Save the Children partners with schools, communities, industry leaders and policymakers to increase Kindergarten readiness and grade-level proficiency among children in rural America. We provide high-quality early learning interventions to children, from birth through elementary school, in more than 180 low-income, rural communities across the U.S. We are seeking a seasoned early childhood education expert to lead program design, innovation and business growth for our Rural Education programs. Working collaboratively with the Program Implementation, Community Impact, and Monitoring and Evaluation teams, the Senior Director, Program Development, will serve as the lead technical expert across all Rural Education program areas. As a member of the Rural Education Leadership Team, the Senior Director will contribute to the development of national strategic plans and partnerships and help ensure alignment of funding sources and new initiatives. The Senior Director supervises a technical team of Sr. Specialists and Advisors, and works closely with cross-functional results teams to drive program quality. The ideal candidate will be a proven leader in the early childhood development or elementary education sector; possessing an extensive national network of industry leaders and deep knowledge of research, curricula, and assessment.
Program Growth and Visibility (35%)
- Work with Rural Education leadership to develop and manage key state and national strategic partnerships that advance Save the Children’s programmatic agenda.
- Support the advancement of USPA’s policy and advocacy goals; playing a key role in building relationships with state- and federal-level policy-makers and strengthening Save the Children’s reputation as respected program provider, innovator and thought-leader among state education and early childhood stakeholders.
- Work directly with fundraising colleagues to support program growth and resource development; cultivating partnerships with donors, contributing to proposal development, and pursuing grant opportunities.
- Support the development and execution of state and national media strategies to increase program visibility and credibility of Save the Children.
Program Development and Innovation (35%)
- Serve as lead technical expert across all Rural Education program areas; leading program development and innovation, and informing the design of monitoring and evaluation plans.
- Coordinate thematic results teams, focused on promoting kindergarten readiness and achieving 3rd grade reading and math proficiency.
- Stay abreast of national trends, working with field team to revise and modify programs to enhance results and increase efficiency.
- Collaborate with the Community Impact team, informing development and enhancement of community-based programs and services.
- Co-lead annual results target setting for Rural Education Programs, along with Sr. Director, Program Implementation.
- Work closely with the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation to conduct evaluations and publish results; sharing lessons learned and best practices externally when possible.
Management and Operational Excellence (30%)
- Build and maintain a high-performing team; ensuring team composition meets the level of technical expertise required of a cutting-edge, industry leader in Rural Education.
- Participate in the development of the department organizational design and staffing plan, and lead recruitment efforts for direct reports.
- Promote staff learning and development goals, and conduct regular staff check-ins and annual performance reviews.
- Work closely with team to review quarterly program data and drive quality assurance efforts.
- Foster collaboration between technical advisors and field implementation teams; ensuring curriculum materials are effective, easily accessible, and adapted to align with best practice and local contexts/needs.
- Oversee the development and management of team annual budget and plan; submitting periodic reports and status updates on achievements and challenges.
- Minimum 10-15 years' experience in early childhood development, education, non-profit management, or related field
- Remote workforce management skills and experience providing technical and managerial direction to a diverse team of professionals across a wide geography.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills; demonstrates a clear understanding of, and ability to convey, issues related to poverty in rural communities.
- Demonstrated ability to engage, and comfort working with, a wide range of stakeholders including advisory groups, coalitions, forums, foundations, high-level donors, corporate sponsors and practitioner groups
- Experience developing funding proposals and reports for grants, foundations, private donors and public funders.
- Ability to travel regionally and nationally approximately 25% of the time
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced Degree in early childhood development, education, or related field of study
- Aetna Medical and Dental insurance with a concierge service
- Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
- Vision Insurance
- Life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Commuter Benefit Program
- Vacation and Sick leave
- Paid holidays
What makes us special!
- Generous Retirement Savings with matching company contributions of up to 8%
- Family Leave – 10 additional days of paid time off for you to use to care for your family members
- Additional Maternity and Paternity Leave – 30 days where parents can take additional paid leave (beyond short-term disability and FMLA) at the birth or adoption of a child during that critical first year!
- Critical Child Illness Leave – We hope you never have to use it, but we will provide an additional 30 days of paid leave per year should your dependent child be faced with a critical illness.
- Pet Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Identity Protection, Home, Auto and additional Life insurances.
- Volunteer Day – One paid day a year to support the causes that matter to you!
- Leadership and Employee Development Training, including our remarkable in-house CORE, Senior Management Development, and Leadership Development Programs; Language learning opportunities; and Continuous Improvement programs
- Lunch and Learn information sharing sessions
- Work hard/Play hard! We make sure there’s ample opportunity for fun, engagement, and celebration while you work, such as networking events, March Madness, World Cup, Take Your Child to Work Day, Founder’s Day, and our annual Day of Service