Early Childhood Program Officer

Reports to: Deputy Director

Department: Early Care & Education and Strengthening Families Focuses

Employment Status and Work Schedule

Exempt, full-time position, 40 hours per work week. Some evening and weekend hours are required.

About First 5 Contra Costa

First 5 Contra Costa helps young children grow up healthy and ready to learn during the most important time in their development. We have 25 years of experience funding innovative programs and advocating for policies that produce better futures for our children. Since our inception, First 5 Contra Costa has invested more than $140 million in Prop. 10 revenues to programs that help Contra Costa’s children get the best start in life and have helped strengthen the systems that support our most vulnerable families.

Vision: Contra Costa’s young children will be healthy, ready to learn, and supported in safe, nurturing families and communities.

Mission: To foster the optimal development of our children, prenatal through 5 years of age.

Core Values: Our everyday work is grounded in our commitment to diversity & inclusion, equity, cultural humility, and community partnerships.

Learn more at www.first5coco.org.

Position Summary

First 5 Contra Costa Program Officer positions have oversight of one or more focus areas and require relevant subject matter expertise in those areas. The Program Officer position has managerial responsibilities, including developing strategy for achieving positive changes in policy and practice in our county, budget development and monitoring, defining team objectives and developing work and project plans, monitoring contractors, supervising staff, managing partnerships and coalitions, and evaluating results. The Program Officer will work closely with the entire First 5 Contra Costa team to understand the network of partners and services supporting Contra Costa County families with young children. The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below indicate the common aspects of the Program Officer position, however for recruitment purposes relevant subject matter expertise is required to be considered as a qualified candidate.

Early Childhood Program Officer

This position holds the overall responsibility for the agency’s work in Early Care and Education (ECE) and supports specific projects in the agency’s Strengthening Families portfolio. Under the direction of the Deputy Director and in collaboration with one other Program Officer, Managers, and staff, this Early Childhood Program Officer works collaboratively with the program team to plan, monitor and/or coordinate efforts that result in more robust and coordinated resources that support families with young children. First 5 Contra Costa’s current efforts in early care and education focus on promoting providers’ professional development and overall program quality improvement, stabilizing the provider workforce, and fostering systems change for families - all with the goal of enhancing children’s school readiness. First 5 Contra Costa’s current efforts in strengthening families focus on increasing parents/families’ protective factors and resiliency and enhancing access to early childhood services for families in need. This position will have a prominent leadership role in Contra Costa County’s early childhood landscape by leading, influencing, and contributing to the design, planning, and implementation of early childhood programs, policies, and approaches.

The Early Childhood Program Officer will have strong knowledge of major public programs, funding streams, policy trends, research, and best practices in early care and education. The Early Childhood Program Officer will possess expertise in program design and monitoring, budget development and management, project management, supervision, systems change, research, and local, state, and federal policy related to early care and education. They must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage and supervise teams, establish collaborative relationships, communicate professionally, develop community and systems partnerships, build consensus, facilitate collective problem-solving, and understand the unique responsibilities and accountabilities of representing a public agency. The Early Childhood Program Officer holds a management and leadership role and requires a person who works with flexibility, efficiency, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team effort. The Early Childhood Program Officer ensures programs reflect First 5’s core values of diversity & inclusion, equity, cultural humility, and community partnership.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads and manages a variety of professional development and program quality improvement projects for early care and education programs, including but not limited to the Contra Costa Professional Development Program, Contra Costa Quality Matters, and other related efforts.

• Leads and manages efforts to enhance the stabilization and professionalization of the early care and education workforce in Contra Costa County.

• Leads and manages a variety of school readiness projects and initiatives, including efforts that focus on African American/Black families living in the East County region and that promote collaboration between the early care and education providers, school districts, and other partners.

• Plans, leads, and manages relevant and responsive projects that increase cross-sector collaboration between early care and education systems, family strengthening systems, and other systems that impact families with young children.

• Develop and maintain partnerships and collaborations with individuals and organizations to enhance the success of First 5 Contra Costa’s goals.

• Monitors, evaluates, and analyzes trends, local/state/federal policy, research, and initiatives relevant to early childhood education to determine impacts locally and possible opportunities to enhance/expand First 5 Contra Costa’s efforts.

• Participates in local cross-sector community and systems collaboratives focusing on the early childhood field or where there are opportunities to add early childhood issues to a broader collaborative.

Knowledge and Abilities

• Supervise staff using asset-based approaches and strategies.

• Develop cross-sector community and systems partnerships including a variety of public, private, nonprofit, and grassroots organizations.

• Communicate persuasively, both orally and in writing, in varied settings, and to different audiences.

• Manage multiple projects, contracts, staff members, and priorities simultaneously while upholding quality standards.

• Think critically and approach problem-solving creatively when managing complex issues and while considering the needs of varied stakeholders.

• Prioritize work, communicate with the supervisor about work challenges, meet critical deadlines, and pay great attention to detail with excellent follow-through.

• Conduct research, analyze information, summarize findings, and make recommendations.

• Model and promote organizational values and participate as a key strategic partner in the organization.

• Demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion, value perspectives, and promote contributions by all.

• Work with diverse personalities with a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds and experiences including Commissioners, staff, public agency partners, and community partners.

• Effectively partner with other organizations, including school districts, County departments, community-based organizations, and grassroots efforts, to develop projects, identify needs, and define and meet collective goals.

• Work closely with contractors to achieve the desired impact by conducting site visits, providing technical guidance, convening meetings of key stakeholders, monitoring performance, and contributing to the agency’s learning goals.

• Prepare and deliver formal and informal presentations at venues such as public meetings, conferences, workgroups, and events.

• Plan, develop, and manage budgets; ability to manage multiple private and public funding streams with varying requirements; demonstrated ability to understand and use financial reports to monitor and manage program budgets.

• Conduct research on potential funding opportunities and collaborative partnerships and complete grant applications through a variety of funding streams.

• Knowledge of the early care and education field.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and expectations required of the position. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind duties, responsibilities, and activities of the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Effectively supervises staff per the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding, mentoring, coaching, and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. This position would directly supervise several positions. Supervision of additional staff may be assigned as needed.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Social Work, Psychology or a closely related human services field and a minimum of 5 years of experience in program design, implementation, policy, or research related to the above fields.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the above-listed fields and 7 years of experience in program design and monitoring, policy, or research related to those fields.

Must possess a valid California driver’s license and automobile insurance throughout employment.

First 5 Contra Costa COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

First 5 Contra Costa prioritizes the health and safety of our staff and has adopted the county’s COVID-19 vaccination policy for all employees. To be compliant with this policy, all new staff members shall be required to provide proof of their vaccination status or exemption documentation will be required at the start of their employment.

Preferred, not required.

• Spanish fluency, both oral and written.

• Experience working or living in Contra Costa County or the Bay Area.

Salary and Benefits

Salary range is $125,519.92 to $152,570.25. First 5 Contra Costa offers a comprehensive benefits package.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume, a professional writing sample, and a brief letter of introduction that summarizes why you are ideally suited to this position.

Submit all the required documents to: HR@first5coco.org and include Early Childhood Program Officer in the subject line. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

First 5 Contra Costa is an Equal Opportunity Employer. First 5 Contra Costa is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment for employees and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds. First 5 Contra Costa does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion (including religious dress or grooming), creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions) or gender, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disabilities, color, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, genetic information, medical condition, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

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