Description
Overview:
Multnomah County voters chose to invest in high-quality, culturally responsive, joyous early learning opportunities for all 3- and 4-year-old children in Multnomah County. This investment has transformed and impacted educational experiences for young children and their families, and we want you to help this program continue to thrive! Apply today to lead a multicultural workforce and manage a multi-million dollar budget with projected growth to over 11,000 Preschool For All seats by 2030.
As the Director of the Preschool & Early Learning Division (PELD), you will lead the countywide implementation of a universal preschool system, utilizing the community framework and vision for Preschool for All. You will be a visible and inspiring advocate for the importance of early learning, the value of early educators, and the need for high-quality, culturally specific and culturally responsive preschools. You will collaborate with both community partners and PELD’s various teams to develop creative and bold solutions to the next phase of the Preschool For All expansion, including building strong relationships with new and existing preschool providers, increasing the number of early educators and early learning spaces.
Your dynamic and strategic leadership, experience with media and intergovernmental communication, demonstrated commitment to equity, including but not limited to racial equity, and expertise leading programs that benefit children and families will support a newer Division within the Department of County Human Services and guide the initiative to build a preschool system that provides universal preschool within Multnomah County by 2030 to all families who want to participate.
Primary responsibilities include:
Workforce + Equity: Integrate equity principles as a key focus to all initiatives and activities with goals to influence a workplace where everyone can thrive and do their best. Hire, supervise, direct, and evaluate program staff while creating cohesive vision and collaborative teams that focus on eliminating oppression in the workplace. Implement, monitor, and evaluate division priorities, family experience, provider quality and satisfaction with a primary focus on reducing barriers for children, families and providers who are from Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment that promotes safety, belonging, and trust and one that adapts as the number of preschool providers and families increases.
Partnerships: Collaborate with parents, preschool providers, state leadership, Board of County Commissioners, department leadership, and community stakeholders. Determine the development and ongoing work of a diverse preschool advisory group that provides oversight using short and long-term strategic goals and plans using the Equity and Empowerment Lens. Include preschool providers, community organizations, and families in the decisionmaking process.
Strategic Leadership + Framework: Develop an implementation plan by building on the existing framework for preschool in Multnomah County and maintaining alignment across systems. Build program foundation including structures, leadership, and policy direction for a newer, complex division. Direct division-wide priorities and initiatives. Lead the division’s budget development and resource allocation. Determine priorities for contracted services and staffing. Create achievable solutions to the challenges of workforce and infrastructure shortages. Lead management team to identify improvement opportunities to reach efficiency, effectiveness, customer focus and data driven results. Promote management practices within the union contract, county personnel policies, and workforce equity goals. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the union(s). Support and implement Workforce Equity Strategic Plan and department-wide strategic business plan.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:
Building Relationships: Investing time to create mutually beneficial relationships with coworkers, customers, community members and/or clients based on trust, understanding, and respect. Is mindful of the feelings and expectations of others and uses tact, self awareness, and emotional empathy to navigate relationships and foster social harmony. Promotes the department’s trauma informed values.
Promoting Equity: Deconstruct barriers to a racially just system. Cultivate work environments that value truth-telling, courage and vulnerability, space to think and reflect, community mindedness, shared power, hope, and openness to difficult conversations.
Leadership and Creativity: Demonstrate understanding of the culture, political nature and interpersonal relationships that drive success at the County. Lead by example and move work forward through personal actions and collaboration. Provide meaningful feedback regarding the nature, design and intended outcomes of work in relation to the needs and demands of the County and the communities it serves. Seek, advocate for, and implement improved methods, systems and approaches to meet changing organizational needs.
Acting with Integrity: Act in a manner that is consistently truthful, ethical, reliable, trustworthy and transparent in words and actions.
Learning Agility: Awareness of changing workplace trends, and possess the ability and desire to adapt your own skills and knowledge while encouraging others to do the same. Able to identify issues and educate self and others regarding paths to problem resolution.
Key Knowledge & Experience:
Knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding equity, inclusion, implicit bias, institutional racism and other systemic oppressions, including access to early care and education.
Knowledge of preschool systems or youth and family systems and best practices.
Knowledge and understanding of cultures, customs and social experiences of communities experiencing marginalization and barriers to opportunity, especially for Black and Indigenous child care providers and families, and families and providers of color.
Knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed practices that actively resist retraumatization of individuals and communities.
Knowledge and understanding of child care providers, including the unique strengths of in-home providers and their importance in the overall system of care.
Experience using a participatory management style to promote teamwork and a "learning" work environment for employees.
Experience in supervising and leading diverse teams.
Experience in building and leading complex programs.
Questions? Please reach out to the recruiter, Anne Blumenauer at: [email protected]
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills:
Ability to promote a culture of respect, inclusiveness, and appreciation of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and values.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
Six (6) years of relevant experience in increasingly responsible professional leadership or technical program experience with early education/human services, including at least three (3) years of leadership experience in a complex and diverse organization providing early education/human services delivery.
Must have a valid driver's license.
Must pass a criminal background check.
Must pass a reference check.
