What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Early Learning & Community Health position at UMATILLA-MORROW COUNTY HEAD START INC?
The Director of Early Learning and Community Health provides strategic and operational leadership for Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R), Every Child Belongs (ECB), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and UMHS’s fiscal backbone role for the Eastern Oregon Health Equity Alliance (EOHEA) Regional Health Equity Coalition (RHEC). The Director supervises program managers and assigned staff, oversees budgets and contract performance, and strengthens coordination across early learning and community health services.
The Director serves as UMHS’s primary liaison and strategic partner to the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub (BMELH), strengthening communication and collaboration with IMESD, Hub leadership, and community partners. The Director represents UMHS in regional planning, contributes strategic input, coordinates UMHS’s agreed-upon contributions, and supports shared early learning priorities, including the Upstream Initiative.
For EOHEA/RHEC, the Director coordinates UMHS’s responsibilities as fiscal backbone organization and employer of record, supporting coalition staff and administrative needs while respecting the coalition decision-making body’s authority over its priorities and agenda.
Essential Responsibilities:
Program Administration
• Provide leadership, supervision, coaching, and performance evaluation for program managers and assigned staff; establish clear expectations and support professional growth.
• Develop annual program work plans with managers and monitor service goals, staffing capacity, outcomes, deadlines, and corrective actions.
• Oversee program grant and contract performance, including service goals, program reporting, and deliverables. Work with program managers to address program concerns and partner with the Finance Director and Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager on fiscal compliance matters.
• Provide program priorities, staffing needs, and service projections to support budget development led by the Finance Director and Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager. Review financial reports with Finance and program managers, identify program-related spending concerns, and collaborate on budget adjustments and funding decisions.
• Maintain procedures, reporting calendars, and desk manuals that support consistent operations and succession planning.
• Contribute program information and service priorities for grant applications, renewals, and amendments. Partner with the Finance Director and Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager on fiscal forecasts, budget documentation, and financial audit preparation; coordinate program documentation for monitoring.
• Track concerns and complaints from families, staff, and partners; coordinate resolution with appropriate departments and keep relevant leadership informed.
• Keep the CEO informed of program progress, staffing needs, funding concerns, and issues requiring organizational action.
Child Care Resource and Referral
• Provide director-level oversight of CCR&R services across the region through the CCR&R Manager, including provider recruitment, training, coaching, technical assistance, and quality improvement.
• Support strategies that strengthen the early childhood workforce, expand access to child care, and reach rural and underserved communities.
• Ensure CCR&R actively participates in the agency’s Professional Development Committee and coordinates training opportunities with agency priorities.
• Ensure CCR&R collaboration with licensing staff, Early Learning Hubs, 211info, community partners, and ECB to support inclusive practices and appropriate referrals.
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with local community college Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs to support UMHS’s Grow Your Own initiative, including education pathways, professional development, and opportunities for staff and childcare providers to advance their ECE credentials.
• Ensure participation in required DELC leadership meetings, continuous quality improvement, evaluations, and statewide initiatives.
• Monitor CCR&R program performance and contract deliverables with the CCR&R Manager. Review financial information provided by the Finance Director and Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager, share program needs and staffing priorities, and collaborate on spending concerns, cost allocations, and applicable match requirements. Finance leads fiscal accounting and reporting.
Every Child Belongs
• Provide director-level oversight of Every Child Belongs (ECB), including regional access to infant and early childhood mental health consultation and supports that prevent suspension and expulsion.
• Oversee regional coordination of ECB Connect support requests, including response plans, referral pathways, partner roles, and required memoranda of understanding.
• Support timely, equitable, culturally responsive, trauma-informed consultation, prioritizing programs and children at risk of exclusion and those with limited access to supports.
• Coordinate with appropriate agency leadership and partners to support consultant recruitment, qualifications, onboarding, professional development, reflective consultation, and workforce equity planning, without assuming direct staff supervision.
• Ensure coordination between ECB, CCR&R, early learning providers, and regional partners so programs receive consultation, coaching, technical assistance, and referrals suited to their needs.
• Represent UMHS at required ECB Regional Service Provider leadership meetings, statewide learning opportunities, and program improvement activities.
• Monitor implementation plans, consultation capacity, service data, quality improvement, quarterly reports, and contract deliverables; coordinate corrective actions as needed.
• Review ECB funding needs and budget-to-actual information with program staff, the Finance Director, and the Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager. Finance leads expenditure accounting, reimbursement claims, and fiscal reporting; the Director supports program-related decisions, grant performance, and resolution of concerns.
Women Infants and Children
• Provide administrative and program oversight of WIC in partnership with the WIC Manager, supporting nutrition education, breastfeeding services, food benefits, and health referrals.
• Monitor clinic access, staffing capacity, qualified personnel, caseload performance, and barriers to timely services across the service area.
• Ensure the WIC Manager implements the required Nutrition Services Plan and oversees eligibility, certification, nutrition-risk assessment, eWIC benefits, breastfeeding support, and referrals.
• Strengthen coordination with Head Start, home visiting, health partners, and community clinic sites to improve access for families.
• Collaborate with the WIC Manager, Finance Director, and Payroll and Fund Accounting Manager on WIC budget planning and spending reviews. Provide program priorities and address service-related funding concerns; Finance leads cost allocations, financial reporting, fiscal projections, and accounting for staff time studies.
• Oversee WIC program reporting, service documentation, confidentiality, records retention, program monitoring, and program corrective actions. Coordinate with Finance on fiscal reports, fiscal monitoring, and any related corrective actions.
• Ensure applicable Farm Direct Nutrition Program requirements and other approved WIC-funded activities are monitored.
Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub and Upstream
• Serve as UMHS’s primary liaison and strategic partner to the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub (BMELH), maintaining consistent two-way communication with IMESD, Hub leadership, and regional partners.
• Represent UMHS in Hub leadership meetings, advisory groups, workgroups, and regional planning; provide strategic input reflecting the needs of children, families, and early learning providers.
• Coordinate communication between Hub leadership, UMHS leadership, and program managers to align shared priorities, identify service gaps, and strengthen regional collaboration.
• Lead and coordinate UMHS’s agreed-upon contributions to shared regional initiatives, including the Upstream Initiative, through cross-program planning, outreach, and professional development.
• Promote appropriate connections between BMELH, CCR&R, ECB, WIC, and other UMHS programs to strengthen referrals, resource sharing, and community access to services.
• Identify opportunitie
Salary : $108,900 - $119,320