing visibility, liquidity, and trust to people’s data.
Merit has been widely adopted and used by numerous organizations:
-The Florida Division of Emergency Management partnered with Merit to provide a fast, secure, paperless solution for the verification and time-tracking of thousands of volunteers and paid medical professionals assisting with the statewide COVID-19 vaccination efforts. As a result of our work together, FDEM was named a StateScoop 50
Award winner for the State IT Innovation of the Year.
–BARBICIDE® partnered with Merit to provide digital credentials to beauty professionals worldwide, exceeding two million digital, portable, shareable BARBICIDE® merits sent to date through Merit’s verified identity platform. The merits are granted for completion of BARBICIDE’s widely utilized courses on safety standards and best-practices.
–Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) partnered with Merit to streamline licensing and digital credentialing for the more than 300,000 professionals across more than 40 industries that are required to have a license to work. With Merit, those licenses are now digital, accessible, and easily verifiable by consumers and businesses.
Our Values
Merit’s values are more than just words on paper – they permeate the company’s brand, culture,
products, and even individual actions. Our values are:
1. Building a network of truth and trust. Merit is modeling the real world of Verified Identity into a digital one, built on merits. Society values truth, and merits represent truth.
2. Everyone is a friend. We see opportunities everywhere because Merit has endless ways to grow the already vast and self-propagating Verified Identity graph.
3. A rising tide lifts all boats. We think about entire industries and how to make the most impact on people’s lives. When we succeed, our employees, partners, and everyone on Merit should succeed.
4. Measure to meaningfully improve. Work is measured by output, not vanity metrics, and the things we do measure have goals.
5. Use Merit to build Merit. The strength of the Merit network, platform, and company compounds with the addition of every partner, consumer, and employee.
The Role
The Executive Director, Workforce Solutions is responsible for leading all business development efforts within this vertical, including but not limited to: generating interest from existing networks, developing relationships with new potential partners through Merit marketing channels, consultants and legislative strategy, and building upon Merit’s existing customer base to grow this segment of the business. This role is fully remote and regular domestic travel is likely.
– The Executive Director is responsible for designing and executing a strategy for Merit to win an a significant segment of the market
– Work with Consultants and Lobbyists in target states and industries to fulfill company goals including:
– Lead Generation among public sector Workforce Solutions customers
– Facilitating warm introductions to key decision makers
– Navigating state budgets and procurement processes
– As necessary or desired, lobbying for/against legislation and budget appropriations relevant to Merit
– Identify opportunities through research, marketing-generated leads, RFPs and/or pre-existing relationships
– Schedule and conduct meetings with customers across the lifecycle of a deal, from first touch, to contract signature, to expansion
– Identify funding and/or procurement vehicles for Merit’s software and services, and working closely with the Chief Operating Officer to coordinate any additional resources required to drive success
– Work with VP Business Development and Chief Operating Officer to hone Merit’s offering to Workforce partners
– Work with Marketing to develop customer-facing materials, marketing campaigns and more
– Work with the Delivery team to implement successful Workforce Solutions, including helping to design and deploy any existing and future projects
Responsibilities
– Communicate the company and the business line’s mission to external and internal sources
– Collaborate with senior management to devise effective short and long term plans
– Create actionable goals that make it possible to turn our mission into tangible results
– Manage economic and financial viability of the business line by using management strategies, financial accounting, customer relations, and the implementation of new technologies
– Analyze the success of products, projects and activities
– Discovers and pursue ways to increase revenue by leveraging network connections and referrals to build our business line’s reach within the industry
– Develop new business opportunities by leveraging contacts, pursuing new product development, and improving project efficiency
– Ensures compliance with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations
Qualifications
– 10+ years’ experience in strategic planning, business management, corporate leadership, and financial decision-making
– 10+ years of experience working with state, local and/or federal government partners – either from within the government or outside as a trusted partner
– Must possess exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills, and have a willingness to challenge the status quo with new solutions
– Must have a strong working knowledge of workforce development policy and practice
– Must have experience relationship building with a diverse set of customers, and be comfortable being the public face of the company for the Workforce Solutions business line
– Strong decision-making skills and the determination to envision new partnerships and see projects through to the end
– Self-directed and able to work independently
– Demonstrated proficiency in strategic planning, analytical research, leadership and go-to-market strategy
– Proven track record of success in the Workforce Development space
– Experience selling software to government agencies
– Experience managing external and internal teams in support of company goals
– Experience interacting with government procurement, including but not limited to RFPs, RFIs, RFQs and RFOs
– Experience bridging the gap between startups, the private sector and government
Soft Skills
– Excellent interpersonal skills (for building and maintaining relationships)
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills
– Ability to solve large, multi-stakeholder challenges Team leadership/management skills
– Research skills (sourcing and understanding opportunities quickly)