Senior Director, Compliance & Program Fidelity

As Senior Director of Compliance & Program Fidelity, you will own the compliance architecture that governs delegate performance across the Acelero network. This role operates at the system and strategy level: designing the compliance infrastructure, translating regulatory requirements into organizational standards, managing federal and state compliance relationships, monitoring the fidelity and quality of monitoring and compliance implementation across Acelero delegates, and supervising three direct reports.

Why Acelero?

Our mission is bold: To design and deliver research and evidence-based approaches to eliminate the gaps between young childrenʼs inherent potential and their achievement in school and life. With our partners, we accelerate child and family outcomes that honor all of the aspirations and cultures of the communities we serve. 

Our values: Data-Informed Learning; Transparent & Open Communication; Growth Mindset; Championing Equality; Caring Teams & Communities.

Your Role:

As a Senior Director, you will design the system in which that monitoring occurs, synthesizes what the Directors of Implementation surface into network-level intelligence, and ensures the compliance and quality infrastructure is coherent, legally sound, and operationally sustainable.

What You’ll Do:

Compliance Architecture & Standards

• Design and maintain the compliance infrastructure across the delegate network, including policy frameworks, the Individualized Service Plan (ISP) system, corrective action protocols, and implementation standards.

• Translate federal Head Start Performance Standards, state regulations, and organizational policy into clear implementation standards and monitoring frameworks.

• Build organizational policy in collaboration with HR, fiscal, and legal — ensuring cross-functional policies are coherent, defensible, and consistently translated into delegate practice across all states of operation.

• Own the corrective action framework: protocols, timelines, escalation pathways, and documentation standards.

• Maintain ownership of centralized checklists, standard operating procedures, and guidance materials that inform compliance-related operations — directing and overseeing the Content & Knowledge Systems Manager in the development, version control, accessibility, and continuous improvement of these tools.

• Oversee the completion of root cause analysis for incidents that are potentially reportable or considered significant, ensuring findings inform updated standards and corrective action protocols.

• Monitor federal, state, and local regulatory changes and lead the organizational response, including adapting tools, policies, and frameworks accordingly.

Delegate Compliance Leadership & Network Oversight

• Establish and maintain network-wide standards for the Director of Monitoring & Compliance (DMC) role — defining minimum requirements, competencies, and performance expectations for DMCs across all delegate organizations, while allowing delegates the flexibility to exceed those standards where local capacity supports it.

• Lead a cross-network DMC community of practice that builds shared understanding of compliance monitoring methods, organizational standards, and implementation expectations — ensuring DMCs across six states are working from a common framework regardless of local variation.

• Stay abreast of local adaptations to the DMC role and function, assessing whether those adaptations are consistent with organizational standards, require intervention, or warrant network-wide adoption.

• Synthesize compliance and quality implementation intelligence surfaced by the two Directors of Implementation — identifying network-wide patterns, systemic risks, and emerging regulatory pressures — and translate those insights into updated standards, corrective action protocols, and policy infrastructure.

• Integrate implementation fidelity data from both Directors of Implementation into a unified compliance and quality picture for the VP, ensuring that program quality and compliance dimensions of delegate performance are never reported in isolation from each other.

• Serve as the senior decision-maker on cross-functional policy questions that exceed the authority or scope of the Directors of Implementation, adjudicating how HR, fiscal, and legal policies apply across diverse delegate contexts and ensuring coherent translation into network-wide practice.

• Maintain regular engagement through at least two visits per delegate annually. 

Fidelity & Quality Monitoring

• Monitor the fidelity and quality of compliance implementation across all Acelero delegates, ensuring that delegate-level compliance operations meet organizational standards and are executed with consistency and rigor.

• Establish clear expectations and measurable standards for effective compliance monitoring at the delegate level, and create the tools and frameworks that enable the Directors of Implementation to assess and report against those standards.

• Analyze compliance data trends surfaced through the Directors of Implementation to identify systemic risks, delegate-level gaps, and opportunities for policy or infrastructure improvement.

• Work with the Data & Performance team to ensure dashboards and reporting systems reflect compliance fidelity indicators and enable centralized tracking of policy adherence, health and safety monitoring, and other compliance metrics across the network.

• Co-create with Delegate Vice Presidents and Directors of Monitoring & Compliance internal Corrective Action Plans to ensure compliance and mitigation of further risks from previous incidents, as warranted by severity or pattern.

Federal & State Relationships

• Serve as the organizational lead on federal and state compliance interpretation for programmatic matters, including Head Start Program Performance Standards and applicable state licensing regulations.

• Monitor the regulatory landscape for changes that require organizational response and communicate implications to the VP and CLIO in a timely and actionable manner.

