Director, Great Start to Quality

Position Title: Director, Great Start to Quality (Partnerships) 

Reports To: Vice President of Innovation and Evaluation

Location: Remote work based in Michigan with occasional travel   

Schedule: Monday - Friday

Salary:  $86,670 - $105,930

Class: Exempt 

Position Summary:

The Director of Great Start to Quality Partnerships will be responsible for leading the cultivation and development of ECIC’s strategic partnerships for early care and education quality improvement projects, programs, and initiatives. In collaboration with Teams, the Director will develop, implement and oversee plans to support Great Start to Quality Resource Centers to foster innovation and effectively utilize continuous quality improvement processes with licensed early care and education programs in both homes and centers.   The Director will lead and oversee  training and technical assistance for Great Start to Quality Resource Centers, On-Site Observations of early care and education programs, and quality improvement coaching strategy implementation and continuous improvement with the goal of  ensuring families with young children have access to high quality early care and education settings of their choice.  

Duties and Responsibilities: 

This list is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) may be expected to perform job-related duties other than those outlined and may be required to have specific job-related knowledge and skills. 

Program Leadership 

• Oversee and lead the development and management of ECIC’s early care and education partnerships, including but not limited to Great Start to Quality Resource Centers. 
• Promote innovation in program quality supports and measurement, ensuring quality recognition and improvement investments are responsive to diverse program needs. 
• Collaborate to evaluate the impact of quality initiatives on child and family outcomes.  
• Collaborate to design, provide, and continuously improve technical assistance for statewide partners in the form of written documents, videos, website information, trainings, webinars, and demonstrations.
• Collaborate with Teams to develop and implement strategic and operational plans. 
• Develop and retain high-performance team members through supervision, coaching, and leadership development. 
• Serve as collaborative thought leader on building the supply of high-quality early care and education throughout Michigan, staying current on research literature, best practices and networks in relevant fields including training, technical assistance, and, leadership development, coaching, and effective approaches to continuous quality improvement. 

Managing Effective Implementation  

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to design and implement programs and initiatives utilizing the latest information from research and best practice, and in response to identified needs and opportunities 
• Oversee and lead the effective implementation of funded programs and services, including establishing and following established guidance and standards for program delivery and coordination, training content and design, and the ongoing development of effective training and technical assistance materials. 
• Work with Teams to develop necessary systems, processes, and tools to ensure consistent, high-quality, effective, and efficient implementation to better support the facilitation, collection, and sharing of knowledge. 
• Effectively utilize knowledge of methods and techniques of research, statistical analysis, and report presentation. 
• Use data to monitor effectiveness, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement. 
• Ensure that outcomes are evaluated and leveraged for maximum organizational and participant impact. 
• Oversee the development of CRM systems and other databases in support of goals and objectives. 

Relationship Management 

• Serve as lead for communicating about the body of work this position is responsible for, including MILEAP and other state, regional, and/or local partners, representing ECIC and our vision and values, while navigating new opportunities and challenges. 
• Share deep understanding of early care and education best practices, Michigan licensing, program quality assessment tools (CLASS, ECERS/ITERS), and early care and education workforce development with internal and external partners. 
• Contribute to effective strategic communications, including leading the development and writing of client and partnership proposals, program/grant reports, guidance documents, TA resource materials, and conference presentations. 

Financial Stewardship 

• Monitor program budgets, including both forecasting and tracking of expenditures, and work plans, in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team and operations staff, ensuring regular reporting and evaluation goals are established, tracked, and met. 
• Collaborate and contribute to grant proposals and other revenue generating opportunities. 

Organizational Leadership 

• Meet regularly with designated organizational leaders to contribute to the overall organization’s annual work plan and positive workplace culture.  
• Actively participate in ECIC staff meetings and other strategic and administrative projects across the organization. 
• Provide content expertise on the development of the supply of high-quality early care and education in support of ECIC’s priorities. 
• Contribute to the development of inter-team cohesiveness and management of culture change. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications and Required Skills: 

• Bachelor’s degree with seven (7) years of overall professional experience, with at least three (3) years leading large-scale programs or projects, and at least three (3) years supervisory experience.  Master’s degree preferred.  Relevant degrees include early childhood educational leadership, public policy, macro social work or related field. 
• At least 7 years of experience leading successful early care and education initiatives at the national, state, or regional level. Extensive leadership experience in early care and education, with significant experience in QRIS, program quality assessment and improvement, and professional development for leaders.  
• Knowledge of Michigan’s early care and education systems including, relevant MiLEAP and MDHHS policies, rules, regulations, and standards pertaining to child care. 

Core Competencies: 

• Excellent writer. 
• Demonstrated success in the development and implementation of initiatives to influence policy or systems change. 
• Experience partnering with - diverse colleagues and community members. 
• Demonstrated success and experience in building relationships and connections between stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. 
• Effective group consultation and meeting facilitation skills. 
• Ability to both lead a team and serve as an effective member of a team. 
• Excellent communication skills, including public speaking and interpersonal skills. 
• Creative, resourceful, and forward thinking. 
• Self-motivated. 
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and comfortable working under deadline pressure. 
• Experience working with public and non-profit organizations. 
• Proficient in using technology and virtual tools, especially Microsoft suite. 

Physical Requirements: 

• Talking - Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word to impart oral information to others accurately. (4-5 hours daily) 
• Hearing - Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound. (4-5 hours daily) 
• Visual Acuity – Viewing objects with close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. (4-5 hours daily) 

Office Setting - Sedentary work in which exerting up to 10 pounds of force is occasional and a negligible amount of force is frequently or constantly used to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Requires set up of home office in alignment with ECIC expectations for safe, secure, quiet space for work. 

Work Location 

Remote work based in Lansing, Michigan with occasional travel within the state or to other geographical areas for projects, ECIC meetings and to meet the needs of the organization. Private transportation and functioning home internet are required to fulfill the duties of this position.