ABOUT US:

Illinois Action for Children (“IAFC”), a local, state, and national leader in the early childhood care and education sector for over 50 years.  IAFC programs, services, and advocacy improve learning and life outcomes for children and families, including reducing the effects of poverty.  IAFC works to ensure that every child in Illinois – particularly those in need – have access to the necessary resources to succeed in school and in life.

Along with our mission, IAFC is committed to building and maintaining a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist culture. We are dedicated to this pledge through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and servicing our staff and clients.  IAFC staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities.  We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our essential work.

SUMMARY:

Under the direction of the Director of Provider Programs, the Manager, ECE Professional Development & Education is responsible for assisting with the development and implementation of the countywide professional development and higher learning process and data collection for incumbent early childhood care and education workforce members; with appropriate Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs at 2 and 4-year institutions to obtain additional degrees, licenses, and credentials and to connect them with ECE Scholarship Opportunities. The manager is responsible for providing supervision and leadership to staff and ensuring all performance standards, measures, and contractual deliverables are met.  All work is to be satisfied with minimum supervision and by organization standards.

This incumbent will be expected to promote and adhere to the workplace core capabilities of accountability, customer focus, continuous quality improvement, communication, competent people, and clear priorities—all work to be completed by organizational standards.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following. The organization reserves the right to add to, delete, change, or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.

1. Develop and execute marketing and recruitment strategy in collaboration with External Relations Department, key stakeholders, higher learning institutions, and other resources within the timelines established for the program. Work closely with the provider programs team to ensure all qualifications and requirements are met across the state.
2. Create, through collaboration with the External Relations Department, all communication and event marketing plans and materials.
3. Collaborate closely with the marketing team to ensure successful promotion of education offerings to meet the needs of the ECE incumbent workforce
4. Provide support and supervision to a team of Navigators related to data entry, collection, coordinating, and facilitating general informational/education sessions on higher education and scholarship and financial aid processes/opportunities for the ECE workforce (maybe virtual or in-person).
5. Guide, support, and assist with facilitating the building of relationships between Navigators and critical staff at ECE programs at 2- and 4-year institutions to understand programs and help identify appropriate candidates from the incumbent workforce.
6. Prepares written program, manages data entry, collection of follow-up surveys, assessing needs and challenges, in addition to financial reports as required by contracts, agreements, and agency reporting requirements and responsibilities.
7. Manage a collection of barriers to higher education experienced by incumbent workforce members.
8. Participate in required training programs.
9. Execute our workplace core capabilities: accountability, customer focus, continuous quality improvement (CQI), communication, competent people, and clear priorities.
10. Other Functions: The organization may assign other functions to the job at its discretion.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's degree. Must have two years of work experience and training in early childhood education, academic advisement, children/family call-center management, counseling/social work, family support, adult education; OR equivalent combination of education and experience.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Minimum three years of supervisory experience in leading teams and implementing performance measures developed by the manager. This role will often assign tasks to employees, organize daily operations, and provide feedback to management that may help make processes more efficient.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Access to reliable personal transportation, insurance, valid driver’s license, and good driving record required.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of early childhood education programs.
• Excellent work ethic and accountability to self and job responsibilities.
• Advanced customer focus and customer service skills.
• Excellent interpersonal with solid problem solving and leadership skills.
• Good training and coaching skills to motivate employees.
• Excellent organizational and attention to detail skills.
• Advanced writing and editing skills.
• Good presentation and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work independently, with a schedule that may include evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel local and statewide, as needed.
• Bilingual, fluent Spanish, Polish, and speakers of other languages are preferred.

Grant-funded positions are full-time and temporary through March 2024 with organizational benefits. The program will be accessed to determine the level of statewide sustainability.

As established by the Illinois Action for Children Board of Directors, all employees are required to receive a vaccination against COVID-19, unless a medical or religious reasonable accommodation is approved. If offered a job, the candidate must be able to prove that they have been vaccinated with one of the CDC-authorized vaccines, including either Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson / Janssen or request and be granted an accommodation before their start date or December 10, 2021, whichever is later.           

 Location: Hybrid (Remote/Onsite (Lawrence)

IL Action for Children is EEO/M/F/V/D employer.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's degree. Must have two years of work experience and training in early childhood education, academic advisement, children/family call-center management, counseling/social work, family support, adult education; OR equivalent combination of education and experience.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Minimum three years of supervisory experience in leading teams and implementing performance measures developed by the manager. This role will often assign tasks to employees, organize daily operations, and provide feedback to management that may help make processes more efficient.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Access to reliable personal transportation, insurance, valid driver’s license, and good driving record required.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of early childhood education programs.
• Excellent work ethic and accountability to self and job responsibilities.
• Advanced customer focus and customer service skills.
• Excellent interpersonal with solid problem solving and leadership skills.
• Good training and coaching skills to motivate employees.
• Excellent organizational and attention to detail skills.
• Advanced writing and editing skills.
• Good presentation and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work independently, with a schedule that may include evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel local and statewide, as needed.
• Bilingual, fluent Spanish, Polish, and speakers of other languages are preferred.

Grant-funded positions are full-time and temporary through March 2024 with organizational benefits. The program will be accessed to determine the level of statewide sustainability.

As established by the Illinois Action for Children Board of Directors, all employees are required to receive a vaccination against COVID-19, unless a medical or religious reasonable accommodation is approved. If offered a job, the candidate must be able to prove that they have been vaccinated with one of the CDC-authorized vaccines, including either Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson / Janssen or request and be granted an accommodation before their start date or December 10, 2021, whichever is later.