Job no: 508959
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: UMDI - PMFO Head Start
Union: Non-Unit Exempt
Categories: Administrative/Office Support

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI) is a public service, outreach, and economic development unit of the University of Massachusetts, providing government, business, and non-profit organizations with effective solutions in the areas of research, organizational development, training, and technical assistance through its 9 distinct business units. UMDI has a budget of approximately $23 million per year and employs approximately 130 full-time professional employees, and 50 part-time, seasonal, and graduate student employees.

The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute’s (UMDI) Head Start Program Management and Fiscal Operations (PMFO) business unit, funded through the Office of Head Start (OHS) National Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) System, works closely with OHS to ensure that all Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) grantees have access to current, high quality, and research-informed information, resources and TTA to support program management, leadership, governance and fiscal operations. PMFO provides essential program and financial management resources to Head Start governing bodies, leaders, grantees, and delegate agencies. The provision of these resources requires partnership with federal staff, sub-recipients, consultants, and vendors.

The Program Management/Head Start-Early Childhood Specialist will provide resources, Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) and leadership in the areas of program management, early childhood development and Head Start/Early Head Start, Pre-K and Child Care Partnerships.

Essential Functions

The essential functions of the PMFO Program Management/ Head Start-Early Childhood Specialist include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide T/TA on program management, early childhood development, leadership and partnerships in a variety of settings, including, professional meetings, national and regional conferences, either in person or virtually, in the following areas:
• Ongoing monitoring, self-assessment, and supporting a continuous quality improvement approach.
• Strategic planning and program planning; developing action plans; and the Head Start planning cycle.
• BROAD goals, SMART objectives and strategic plan development.
• Determining community needs by conducting community assessments.
• Head Start management systems, procedures for ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement in relation to addressing deficiencies, and developing quality improvement plans.
• Human resources, including staff qualifications and professional development, human resources management, coaching, personnel policies, staffing requirements/program options, hiring, and degrees/credentialing.
• Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA). Requirements and procedures for eligibility determination, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of children in Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS).
• Eligibility/enrollment of homeless, refugee, migrant and other vulnerable children/families.
• Record-keeping and reporting (administrative requirements and standards, PIR, record access and retention).

Other Functions

• Collaborate with other National Centers on the provision of Program Management/ Early Childhood Development/ EHS-CCP T/TA as applicable to include such things as event planning, product development, serving on advisory groups, etc.
• Represent PMFO on assigned Office of Head Start (OHS) workgroups.
• Participate in regular virtual and on-site PMFO team meetings and communicate in-person and via web-based/virtual forums.
• Assist in responding to requests for Program Management/ Early Childhood Development/ EHS-CCP T/TA from OHS, their T/TA systems, States/Territories/Tribes, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of key University administrative procedures, systems, tools.
• Participate in UMDI and business unit initiatives as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor’s degree in organizational development, early childhood development or a related field.
• Five years of senior management experience with HS/EHS, OHS Regional T/TA system, early childhood field, and/or nonprofit agency.
• Five years of experience providing management or early childhood T/TA to early childhood programs, non-profit leadership teams and Boards of Directors.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with HS/EHS, program management, child care programs and systems, and/or the HS Program Performance Standards.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in the following areas:
• planning, coordinating, and providing customized management T/TA.
• presentation, group facilitation, and writing skills.
• T/TA skills and knowledge of adult learning, leadership, reflective practice and team processing.
• interpersonal and collaboration skills; successful experience working with diverse groups.
• organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities effectively.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Master’s degree in organizational development, early childhood development or a related field.

Additional Details

• This position is funded by grants and/or contracts, and is contingent upon funding.
• This is a full-time benefited position.
• No relocation assistance provided.
• Any job offer is specifically conditioned upon the potential candidate consenting to and successfully completing a background review and credit review.
• Potential candidates will not be contacted for interviews until after the posting closes.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Conduct work in a home-based office with high speed internet access, sufficiently free of distractions, where employee will be expected to maintain regular communication with supervising manager(s) and clients.
• UMass will supply computer, printer/copier and cell phone. Other equipment and resources may be provided. All supplies must be returned to UMass when leaving service or upon conclusion of the contract.
• Must have flexibility to travel on a frequent basis (35% or more), to deliver T/TA and attend meetings in Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. The employee will be exposed to outside environmental conditions during travel times.
• Light Carrying: physically transporting items weighing less than 20 pounds from one location to another.
• The physical/mental demands and work environment factors described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work Schedule

Standard full-time work schedule consisting of five, eight-hour days and 40 hours each week. Work performed in addition to the regular work week may be necessary and may require a change in availability at specific times to accommodate variations in work and client demands.

Salary Information

Commensurate with experience

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please include with your application, a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three profession references before July 7th, 2020. The position will remain open until filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Jun 23 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Jul 7 2021 Eastern Daylight Time