Early Childhood Program Officer

Reports to:           Deputy Director

Department:        Early Intervention and Strengthening Families Focus

Employment Status and Work Schedule

Exempt, full-time position, 40 hours per work week.  Some evening and weekend hours required.

About First 5 Contra Costa

First 5 Contra Costa helps young children grow up healthy and ready to learn during the most important time in their development. We have nearly 20 years of experience funding innovative programs and advocating for policies that produce better futures for our children. Since our inception, First 5 Contra Costa has invested more than $140 million in Prop. 10 revenues to programs and services that help Contra Costa’s children get the best start in life.

Vision: Contra Costa’s young children will be healthy, ready to learn, and supported in safe, nurturing families and communities.

Mission: To foster the optimal development of our children, prenatal through 5 years of age.

Core Values: Our everyday work is grounded in our commitment to diversity & inclusion, equity, cultural humility, and community partnerships.

Learn more at www.first5coco.org. 

Position Summary

First 5 Contra Costa Program Officer positions have oversight of one or more program areas in early childhood as defined in the Commission adopted Strategic Plan; and require relevant subject matter expertise in those areas. The Program Officer position has managerial responsibilities, including acquiring and allocating resources, budget development and monitoring, defining program area objectives and developing work and project plans, monitoring contractors, and supervising staff, managing partnerships and coalitions, and evaluating the program's results. The Program Officer will work closely with the entire First 5 Contra Costa team to understand the network of partners and services supporting Contra Costa County families with young children.  The knowledge, skills and abilities listed below indicate the common aspects of the Program Officer position, however for recruitment purposes relevant subject matter expertise is required to be considered as a qualified candidate.

Early Childhood Program Officer

This position will lead the early intervention focus area and work collaboratively with the program team to plan, monitor and/or coordinate services and resources that support families with young children. Under the direction of the Deputy Director and in collaboration with other Program Officers and staff, the Early Childhood Program Officer will lead the planning and implementation of early childhood projects and initiatives related to Early Intervention and Strengthening Families. First 5 Contra Costa’s current efforts in early intervention systems is focused on building the capacity of professionals and the systems they work within to adopt proven prevention and early intervention approaches, such as evidence-based developmental screenings, connections to resources, early childhood mental health, and trauma-informed practices. First 5 advocates for increased investments and strengthening systems to utilize early preventive approaches.  Also critical to First 5 Contra Costa’s current efforts, is its focus on increasing parents/families’ protective factors and resiliency and enhancing families’ access to early childhood services and resources. This work includes planning and coordinating capacity building and technical assistance for home visiting programs and working collaboratively with the contractors operating our First 5 family resource centers to ensure high quality service delivery. This position will have a prominent leadership role in Contra Costa County’s early childhood landscape by leading, influencing, and contributing to the design, planning and implementation of programs, policies, and approaches.

The Early Childhood Program Officer will have strong knowledge of major public programs, funding streams, policy trends, research, and best practices in child development, and early intervention and prevention. The Early Childhood Program Officer will possess expertise in program design and monitoring, budget development and management, project management, supervision, advocacy, and systems change, research, and local, state, and federal policy related to early childhood. They must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage and supervise teams, establish collaborative relationships, communicate professionally, develop community and systems partnerships, build consensus, and facilitate collective problem solving, and understand the unique responsibilities and accountabilities of representing a public agency.  The Early Childhood Program Officer holds a management and leadership role and requires a person who works with flexibility, efficiency, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team effort.  The Early Childhood Program Officer ensures efforts reflect First 5’s core values of diversity & inclusion, equity, cultural humility, and community partnership.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

·        Lead strategic thinking and coordination of First 5 investments that improve the effectiveness of programs for children at risk of poor social and emotional development in the first five years.

·        Plan and initiate projects and systems change efforts to achieve the goals of the Early Intervention and Strengthening Families focus areas in First 5’s Strategic Plan, including coordinating countywide efforts and advocating for improvements in services such as consultation, home visiting, positive parenting, developmental screening, care coordination, family resource centers, early childhood mental health, and other relevant evidence-based practices and services.

·        Plans, leads, and manages relevant and responsive projects that increase cross-sector collaboration within the Contra Costa County early intervention systems, family strengthening systems, and other systems that impact families with young children.

·        Develops and maintains partnerships and collaborations with individuals and organizations to enhance success and leverages existing First 5 investments.

