Senior Director, Healthy Childhood Development - Community Impact

Work with volunteers, community residents, and staff to further United Way's mission and increase its investment in community building activities that focus on preventing problems, strengthening local assets and increasing neighborhood leadership. Staff volunteer committees which review and make funding recommendations regarding human service organizations affiliated and/or partnering with United Way, serving as primary liaison to these agencies.  Create measureable and sustainable change by leveraging all UW resources. Responsible for performance management within CI and with partner agencies. Build relationships on behalf of United Way with key community leaders, constituents, volunteers and select donors.  Participate in planning and implementing Community Impact Division priorities, strategies and initiatives to build on community assets that address community concerns and needs.  Assist United Way's efforts to keep abreast of state, community and neighborhood issues.  Represent United Way in statewide and community meetings.

 Senior Director, Healthy Child Development, CI is required to have content expertise and experience in "Healthy Child Development" (HCD).  This term is utilized by this United Way to include the constellation of factors necessary to enable families and communities to ensure that all children are healthy, safe, nurtured, and ready to succeed when they enter school. The focus is on children birth through eight years old.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

 a) Assume content leadership role in prioritizing HCD objectives, strategies and community impact targets as the lead member of the HCD Team;

b) Supervise HCD team staff

c) Participate in development and implementation of HCD impact area funds distribution strategies:

• Manage allocations including ongoing, capacity-building and new program funding for targeted impact;
• Help analyze and develop funding priorities for each funding cycle.

d) Agency and community relations:

• Develop relationships with United Way-funded agencies and key community stakeholders;
• Become knowledgeable about components of organizational excellence, program quality and outcome measurement;
• Facilitate discussions regarding development of HCD community goals and community agenda;
• Monitor progress in achieving HCD multi-year outcomes and measures;
• Identify gaps in United Way's service response in HCD impact area and initiate new relationships or programs to address (internal/external).

e) Facilitate partnership, stakeholder, volunteer and agency portfolio management activities;

f) Explore implications of public policy for the HCD impact area and recommend UWMBMV positions;

g) Work with internal/external resources to help develop and implement effective volunteer strategies (including working with community partners, volunteer recruitment, event planning, volunteer training, and program evaluation) to align with goals of CI impact areas;

h) Build and sustain relationships with key early childhood stakeholder groups and state agencies;

i) Grant management and special initiatives as assigned;

j) Work collaboratively with CI staff and United Way functional divisions to support organization wide fundraising, communications and community impact goals and strategies.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education, Human Development, Human Services or related field required.
• Masters Degree preferred
• Five to seven years proven experience and success in areas related to Healthy Child Development to include: experience in early childhood education, public policy, program development and evaluation, not-for-profit management, strategic planning and analysis.
• Experience in working with low-income communities and other diverse groups, with the ability to build and sustain productive relationships with diverse individuals, groups, organizations and communities
• Demonstrated experience in planning and implementing community level initiatives
• Experience as a team manager and supervisor
• Knowledge of state-level early childhood systems and funding
• Ability to build consensus, collaborate with and convene multiple partners in efforts that produce specific deliverables and demonstrable outcomes
• Ability to meet aggressive deadlines and handle multiple priorities
• Proficiency in attending to detail with ability to organize, prioritize and effectively contribute within team setting
• Excellent analytical ability and superior problem-solving skills
• Excellent verbal communication, interpersonal, listening, writing and facilitation skills
• Familiarity with request for proposal (RFP) process preferred
• Ability to take concepts through project management to completion with little supervision
• Knowledge of current early childhood research, local and national issues and trends preferred
• Familiarity with nonprofit financial management and budget analysis desirable
• Microsoft Office and Excel skills and experience required
• Ability and willingness to use technology to improve quality of work and inform decision making
• Commitment to excellence and the mission of United Way!

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD FORWARD A RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO:
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley,
Human Resources Coordinator,
51 Sleeper Street, Boston, MA 02210. Fax: 617- 624-9114
email: humanresources@supportunitedway.org

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is committed to hiring individuals who reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.