PROJECT MANAGER: AGES 3-5
CORETTA WALKER
POSITION SUMMARY
Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is a collaborative effort to build a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families. Our focus is ensuring all children in Guilford County and their families get the resources they need for healthy development. We want every child born in Guilford County from 2021 and beyond to enter kindergarten developmentally on track in five key areas:
- Physical
- Language and communication
- Social-emotional
- Cognitive
- Approaches to play and learning
Family voice informs our work, and we share our learning with residents and community stakeholders. We also work with more than 100 community partners in Guilford County and North Carolina to create this system of care. As a backbone organization, our goal is population-level change.
The Project Manager will support Ready Ready’s work focused on meeting the needs of children ages 3-5 and their families in Guilford County with the ultimate goal of increasing kindergarten readiness and decreasing disparities. The Project Manager will work closely with Ready Ready staff to support the early implementation of projects across several community agencies. The Project Manager will offer oversight and strategic direction to implementing partners conducting the work.
The Project Manager will possess:
- Knowledge about Guilford County’s early childhood needs, assets, and partners.
- The ability to work well with a diverse group of stakeholders and community service providers.
- Successful history in project/program management/coordination.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects and deadlines at once.
The Project Manager: Ages 3-5 Inititatives will report to the Director of Engagement and Literacy Initiatives.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Project Manager will support the piloting and testing of strategies to meet the needs of children ages 3-5 in Guilford County ensuring activities align with Ready Ready’s Values and Principles and Equity Statement which include a commitment to identifying and implementing equity focused activities. Key responsibilities include:
Partner Engagement
- Overseeing early implementation of the Ages 3-5 strategies across multiple implementing partners
- Leading project management and technical advising for the early implementation projects
- Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with implementation partners and other key community partners/stakeholders – including facilitating collaborative relationships across implementation partners
- Actively seeking out opportunities for synergy with other early childhood efforts in Guilford County, particularly those serving children ages 3-5
- Supporting implementation partners via frequent team touchpoints, ongoing communication and technical assistance, tracking of data, documentation of progress and lessons learned, etc.
- Other activities as assigned
Reporting
- Maintaining appropriate documentation for agreed upon work with partners. MOUs will be established with all partners.
- Compiling, synthesizing, and analyzing data, including identifying benchmarks and tracking progress of work to be reported to funders and other stakeholders.
- Ensure project goals, including timelines for implementation, are met.
- Providing regular reports on progress to RR leadership team and liaise across other partners/consultants
- Working closely with the Director of Engagement and Literacy Initiatives to ensure the early implementation projects are in line with targeted goals.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in early childhood development, public policy, or a related field such as social work, public health, public administration, business, communication
- Three or more years of experience working on community-based projects with multiple team members.
- Knowledge of the early childhood, education and/or health care systems is desirable.
- Prior project/program management experience is highly desirable.
- A commitment to Ready for School, Ready for Life’s Values and Principles.
- Sound judgment and ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
- Strong organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft desktop programs, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and others.
- Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and pass a criminal and driving background check.
Compensation & Benefits
Ready for School, Ready for Life offers a competitive compensation package, including comprehensive health benefits.
To Apply
Please complete an application on our website. For your application to be considered complete, a cover letter and resume must be attached.
Position will remain open until filled with priority given to candidates who apply prior to November 19, 2021.