Do You Want to Impact Young Minds? Job Opportunity!

[Kathleen Crisafi]

Director of Early Childhood Initiatives

 

We Love What Makes You Unique

Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and lived experience. As an organization, we are committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice in our community, our partnerships, and our practices. 

Who We Are Looking For

Are you passionate about working towards a world where all children can grow, learn, and thrive, beginning at birth? Do you have a deep understanding of the early childhood landscape in Greater New Haven, and do you want to use that knowledge to build a better early childhood system, enhance the quality of early learning opportunities available in our community, and expand access to programs and supports for young children and their families? Are you a strategic thinker who enjoys entrepreneurial opportunities grounded in community and collaboration?  

If so, our Director of Early Childhood Initiatives position may be perfect for you.

What You Are Great At

• You are a strategic thinker and problem-solver. You have strong analytical and strategic planning skills and enjoy creating solutions to sticky problems. You are comfortable using data to develop new programs and improve existing ones, and you don’t get easily discouraged or flustered when programs or initiatives take unexpected paths or hit roadblocks.
• You excel at managing complex community initiatives and building a sense of team without direct-line authority. You see the value in working through collective impact efforts and have experience working on multi-faceted community change initiatives. Your communication skills and emotional intelligence help you build the relationships needed to bring people together, and keep them working together, even when it is hard. You have experience building teams across sectors and organizations, and you are committed to contributing to a positive organizational culture that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• You are a doer who can see the big picture while also attending to the details. You have experience in developing and running initiatives and programs related to early childhood. You know how to manage the details and logistics, while at the same time seeing how things connect to create a bigger whole.
• You’re a team player. The Director of Early Childhood Initiatives will report to the Vice President of Education and will work closely with other members of the Community Impact Team as well as external partners. While you are confident in your abilities and knowledge, you approach your work from a place of humility.

 

What You Will Do

• Lead a community planning process to identify needs and opportunities to make early care and education in New Haven higher quality and more accessible. Responsibilities include creating and managing an advisory group for the project, gathering and analyzing data, conducting focus groups and community conversations, producing a written plan, and identifying top priorities for implementation.
• Implement strategies identified in the planning process. Working in partnership with community organizations, pilot new ways to increase access to early care and education, support program viability, and improve program quality. Manage evaluation activities, including data collection and analysis, and produce reports around results.
• Lead grantmaking efforts to expand the ability of early care and education programs to serve more children and families in New Haven. Conduct a Request for Proposal process using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, lead the review process to identify successful applicants, and support grantees with implementation.
• Lead United Way’s Secure Start Initiative. Organize the Secure Start Network’s quarterly meetings; manage trainers, partners, and data collection activities; identify opportunities for expansion; and produce materials around lessons learned and impact.
• Create opportunities to help more children in our region get the foundation they need in their early years. Create connections with statewide and community groups working on early childhood issues; identify and help secure possible new funding sources; and mobilize community members to become advocates for greater public investment in early childhood programs.
• Gather and share data and stories about your work in early care and education with community members, funders, and supporters to galvanize ongoing and increased investment in early care and education.

 

What You Need

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.
• At least 7 years of non-profit experience, with at least 3 years’ experience managing complex community initiatives.
• Substantive knowledge about the early childhood landscape in Connecticut.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• A successful track record in setting priorities, and keen analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills which support and enable sound decision making.
• Excellent relationship building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working with government departments and grants, individual donors, and/or foundations a plus.

• Experience in fundraising, grant writing, and fiscal management

• Proficient with MS Office365 and demonstrated comfort in learning new software/ online tools as needed.
• Ability to work with diverse staff and volunteers.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of UWGNH. 
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required.

 

About United Way

United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions to Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and Financial Stability grounded in racial and social justice. We tackle issues that cannot be solved by any one group working alone. We operate according to these organizational values.

In accordance with organizational policies, this position requires a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

United Way staff are currently working hybrid, with at least two days per week in our office in New Haven.  This is a full-time position; the salary range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000.

United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. United Way of Greater New Haven is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

 

 To apply:  United Way Of Greater New Haven Inc - Director of Early Childhood I...