Director – Great Start to Quality

Job Description: • The Director of Great Start to Quality Partnerships will be responsible for leading the cultivation and development of ECIC’s strategic partnerships for early care and education quality improvement projects, programs, and initiatives. • In collaboration with Teams, the Director will develop, implement and oversee plans to support Great Start to Quality Resource Centers to foster innovation and effectively utilize continuous quality improvement processes with licensed early care and education programs in both homes and centers. • The Director will lead and oversee training and technical assistance for Great Start to Quality Resource Centers, On-Site Observations of early care and education programs, and quality improvement coaching strategy implementation and continuous improvement with the goal of ensuring families with young children have access to high quality early care and education settings of their choice. • Oversee and lead the development and management of ECIC’s early care and education partnerships, including but not limited to Great Start to Quality Resource Centers. • Promote innovation in program quality supports and measurement, ensuring quality recognition and improvement investments are responsive to diverse program needs. • Collaborate to evaluate the impact of quality initiatives on child and family outcomes. • Collaborate to design, provide, and continuously improve technical assistance for statewide partners in the form of written documents, videos, website information, trainings, webinars, and demonstrations. • Collaborate with Teams to develop and implement strategic and operational plans. • Develop and retain high-performance team members through supervision, coaching, and leadership development. • Serve as collaborative thought leader on building the supply of high-quality early care and education throughout Michigan, staying current on research literature, best practices and networks in relevant fields including training, technical assistance, and, leadership development, coaching, and effective approaches to continuous quality improvement. • Collaborate with internal and external partners to design and implement programs and initiatives utilizing the latest information from research and best practice, and in response to identified needs and opportunities. • Oversee and lead the effective implementation of funded programs and services, including establishing and following established guidance and standards for program delivery and coordination, training content and design, and the ongoing development of effective training and technical assistance materials. • Work with Teams to develop necessary systems, processes, and tools to ensure consistent, high-quality, effective, and efficient implementation to better support the facilitation, collection, and sharing of knowledge. • Effectively utilize knowledge of methods and techniques of research, statistical analysis, and report presentation. • Use data to monitor effectiveness, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement. • Ensure that outcomes are evaluated and leveraged for maximum organizational and participant impact. • Oversee the development of CRM systems and other databases in support of goals and objectives. • Serve as lead for communicating about the body of work this position is responsible for, including MILEAP and other state, regional, and/or local partners, representing ECIC and our vision and values, while navigating new opportunities and challenges. • Share deep understanding of early care and education best practices, Michigan licensing, program quality assessment tools (CLASS, ECERS/ITERS), and early care and education workforce development with internal and external partners. • Contribute to effective strategic communications, including leading the development and writing of client and partnership proposals, program/grant reports, guidance documents, TA resource materials, and conference presentations. • Monitor program budgets, including both forecasting and tracking of expenditures, and work plans, in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team and operations staff, ensuring regular reporting and evaluation goals are established, tracked, and met. • Collaborate and contribute to grant proposals and other revenue generating opportunities. • Meet regularly with designated organizational leaders to contribute to the overall organization’s annual work plan and positive workplace culture. • Actively participate in ECIC staff meetings and other strategic and administrative projects across the organization. • Provide content expertise on the development of the supply of high-quality early care and education in support of ECIC’s priorities. • Contribute to the development of inter-team cohesiveness and management of culture change. • Perform other duties as assigned. Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree with seven (7) years of overall professional experience, with at least three (3) years leading