Interactions Design Strategist

Position: Interactions Design Strategist
FullTime Salary Range: $50000 $55000

Culture:
Trying Togethers mission is to support highquality care and education for young children.

Trying Together is a Pittsburghbased nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood by providing advocacy community resources and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children their families and the adults who interact with them. A fastpaced organization Trying Together looks for dedicated and passionate staff who bring positivity to their work and a solutionoriented sensibility.

Trying Together encourages its team partners and communities to interact compassionately and honor the range of cultures ideas and identities that root each person. Young children develop and learn by example; this means that children whose early learning environments reflect just actions equitable opportunities diverse representation and inclusive approaches experience healthier interactions and build relationships that enable them to thrive.

Trying Together is an equalopportunity employer. Trying Together does not discriminate and encourages qualified candidates of any gender race class sexual orientation faith disability or age to apply. All candidates will be evaluated on a merit basis.

Purpose:
Building relationships from a strengthsbased approach are fundamental to this position. The Interactions Design Strategist supports program administrators educators and homebased child care providers with developing new skills to continuously improve their daily interactions and achieve increased program quality. The Interactions Design Strategist engages program administration and staff that work with children in a collaborative process that involves reflective communication professional growth and goal setting to affirm the importance of human interactions in childrens lives. The Interactions Design Strategists approach begins by building on what professionals already do well and is based on the understanding that the active ingredient in a childs growth is the developmental relationship between the child and the adults that care for them. The Interactions Design Strategist oversees the project development of the innovative technology tools Message from Me and MindfulNest and the work of Everyday Interactions Matter (EIM).

General Responsibilities:

• Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do the ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities.
• Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together.
• Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor childrens families educators and colleagues humanity.
• Have knowledge of local state and national systems for early care and education.
• Is willing and able to engage in honest selfreflection about progress and their contribution to the process.
• Can foster a programs capacity building and assume a strengthsbased approach.
• Can establish credibility as a resource worthy of the programs respect and trust.
• Can facilitate a programs own problemsolving process.
• Has the ability to maintain a project timeline and monitor progress toward goals.
• Must be able to work independently and as a team member.
• Must be able to interact with others in a positive and professional manner.
• Has the ability to work comfortably in a variety of settings.
• Can maintain confidentiality.
• Follow the procedure for reporting suspected child abuse.
• Has good judgment and decisionmaking abilities.
• Must demonstrate enthusiasm and flexibility.
• Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work.
• Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for continuous learning and expanding ones professional knowledge base.
• Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents record data that measure project performance and support continuous quality improvement in the organizations resources and services.
• Other duties as assigned.

Everyday Interactions Matters (EIM) Responsibilities:

• Based on the work of Fred Rogers and the Fred Rogers Institute facilitate learning communities for program leaders assistant teachers coteachers and head teachers to help strengthen daily interactions with children and assure quality programming based on developmentally appropriate practice.
• Visit early learning programs to capture video footage of authentic interactions between early learning professionals and children.
• Facilitate professional development series for program leaders and classroom teaching teams.
• Recognize and build on the existing knowledge and skills of program staff through reflective practice close observation and peer discussion.
• Facilitate supportive discussion between early learning team members with a focus on strengths connection and appreciation.
• Using a strengths and practicebased approach ensure that the leadership team and staff sustain their learning by way of reflective thinking and goal setting.
• Provide feedback loops and support for the purpose of increasing program administration and teacher confidence and competence.
• Develop and support the implementation of an individualized plan that identifies relational strengths needs and goals for each programs staff.
• Support and coordinate resources for the program leadership team and staff to develop programming that is both equitable and inclusive to provide a better learning environment that aims to prevent suspension or expulsion.
• Consistently model the Everyday Interactions Matter philosophy in interactions with early learning leadership and educators.
• Have a working knowledge of the Everyday Interactions Matter approach and philosophy.

Message from Me Responsibilities

• Leads the expansion of Message from Me into PNC markets across the United States serving children from birth to age five.
• Excel at building relationships with early learning programs and convincingly showcase the value of Message from Me.
• Design and facilitate innovative facetoface hybrid and online professional growth opportunities for educators on the use of Message from Me; including developmentally appropriate use of digital media and technologies with children birth to age eight robotics and early learning Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) learning concepts and nurturing childrens 21st century skills.
• Design and manage updates of Message from Me resources in English and Spanish.
• Working knowledge of digital technologies such as an iPad online learningmanagement systems and webbased conferencing.
• Complete monthly monitoring reports or coaching logs for assigned visits and submit them according to timelines for the purpose of tracking and monitoring.
• Attend national state and local presentations conferences PNC marketing eventsand other educational settings as needed.

Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in child development early childhood education or related field preferred.
• Two years of early childhood classroom experience and two years at an administrative level in an early care and education setting.
• Candidates should be highly selfmotivated capable of taking initiative and comfortable making informed decisions.
• Experience working with adult learners and knowledge of adult learning principles.
• Experience with video production and editing is a plus.
• Proven experience with increasing sales is a plus.
• Proven experience with data collection and leveraging it to maximize program adoption is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills internet and email skills.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends.
• Must own a reliable vehicle as the nature of this job includes regularly visiting early learning programs inperson across Allegheny County.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends.

Required Clearances:

• Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
• Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
• Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
• National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification..
• Valid drivers license and proof of insurance.

Required Training:

• Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
• NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
• PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment for staff with a Bachelors Degree).

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Appreciative inquiry and strengthsbased review process.