·        Monitors, evaluates, and analyzes trends, local/state/federal policy, research, and initiatives relevant to early childhood education to determine impacts locally and possible opportunities to enhance/expand First 5 Contra Costa’s efforts.

·        Participates in local cross sector community and systems collaboratives focusing on the early intervention and prevention and strengthening families’ sectors or where there are opportunities to add early childhood issues to a broader collaborative. 

·        Leads and manages a variety of professional development and capacity building activities for healthcare, social service, and other related providers to prevent, screen, treat, and heal childhood adversity and toxic stress, and other related early intervention approaches and topics including developmental screening, early childhood mental health, and inclusion frameworks for children with disabilities.

·        Contribute to strategic development of early intervention partnerships and care coordination amongst public, private, and community-based organizations providing services and resources for families with children prenatal to age 5. 

Knowledge and Abilities

·        Supervise staff using asset-based approaches and strategies.

·        Develop cross-sector community and systems partnerships including a variety of public, private, nonprofit, and grassroots organizations.

·        Communicate persuasively, both orally and in writing, in varied settings and to different audiences.

·        Manage multiple program areas, contracts, staff members, and priorities simultaneously while upholding quality standards.

·        Think critically and approach problem solving creatively when managing complex issues and while considering the needs of varied stakeholders.

·        Prioritize work, communicate with supervisor about work challenges, meet critical deadlines, and pay great attention to detail with excellent follow through.

·        Conduct research, analyze information, summarize findings, and make recommendations.

·        Model and promote organizational values and participate as a key strategic partner in the organization.

·        Demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion, values perspectives, and contributions by all.

·        Work with diverse personalities with a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds and experiences including Commissioners, staff, public agency partners, and community partners.

·        Effectively partner with other organizations, including school districts, County departments, community-based organizations, and grassroots efforts, to develop projects, identify needed resources, and define key outcomes and milestones, ensure that appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes are established to support learning, and meet goals.

·        Work closely with contractors to achieve desired impact of grants by conducting site visits, providing technical guidance, convening meetings of key stakeholders, and by applying and monitoring performance measures.

·        Prepare and deliver formal and informal presentations at venues such as public meetings, conferences, workgroups, and events.

·        Plan, develop and manage budgets; ability to manage multiple private and public funding streams with varying requirements; demonstrated ability to understand and use financial reports to monitor and manage program budgets.

·        Conduct research on potential funding opportunities and collaborative partnerships and complete grant applications through a variety of funding streams.

·        Public or non-profit procurement, contracting, and grant monitoring processes.

·        Early childhood, child development, and the early intervention system of services in California.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and expectations required of the position. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind duties, responsibilities, and activities of the position. 

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Early Childhood Mental Health, Psychology, Social Welfare, or a closely related human services field and a minimum of 5 years of experience in program design, implementation, policy, or research related to the above fields.

OR

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the above listed fields and 7 years of experience in program design and monitoring, policy, or research related to those fields.  

Must possess a valid California driver’s license and automobile insurance continuously throughout employment.

First 5 Contra Costa COVID-19 Vaccination policy

First 5 Contra Costa prioritizes the health and safety of our staff and has adopted the county’s COVID-19 vaccination policy for all employees. To be compliant with this policy, all new staff members shall be required to provide proof of their vaccination status or exemption required documentation at the start of their employment.

Preferred, not required.

·        Spanish fluency, both oral and written, is highly preferred.

·        Experience working or living in Contra Costa County or the Bay Area.

Salary and Benefits

The salary schedule is a 5 (five step structure): $121,864.00 to $148,126.00. First 5 Contra Costa offers a comprehensive benefits package.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume, a professional writing sample, and a brief letter of introduction that summarizes why you are ideally suited to this position.  Incomplete submissions will not be considered. 

Electronic submissions should include Early Childhood Program Officer EI in the subject line and be sent to HR@first5coco.org. 

Physical Demands

Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone.  This is primarily a sedentary office classification although standing in work areas and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator and to operate standard office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 10 pounds.

Environmental Conditions

Employees work in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. Employees also occasionally work in the field and may be exposed to cold and hot temperatures, and inclement weather conditions.

First 5 Contra Costa is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

First 5 Contra Costa is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment for employees and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds. First 5 Contra Costa does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion (including religious dress or grooming), creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions) or gender, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disabilities, color, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, genetic information, medical condition, or any other basis protected by applicable law.