Agenda for Children seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented individual with strong communication skills and data and project management experience to serve as the Manager, Early Childhood Support & Accountability.The New Orleans Early Education Network (NOEEN) is designated by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) as the Early Childhood Community Network for Orleans Parish, and Agenda for Children serves as the co-lead agency along with NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) on behalf of NOEEN for Orleans Parish. In its role as the lead agency, NOEEN facilitates coordinated leadership and administrative functions for early learning programs in our network on behalf of LDOE. This includes ongoing CLASS observations, coordinated enrollment for publicly funded seats, the annual coordinated funding request, and coordinated information and data-gathering projects.The Manager, Early Childhood Support & Accountability will serve as the lead in the facilitation of all designated lead agency requirements and the primary contact person for Orleans Parish early learning providers and the Louisiana Department of Education. The Manager, Early Childhood Support & Accountability will be the face of NOEEN for our community, leading the coordination and planning of monthly NOEEN office hours, provider convenings, and monthly Steering Committee meetings, and problem solving by answering questions from early learning providers via email and phone as needed. Given the external nature of this role, reliability and accessibility of the person in this role is of utmost importance.The Manager will also be responsible for collecting and organizing network-wide data related to early learning programs and their compliance with lead agency requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the NOEEN master contact list, SmartTeach assessments, and Child Count. Additionally, the Manager will support Agenda staff in identifying and sharing resources, materials, and learning opportunities that support capacity and quality building among publicly funded early learning programs, such as sharable calendars, newsletters, guidance documents, resource guides, and trainings. Given the variety of projects and the dynamic range of responsibilities in this role, the Manager, Early Childhood Support & Accountability will contribute to significant internal and external responsibilities, ranging from compliance communication (ensuring compliance with deadlines and project objectives), program management (data management and reporting), and partner communication (large-scale written communication, one-on-one communication, public speaking). Ideal candidates should be able to work independently, are proactive in identifying and addressing problems, exceptional at following project plans, and able to functionally balance multiple ongoing projects.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The primary responsibilities for this position will include, but not be limited to the following:Network Support, Accountability, and Communication (50%)
- Support all aspects of NOEEN's work related to the successful implementation of policies as outlined in Bulletin 140.
- Facilitate NOEEN's successful completion of designated lead agency requirements (SmartTeach, Child Count, Data Certification) through: timely submission of necessary materials to the LDOE; communication and outreach to programs; data collection; referrals for support; resource distribution; and program monitoring.
- Ensure the maintenance of designated NOEEN databases, including compliance data of lead agency requirements for NOEEN providers and up-to-date communication lists for NOEEN providers, Steering Committee Members, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
- Support the creation, collection, and distribution of materials to Agenda for Children staff and early learning providers to promote onboarding, accountability, and support.
- Lead the creation, management, and distribution of both annual and virtual calendars that outline all compliance deadlines, network meetings, and support opportunities for early learning providers.
- Identify and provide support to sites in need of intervention as necessary, collaborating with internal and external partners to complete successful intervention plans.
- Problem solve by answering questions from early learning providers via email and phone as needed.
- Manage routine updates to all internal and external partners with relevant information related to program operations, partner updates, logistics, communications, payments, etc.
- Create and disseminate regular newsletters to Orleans Parish programs and other stakeholders.
- Participate in all LDOE webinars, orientations, and trainings for lead agencies.
Facilitation of Meetings (30%)
- Lead all aspects of the planning and coordination of designated meetings, including NOEEN Steering Committee meetings, NOEEN Office Hours, Quarterly Convenings, and other mandatory partner meetings as needed through scheduling, materials creation and preparation, refreshments coordination, agenda setting, conducting outreach, etc.
- Plan and lead meetings with early learning programs and school-based pre-k classrooms related to lead agency compliance activities as needed
Cross-Team and Partner Collaboration (20%)
- Provide feedback and support to review and improve internal NOEEN processes and systems.
- Build collaborative relationships with other early childhood organizations, program leaders, and educators to increase the quality of early childhood programs.
- Keenly observe data trends within the needs of the New Orleans early childhood sector needs and make recommendations to Agenda programs teams as necessary.
- Support the Director, Early Childhood Systems & Support in working with NOLA-PS to ensure completion of required tasks and communicate consistently with the LDOE on progress, challenges, and needs.
- Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including cross-analysis with NOLA PS, city, state, and federal oversight bodies, as required to ensure Agenda for Children and NOEEN materials, both internal and external, are accurate and distributed in a timely manner.
- Partner with NOLA-PS and the NOEEN Steering Committee as needed to complete the annual state coordinated funding request for publicly funded seats, including but not limited to, providing lead agency compliance metrics.
- Solicit feedback from providers on internal processes and systems and identify trends and pain points in workflows in order to support implementation of improvements.
- Partner with Agenda staff to successfully execute programs and funding opportunities that support capacity building and quality of early learning programs while ensuring compliance with contract and funding requirements.
- Report to stakeholders via written communication and virtual and in-person presentations on activities and impact as required and appropriate.
- Communicate and problem-solve with Agenda team members on needs, completion status, and challenges related to work plan and obligations.
- Support the Program Manager, Observations & Accountability with the annual coordination and execution of over 1,200 accurate CLASS observations in infant, toddler, and pre-K classrooms as needed.
- Work with Director, Data and Research to collect data for analysis and support internal program evaluation and improvement.
- Support the development, planning, and completion of new projects, grants, and initiatives through the sharing of accountability and compliance metrics and other information as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION
- Superb project management skills
- Highly organized and self-motivated
- Task-, systems-, and solutions-oriented
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and organizational skills
- Experience and comfort tracking, sorting, and reporting data using spreadsheet-based Excel databases
- Ability to manage multiple complex, time-bound projects, data-based decision-making, and long- and short-term deliverables
- Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team
- Commitment to providing high-quality customer service support, exemplifying respect, patience, attentiveness, and cultural awareness
- Strong proficiency in computer applications including Google Docs, MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Excel, and Word), and email
- Bachelor's degree and 4 years minimum experience in program management (early childhood education programs or related field strongly preferred, though not required)
- Experience and commitment to working with diverse populations
- Knowledge of early learning program administration preferred
- Experience working with early learning programs, nonprofit organization partners, and vulnerable populations is strongly preferred, though not required
CORE COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT MEASURESPosition Title Competencies:
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Strong project management skills, including ability to follow project-plans, prioritize necessary tasks, and meet deadlines
- Adaptable, solutions-oriented, and self-motivated
- Proactive and responsive
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Passion to advance equitable access for New Orleans families
- Dedication to transparent, accountable systems and procedures
- Invest in, and take ownership for our team, organization, and community's success
CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
- Participates in training required by the funding source and/or required by Agenda for Children, the Louisiana Department, or others as required.