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Executive Director, Early Childhood Education Program (0436U) - 59614

About Berkeley

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Departmental Overview

In the Division of Student Affairs and under the Residential Student Services Programs portfolio, the Early Childhood Education Programs (ECEP) serves over 260 children (3 months through pre-kindergarten) of university (students, faculty, and staff) and community families. The program consists of over 60 career FTE, 10 - 30+ limited and per diem substitutes, and up to 100 student or classroom assistants who work daily with children and families in the program to assure quality early education experiences that best nurture and develop the individual child, support a family responsive environment for the university and advance the field of early childhood education.

Residential and Student Service Programs (RSSP) is a complex "cluster" of student service and auxiliary services departments with an aggregated operating budget of approximately $150 million and over 2,500 career, contract and part- time employees. The Early Childhood Education Program (ECEP) is a department in RSSP that provides early education and child care for 262 infant, toddler, and pre-school children of students, faculty, staff and community families in five centers across campus and the surrounding community.

This Executive Director position has overall responsibility and leadership for the successful strategic operation of ECEP, including the provision of a high quality developmentally appropriate early care and education program for infants and young children that meets or exceeds pedagogic, operational, and safety and compliance requirements. The Executive Director creates and promotes a high performing team culture and consistent teaching philosophy across all centers that is consistent, inclusive, thoughtful, best practices based, and emphasizes continuity of care where possible. This includes:

• Providing proactive and consistent support and communication in partnership with families;
• Ensuring model training, development and engagement experiences for managers, teachers and staff, including that include regular observation assessment and timely and constructive feedback;
• Ensuring compliance with Title 5 and Title 22 and all other regulatory requirements;
• Managing enrollment, marketing, and budget to meet goals,
• Identifying and managing grant writing and fundraising activities for financial health, long term sustainability and achievement of strategic vision and goals,
• Supports/develops developing a practicum and a research environment in collaboration with faculty and academic researchers; to advance research, education and professionalism.
• complies with Title 5 and Title 22 requirements;
• Participates in grant writing and fundraising activities; oversees enrollment, marketing, budgetary and financial decisions.

The Executive Director also engages various Campus and external stakeholders on ECEP issues, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and keeps the RSSP Chief of Staff regularly informed and updated on emerging strategic, operational, financial, and risk management issues. The Executive Director is accountable for recommending and managing an effective and sustainable organization structure, acts as a steward for University resources and proactively creates and sustains excellence quality in alignment with the program and University's mission and goals. The position currently directly supervises Center Directors, an Associate Director, administrative support staff and has overall responsibility for their Site Coordinators, and approximately 85 represented career and part-time teaching staff, and up to 50-100 student/classroom assistants, with an annual operating budget approaching $6M.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 10/09/2023.