• Lead organizational preparation for and response to federal monitoring reviews, ensuring readiness, accuracy, and coherence of the compliance record across the network.

• Partner closely with the Acelero Learning Head Start (ALHS) President and HEAT leadership team on compliance implementation through regularly scheduled meetings, clear escalation protocols, and consistent integrated reporting.

Content & Knowledge Systems Oversight

• Direct and oversee the Content & Knowledge Systems Manager in the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of all compliance-related resources, tools, reference materials, and knowledge systems used by DMCs, Directors of Implementation, and delegate staff.

• Ensure that compliance tools and resources are audit-ready, plain language, accessible to diverse users across the network, and aligned with current regulatory requirements.

• Oversee organization-wide compliance training design and content development in collaboration with the Content & Knowledge Systems Manager, ensuring materials translate technical regulatory requirements into practical, staff-accessible guidance.

• Coordinate with Program Quality content leads to ensure Directors of Implementation have the functional expertise and up-to-date resources they need to monitor implementation with precision.

Delegate Engagement & Governance Interface

• Serve as the primary policy and compliance liaison to delegate leadership, including Delegate Vice Presidents, local Boards of Directors, Policy Committees, and AHSGAC, ensuring alignment between centralized policies and local programmatic needs.

• Present key policy updates, compliance findings, and strategic recommendations to AHSGAC, the Policy Council, and other governing bodies in a clear and actionable manner that supports informed decision-making at the Board and Policy Council level.

• Promote a culture of shared accountability and transparency through regular communication and collaboration with delegate leaders on incident trends, corrective actions, and policy revisions.

• Participate in governance and strategic planning convenings with delegates no less than monthly, including the Annual Joint Board, Policy Council, and Staff Planning, Training, and Elections Event.

• Implement formal feedback mechanisms to regularly share insights with delegate leadership on progress against compliance priorities and the execution of compliance monitoring responsibilities, using those insights to inform ongoing coaching and annual performance evaluations.

Team Management & Leadership

• Supervise the Directors of Implementation (Early Learning and Family Engagement & Health) and the Content & Knowledge Systems Manager, providing clear direction, monitoring the fidelity of their work, and ensuring escalation protocols are followed.

• Differentiate clearly between the Senior Director's system-design and synthesis function and the Directors of Implementation's delegate-level monitoring function — the SD is not a third DOI.

• Oversee work allocation, goal setting, project timelines, and professional development across the Compliance & Program Fidelity function.

• Foster a collaborative team culture grounded in accountability, continuous improvement, and a shared commitment to high-quality implementation across the delegate network.

Supervision

• Supervises assigned department personnel including hiring, training, scheduling, evaluating, and ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and completion of work performed by direct reports.

• Meets with assigned staff regularly to identify and resolve problems, manage projects, track goals, and review work processes and procedures.

• Represents team and/or department at meetings, events, and training as required.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in public policy, early childhood education, or a related field is a strong asset.

• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in policy development, regulatory compliance, or program administration, with at least three (3) years in a senior supervisory role overseeing director-level staff.

• At least two years demonstrated experience leading compliance within multi-site or multi-state Head Start or similar federally funded early childhood programs is required.

• Experience navigating multi-state licensing frameworks is strongly desired.

• Experience serving as an organizational lead in federal compliance contexts, including federal monitoring reviews, regulatory interpretation, or compliance negotiations, is strongly desired.

• Physical exam and background checks required.

• Travel up to 20% required for work-related meetings and site support.

• Must have a valid driver's license and reliable transportation.

When/Where/How Much:

When: Summer 2026

Where: Remote with 20% travel, including at least 2 visits to each delegate annually. 

How Much: This positions pays up to $140,000 + comprehensive benefits package

Why You’ll Love Working with Us:

• A meaningful mission that drives real change in the lives of children and families

• A collaborative, inclusive team that values your growth and well-being

• Robust benefits that support your total wellbeing, including:

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with multiple plan options to fit your needs

  • Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contributions up to $400/individuals & $800/family annually

  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care expenses

  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with up to 3% company match 

  • Short-Term and Long-Term Disability and Basic Life Insurance

  • Up to $500 per year in Professional Development Reimbursements

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with counseling and mental wellness support

  • Wellness Programs, including virtual fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes

  • Pet Insurance, Legal Assistance, ID Theft Protection, and Employee Discount Perks
     

Why Join Acelero Learning?

At Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, we're committed to transforming early childhood education through innovation, continuous learning, and a relentless focus on quality. You'll join a collaborative team that values curiosity, creativity, and continuous improvement while making a meaningful impact on the educators who shape children's futures every day.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy workplace.