Director of Early Care & Education

Description

Requirements

Leadership & Program Administration (50%)

• Serve as the unifying leader of Early Care & Education service areas, maintaining alignment with Head Start performance standards, federal and state regulations, and organizational policies, procedures, and mission.
• Assist in the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan encompassing prenatal services, home visiting (home-based option), center-based preschool education, and child care services.
• Establish systems and practice that supports ongoing review of data and performance, open communication and feedback loops, and data-driven decision-making.
• Direct the implementation of high-quality, developmentally appropriate curricula across all program options.
• Direct the implementation program evaluations that address instructional quality, teacher-child/parent-child interactions, and classroom environments using validated observation tools (e.g., CLASS®, HOVRS).
• Ensure systems, partnerships, tools, and resources are in place to support timely and appropriate services for children with individualized care needs (i.e. those with Individualized Family Service Plans, Individualized Education Programs, and/or Individualized Support/Behavior Intervention Plans), including functional behavioral assessments and/or program observation instruments, such as the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool and/or Infant-Toddler Scale.
• Promote family engagement practices that support the parental role as the child's first and most important teacher and align with the agency’s school readiness goals.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders, oversee Memorandum of Understanding/Partnership Agreements, inform contracts, and represent RWCFS on pertinent community committees.

Agency Operations (30%)

• Partner to achieve a healthy organizational culture that supports trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate practice, and emphasizes staff, child, and family well-being.
• Oversee the agency’s policies and procedures related to early care, education, and family services.
• Help lead the agency’s self-assessment, community assessment, and program design; assist with service and location changes.
• Participate in the development of the agency’s budget, grant management, and reporting.
• Engage with the agency’s Board of Directors to provide training, report on outcomes, and relay programmatic updates and/or adjustments to the strategic plan.
• Assist with the integration of Head Start and child care funding streams to provide wraparound care and/or programming that supports working families.
• Effectively team with other agency leaders to ensure safety, compliance, achieve outcomes, and provide sufficient and equitable access to services.
• Partner with Human Resources to create/revise job descriptions, recruit and hire staff, arrange for layoff and callback of part-year staff, administer corrective action, maintain personnel records, manage leaves of absence, etc.; serve as the lead for the agency’s onboarding and staff development for ECE staff.
• Participate in leadership team meetings, retreats, and other activities designed to enhance collaboration and promote consistency.
• Ensure fiscal management by monitoring educational expenditures.

Supervisory Responsibilities (20%)

• Hold regular team meetings and foster a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Set clear goals and expectations, provide regular supervision meetings, and deliver timely performance reviews for all direct reports.
• Support managers, supervisors, and specialists in the development, implementation, and/or revision of onboarding and professional development plans, as well as efforts to improve the performance of their team members, address concerns, and implement corrective action.
• Monitor workload, assess employee goals, and provide opportunities for growth.
• Ensure employees have the information, support, and resources needed to be successful in their positions.
• Ensure   timely review, approval, and submission of staff related items (time sheets, mileage and other expense reimbursement, training and travel requests, etc.)

An  individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. The above list   reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position. It is the responsibility of the individual to inform the employer of any accommodation needed to perform the essential functions of this position.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Education, Social Work, or a related field; master’s degree preferred.
• 5 years’ experience supervising and coaching others to achieve results; 10 years’ experience and/or experience supervising and coaching other leaders, preferred.
• Demonstrated success in program management, including operational and financial management, evaluation and assessment, and continuous quality improvement; experience with this in a Head Start, Early Head Start and/or nonprofit setting preferred.
• Experience utilizing policies and procedures, administrative rules, and state/federal laws to develop and implement programs; experience with this in a Head Start, Early Head Start and/or nonprofit setting preferred.
• Experience working cross-functionally with HR, Finance, Program Support, and leadership; prior experience serving as a member of a senior leadership team preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present complex information and data to drive change; experience engaging broad, diverse audiences preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build community partnerships and lead collaborative initiatives; experience partnering with others to achieve organizational or community change preferred.
• Demonstrated computer literacy skills and experience with basic data management systems.
• Must be able to pass a physical exam, background checks, and have a valid driver’s license.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL, & EMOTIONAL DEMANDS:

Employees must consistently demonstrate that they are physically, mentally, and emotionally able to meet the requirements of their job. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

General Office Tasks: Sitting for long periods, moving from location to location (within buildings and from site to site) and using a computer for extended periods of time

Communication: Speaking clearly, hearing, and using hands to handle objects or controls

Physical Activity: Depending on the job, one might need to lift, bend, or crouch

Visual Acuity: Seeing details of objects at various distances, as well as depth perception. The ability to withstand blue light from computer screens, smart phones, and other technology

Auditory Acuity: The ability to hear and focus on conversations and potentially respond quickly to sounds

MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

Cognitive Skills: Learning new information, remembering processes, focusing, categorizing, and integrating information for decision-making; making timely and effective decisions under pressure

Problem-Solving: Identifying problems, analyzing situations, and finding solutions

Organization and Planning: Organizing tasks, setting priorities, and managing time effectively

Adaptability: Adapting to changing situations and priorities

Stress Management: Managing stress and maintaining composure under pressure

EMOTIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and responding to the emotions of team members; understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses and how they impact others

Conflict Resolution: Resolving conflicts constructively and fairly

Resilience: Maintaining a positive attitude and bouncing back from setbacks

Maintaining a Healthy Work-Life Balance: Leaders need to model good work-life balance for their team

The physical, mental, and emotional requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

• The employee primarily works indoors in an office that is typically located within a school building; the noise level in the work environment ranges from low to moderate.
• The employee occasionally works in outdoor weather conditions for short periods of time.
• The employee regularly performs work/job related travel within Rock and Walworth Counties; occasional travel within and outside of the state may be required for conference attendance.
• The employee occasionally performs work in the evenings, on weekends, and may also be on call.
• The employee is serving in a role that requires support to direct reports and other staff; regular interruptions to workflow are expected.
• The employee may encounter illness and/or be exposed to situations that require CPR or first-aid to be administered.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to successfully function within the work environment.

Salary : $80,000 - $82,700