Responsibilities

• In alignment with Campus, Student Affairs, and RSSP mission and goals, provides direction and functional expertise to department, projects and early childhood education activities.
• Ensures the delivery of high-quality early childhood education services to University faculty, staff, and students and their children while balancing program sustainability, safety and compliance needs.
• Provides leadership, stability, and creative problem solving to program including effective and timely communication with parents, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Assumes managerial responsibility and accountability for appropriate policies, staffing, budgets, costs, enrollment, productivity and human resource-related activities pertaining to department staff members.
• Administers a $5.8 million-dollar budget with various funding sources including state funding, federal funding, campus funds, revenue from student fees, and funds generated through grants & fundraising activities.
• Develops and implements financial strategies to sustain and improve program.
• Meets all government requirements for related early childhood education activities including community care licensing, Department of Education, Federal food program, and NAEYC guidelines.
• Ensures the accuracy and control of data, its collection, recordkeeping, and all reporting, including audits required by the State Department of Education, Federal child care food program, and resources on campus.
• With input from the Chief of Staff, sets ECEP performance goals for ECEP and establishes and tracks appropriate metrics (parent satisfaction, family retention, enrollment percentage, quality ratings, ability to attract/retain high performers, etc.) that enables RSSP and broader Campus community to evaluate both operational and pedagogic excellence in contrast to industry best practices and competitors.
• Position is a member of the RSSP Senior Staff group, which serves as the leadership team providing strategic and operational oversight and decision making within RSSP.
• Function as Mandated Reporter under California Child Abuse and Neglect Act (CANRA) to report observed/suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults and elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies.
• Effectively recruits, hires, on-boards and develops employees to achieve goals.
• Ensures timely and effective performance management and communication practices that adhere to university policies for both non-represented and represented staff and best practices for building and sustaining a high performing team.
• Ensures employees have up-to-date training to perform critical job functions efficiently in alignment with university, division and department goals.
• Further, incorporates ongoing team and individual direct reports' professional development as both an operational and strategic priority and ensures sufficient planning and training time is available to meet annual development goals. Regularly review goals throughout the year to assess progress, effectiveness of approach and/or adjust for changing organizational or staff needs.
• Ensures constructive relationships with parents and a supportive and inclusive family environment across all centers through appropriate use of different communication channels to address general and individual parent information needs, issues and concerns.
• This includes ensuring active and meaningful Parent Advisory Committees, regular parent education and engagement opportunities regarding early development and learning practices, and ongoing personal outreach and demonstrable responsiveness to parents to provide easy access before problems escalate.
• In consultation with leadership and in collaboration with key campus stakeholders, works toward developing and implementing a sustainable vision and strategy for ECEP.
• Provides leadership, stability, and creative problem solving.
• Also works with UC System wide ECE Directors, external advocacy agencies such as the Alameda County State Contractors, Alameda First Five, etc. and works with the CDE and Federal regulatory agencies to stay abreast of emerging issues, regulations and funding opportunities.
• Works closely with key stakeholders across Campus and advocates effectively for high quality and sustainable program offerings in alignment with Campus strategic initiatives and funding.
• Develops, recommends, and implements campus-wide policies and procedures for early childhood education.
• Collaborates regularly with faculty and researchers to support a world class research environment in the field of early childhood development and learning and develops appropriate practicum to support existing or proposed certificate and degree programs (minor, undergraduate major and graduate major) in Early Development and Learning Science.
• Develops, recommends, and implements campus-wide policies and procedures for early childhood education. May represent the Chief of Staff on the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Working Families (CACWF) as needed.
• Also works with UC System wide ECE Directors, external advocacy agencies such as the Alameda County State Contractors, Alameda First Five, etc. and works with the CDE and Federal regulatory agencies to stay abreast of emerging issues, regulations and funding opportunities.
• Works closely with key stakeholders across Campus and advocates effectively for high quality and sustainable program offerings in alignment with Campus strategic initiatives and funding.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of prior management experience in comparable early childhood education setting.
• Strength in advanced knowledge and practice of generally accepted early childhood development pedagogy and best practices theories of early child development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and effectively delegate multiple site responsibility to mid-level managers.
• Thorough knowledge of and skill in operating multiple early childhood education sites including full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop teacher competencies and create high performing teams.
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with infants and young children and their families.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop teacher competencies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and effectively delegate site responsibility to mid-level managers.
• Thorough knowledge of and skill in operating multiple early childhood education sites including full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Thorough knowledge of finance accounting, systems operations and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Thorough knowledge of grant and fundraising practices.
• Thorough knowledge of industry best practices.
• Excellent skills in sophisticated nuanced and complex service orientation and delivery, strong management skills, performance management and team building, leadership skills, sound judgment and decision-making, critical thinking, creative problem solving and highly effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels.
• Proficient in the use of desktop and mobile productivity tools and technology to ensure organizational efficiencies and excellent time management.
• Must have at least 3 infant units in addition to required units for Child Development Program Director permit.
• Multiple site operation and supervisory experience.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Valid and current Child Development Program Director permit.
• Must successfully pass and maintain full clearance in FBI & DOJ Background Check with approval from Department of Social Services.
• Must have valid EMSA Child Care Provider Training certification, which includes: 4 hours for child care First Aid, 4 hours for CPR-adult, child, and infant, including all-age AED training and 7 hours of Preventive Health and Safety Practices Training.
• Pediatric CPR/First Aid certification must be maintained while employed for UC Berkeley ECEP.
• Must provide current Health Screening clearance, TB screening clearance, proof of measles and pertussis vaccination and any new State or UC Berkeley health requirements for positions working with young children and renew as required.
• Must test TB negative and have health screening clearance.
• Must complete blood borne pathogen training upon hire and renew annually.
• Must complete State of CA Mandated Reporter training upon hire and renew per policy.
• Must complete the integrated pest management training (IPM) within 12 months of hire and renew annually.
• Must complete initial university required training for supervisors within required timeline (Ethics, Sexual Harassment, IT Security, etc.) and renew per policy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Previous infant/toddler/preschool teaching experience.
• Previous experience conducting and/or supporting research and teaching at university level.

Salary & Benefits

This is a 100% full-time (40 hrs a week) exempt career position, which is paid monthly and eligible for UC Benefits.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The full possible range for this classification is $85,800.00 - $158,200.00. The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $114,000.00 - $130,000.00.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Diversity Statement

Please include, as part of your application a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in your professional experience.

Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to our UC Berkeley Principles of Community, which states that "every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring, and humane environment in which these values can thrive."

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Physical Exam

• Employment is contingent upon passing a physical exam.
• Must provide current Health Screening clearance, TB screening clearance, proof of measles and pertussis vaccination and any new State or UC Berkeley health requirements for positions working with young children and renew as required.
• Must test TB negative and have health screening clearance.

Mandated Reporter

This position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter required to report the observed or suspected abuse or neglect of children, dependent adults, or elders to designated law enforcement or social service agencies. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon completion of signed statements acknowledging the responsibilities of a Mandated Reporter.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.

For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, please see the University of California Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action in the Workplace policy.



To apply, visit https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psp/ucb/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=21&JobOpeningId=59614&PostingSeq=1