Senior Director, Program Management - Rapides

Position Title: Senior Director Program Management - Rapides
Employee Type: Full-Time Regular
Supervisor Title: Deputy Executive Director Head Start
Division: Head Start U.S. Programs

Save the Children

For over 100 years Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment protected from harm. We work in some of the worlds hardest-to-reach places over 100 countries including the U.S. No matter what your role is when you join Save the Children youre creating positive irreversible change for children and the future we all share.

The Role

Save the Childrens U.S. Programs (USP) division is committed to ensuring that all children in rural America have a healthy strong foundation to thrive as learners and in life. Our goals are to increase kindergarten readiness and grade-level literacy and math proficiency for children in under-resourced rural communities. As the senior staff member on the state team you will lead the development and execution of effective program advocacy and resource development strategies. You will oversee Head Start business operations and partnership management and serve as the primary external representative of SCUS Head Starts work in the state.

The Program Director is the principal investigator of the Head Start/Early Head Start program and is responsible for its overall leadership and management. You will direct administer and manage the day-to-day program operations. Your responsibilities will include direct and indirect staff supervision budget and fiscal assets management building leading and managing team support and performance. You will lead all program options including center-based and home-based services as well as compliance with donor and Head Start policies and procedures.

As a frontline representative of Save the Children you are required to ensure the safety and security of children and families you come in contact with adhering to the agencys values of Accountability Ambition Collaboration Creativity and Integrity.

What Youll Be Doing (Essential Duties)*
*not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change.

Increase kindergarten readiness in high-need rural communities (30%)

• Direct the mobilization of communities through partnerships and services to address other social and systemic barriers to achieving school readiness or proficiency outcomes.
• Monitors programs and services to guarantee they are implemented with excellence; ensuring partner needs are assessed annually services are customized for the target population training and technical assistance is effective and responsive and improvements to program quality and data management are made as needed.
• Accountable for achieving project deliverables annual program goals and long-term strategic objectives for the state as determined by SCUS Head Start and/or required by grants or donors.
• Utilize Parent Family & Community Engagement Framework to enhance and coordinate program services. Use it to inform community partners about Head Start and Early Head Start parent and family engagement goals and the importance of those goals to childrens school readiness and success in school and life.

Expand Save the Childrens reach recognition and impact in the state (45%)

• Responsible for developing annual and long-term state strategies; conducting state-level analysis defining opportunities and risks facilitating integration of cross-functional supports setting specific and measurable goals and facilitating periodic reviews of achievements and performance.
• Educate and motivate key stakeholders to actively improve childrens education health and wellbeing in the state; identifying partners networks and coalitions to align contributions scale best practices and increase awareness and support of shared initiatives.
• Inform and execute resource development activities in partnership with division and agency fundraising teams; co-developing strategies for acquiring funds or gifts-in-kind prospecting for opportunities cultivating donor relationships and supporting the development of proposals and reports.

Lead a high-performing team that operates with excellence (25%)

• Plan monitor and manage overall state operations and projects from initiation through completion; overseeing project planning state budgeting and spending GIK processing and staff resourcing.
• Ensure all program activities are carried out in compliance with local state and federal regulations and laws pertaining to programmatic operations.
• Responsible for overseeing the execution all business continuity and safety and security protocols for the state staff and programs including: identifying and characterizing potential risks safeguarding facilities and assets ensuring 100% completion of staff and partner trainings supporting response and resolution of reported incidents and routinely updating plans as required by SCUS.
• Ensure that Save the Children is safe for children by promoting awareness and prevention to mitigate the risk of or actual harm that may come to children by representatives across all programming operations campaigns and activities.
• Protect the safety of children by ensuring implementation of active supervision techniques to ensure no child is left alone or unsupervised at any time.
• Serves as team lead for the state responsible for establishing a healthy workplace culture and setting the team pace and direction; promoting staff development engagement and well-being while holding supervisors and staff accountable for achieving results demonstrating the organizations core values and operating within our ethical standards.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications

• At a minimum a baccalaureate degree in business finance management early childhood development human services or a related field and 5 years of experience in supervision of staff fiscal management administration and proven experience developing relationships with community partners.
• Demonstrated ability to manage people and culture.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels both internally and externally
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Policy Council Head Start Board of Directors program partners coalitions celebrities/influencers and elected officials
• Experience developing funding proposals and reports and managing a large and complex grant portfolio.
• Experience managing a professional staff
• Willingness and ability to travel within the state up to 30% of the time and occasional travel outside of the state.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree preferred in business finance management early childhood development human services or a related field.
• Previous Head Start management experience is preferred.

Additional Qualifications

• Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly performing such activities as sitting crawling stooping kneeling crouching reaching standing walking pushing pulling lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills keyboarding and computer use.

• Clear pre-employment background check requirements including local state and national criminal records check sex offender registries employment and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.

• This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job. The incumbent should maintain a valid drivers license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

• Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $88400 $98800 base salary

Actual base salary may vary based upon but not limited to relevant experience base salary of internal peers business sector and geographic location.

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Paid time off: 10 days winter break and 5 days spring break 5 personal days 11 holidays plus 2 floating holidays per year.
• Health: Competitive health care dental and vision coverage for you and your family. Employer paid short term disability and long-term disability benefits.
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA): Option to select HSA if enrolled into a High-Deductible Health Plan in which the company matches a portion of the contribution.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Option to enroll in health care and dependent care options.
• Life: Agency paid life and accidental death and dismemberment benefits (AD&D).
• Family: Parental/adoption fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: Retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: Health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: Free and confidential assessments short-term counseling referrals and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships. Certification and tuition assistance.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees ensuring all are given training support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty both agency and individual is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

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