Director of ERSEA & Program Quality

It's a great feeling to work for a company that does so much good for others around the world!

Academic Req: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in organizational leadership, early childhood education, social work, human services, or related field. Advanced degree preferred.

Certifications: Family Services certificate. In absence of one, candidate will be required to complete a Family Service credential within 12 months of employment. If the credential is not completed successfully on the first attempt, the employee may choose to retake the course at the employee's expense within 60 days of the unsuccessful completion of the course. If the employee does not seek a second attempt for successful completion of the certificate, the employee will be separated from employment.

Work Experience: Minimum of 5 years of leadership responsibility for Head Start, Early Head Start programming and employees. Experience in supporting organizational operations and priorities preferred.

Summary: The Director of ERSEA and Program Quality provides strategic and operational leadership for Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA) and the overall quality and integrity of Head Start and Early Head Start program services.

This position serves as the organizational owner of ERSEA systems and is responsible for ensuring that recruitment, eligibility determination, selection, enrollment, attendance, and related documentation are implemented consistently, accurately, and in accordance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, organizational policies, approved grant requirements, and applicable state and federal regulations.

Beyond ERSEA, the Director provides leadership for continuous program quality across child and family service areas. Through direct supervision of the Director of Development and Wellness and the Quality Manager of Education, the Director ensures strong coordination among enrollment, education, health, developmental, wellness, and child service requirements so that children are not simply enrolled, but are fully prepared to receive timely, individualized, compliant, and high-quality services.

The Director works closely with the Head Start Program Manager, program leadership, center leadership, family services personnel, and other functional teams to identify program risks, monitor performance, strengthen systems, resolve barriers, and continuously improve service delivery.

This role requires a leader who can move effectively between strategy, data, compliance, systems development, staff leadership, and field operations.

Critical Action Items:

1. Maintain funded enrollment and proactively manage vacancies through documented recruitment, waitlist, and enrollment strategies.

2. Establish routine reporting that provides leadership visibility into enrollment vacancies, attendance, recruitment activity, and ERSEA risk indicators.

3. Establish measurable quality indicators for education, health, development/wellness, and other assigned program areas.

4. Ensure identified deficiencies or recurring concerns have documented corrective-action plans and follow-up through verified resolution.

5. Ensure direct reports have established performance expectations, routine supervision, documented deliverables, and accountability for results.

6. Maintain systems and documentation in a state of ongoing readiness for federal monitoring and other external/internal reviews.

7. Ensure that all timelines are synced with programming timelines for an accurate and timely submission of all reporting required for federal and state partners.

8. Participate in leadership planning and decision-support discussions related to enrollment, program capacity, service-delivery, program quality and compliance.

9. Track identified findings through resolution and verify that corrective actions have resulted in sustained improvement rather than temporary compliance.

10. Collaborate with program and organizational leadership to improve data, program quality, staffing and client services.

11. Serve as a trainer for ERSEA role, seeing novice employees through growth and consistent independence.

Requirements:

1. Advanced understanding of ERSEA principles and Head Start performance standards.

2. Strong knowledge of Head Start program operations.

3. Ability to understand the intersection between ERSEA, education, health, developmental services, family engagement, attendance, and overall program quality.

4. Strong supervisory, coaching, and accountability skills.

5. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, tracking platforms, and communications systems.

6. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including reporting and documentation.

7. Physical ability to work in on-site and field conditions, including lifting 60lbs

8. Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, exercising sound judgment in dynamic, resource-constrained environments.

9. Ability to distinguish between urgent matters that require immediate executive leadership attention and matters that can be appropriately delegated, scheduled, or routed elsewhere.

10. High emotional intelligence and interpersonal awareness.

11. Strong follow-through and personal accountability.

12. Ability to understand complex organizational information and translate it into concise executive summaries.

13. Experience working within nonprofits, Head Start, human services, federal and or state funded programs, or multi-state organizations.

14. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S., hold a valid driver’s license, and pass a federal background check.

15. Commitment to professional conduct and adherence to INK policies, safety standards, and regulatory compliance

16. Physical ability to work in on-site and field conditions, including lifting 60lbs

English (United States)

If you like to work with people that believe they can make a difference in the world, this is the company for you!

EEO Statement

In accordance with Title VII  of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable federal and state laws (e.g., the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity and treat all employees equally regardless of race, religion, national origin, color, sex, or any other classification made unlawful or prohibited by federal, state and/or local laws, such as age, citizenship status, veteran or military status, or disability. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation, training, working conditions, transfer, job assignments, benefits, layoff, and termination.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

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