Program Partner, Early Care & Education Systems
Couch Family Foundation
Location: Remote with proximity to Hanover, NH
Contact: Sara Vecchiotti
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION:
The Couch Family Foundation’s (The Foundation) mission is to be a catalyst for change in the lives of children and their families by creating quality and equitable opportunities to help them learn, thrive, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. We achieve this mission by partnering with organizations that work to improve children’s health and well-being, early learning and development, family resiliency, and community vibrancy. The Foundation’s work is guided by engaged Trustees who bring genuine curiosity, audacious ambitions, and deep caring to its work.
The Couch Family Foundation achieves its mission through two strategic priorities: 1) building and scaling of high-quality early care and education (ECE) systems in New Hampshire state-wide and 2) enhancing the well-being of children, families, and communities in their cherished communities, which include the Upper Valley in New Hampshire and Vermont and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. In 2023, over $6.5 million was invested in strategic and community partners to fulfill the mission.
Grounding the work is a commitment to six principles:
1. Commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work
2. Treat grantees as valued partners and those they serve with dignity and respect
3. Collaborate with community partners to create sustainable and positive change
4. Build statewide awareness and support for more effective and equitable public policy
5. Encourage creative thinking and risk-taking to foster innovation
6. Use research and community engagement to inform the work
For the state-wide ECE system-building priority, the Foundation’s goal is to ensure all children from birth to age 5 in New Hampshire, with a focus on families with low-income and communities of color, have access to high-quality, affordable early care and education within an equitable system that:
continuously improves to meet families’ needs
creates the developmental foundation for long-term social, health, and academic success
contributes to closing racial and opportunity gaps overtime
In this work, the Foundation supports collaboration with public and private partners to build statewide capacity in New Hampshire leading to effective public policies that support strong ECE systems. Specific strategies include:
Enhancing advocacy and grassroots organizing to build coalitions focused on collaboratively shaping equitable policies to increase access to and the quality of ECE opportunities for the youngest Granite Staters
Bolstering strong, coordinated local, regional, and state systems to equip ECE programs and providers across settings with the resources and tools required to promote children’s learning and development and support a well-prepared and compensated ECE workforce
Strengthening administrative leadership and capacity to shape effective, data-driven, cohesive, equitable ECE policies at local, regional, and/or state levels
Advancing research and innovation to further explore what works (or not) in how to build and scale equitable, high-quality ECE programs and systems
In the cherished communities priority, the Foundation also supports local nonprofit, direct-service organizations ensuring child and family well-being and promoting healthy communities in the Upper Valley and Martha’s Vineyard, communities in which the Trustees have cherished connections. The aim is to strengthen organizational capacity and services to:
Enhance early childhood by supporting early learning and development, health and mental health, and family support services to promote the well-being of young children and their families
Nurture vibrant communities by fulfilling a significant community need, addressing an emerging issue, or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion
For more information on the Couch Family Foundation, please visit here.
Location: This position is New Hampshire based with ability to travel throughout the state, and proximity to the Hanover, NH office; Flexibility for candidates in contiguous states may be possible.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Program Partner, Early Care & Education Systems, is a key full-time position reporting to the Executive Director. This role holds responsibility for the identification, design, management, and evaluation of grant opportunities within a portfolio within the Foundation. The Program Partner actively contributes to the development of program strategy, cultivates positive relationships with community stakeholders and grantees, oversees grantmaking processes, offers technical assistance to applicants and grantees, assesses the impact of grants and programs, utilizes a data-informed approach to refine program and grant strategies, and identifies emerging needs and issues within the field.
The position will lead the Foundation’s efforts to bolster strong, coordinated local, regional, and state systems to equip ECE programs and providers across settings with the resources and tools required to promote children’s learning and development through high-quality programming and with a well-prepared and compensated ECE workforce. The Program Partner’s work will center on shaping and implementing a grantmaking strategy to achieve transformational systems change by building and scaling necessary support systems that are equitable and responsive to ECE program and provider needs, including efforts for increased professional ECE compensation.
The aim is to develop and scale state, regional, and local policies, support systems, and communities of practice that enhance program and provider quality, operations, and sustainability, such as professional development systems and Director and Family Child Care networks. As part of the Foundation’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, another objective is to build an ecosystem of ECE programs and providers that are socio-economically integrated, inclusive, and racially/ethnically, linguistically, culturally responsive reflecting the communities served.
The Program Partner will primarily focus on the Foundation’s state-wide early care and education strategy, and, where aligned, provide support to initiatives within the cherished communities priority to enhance child and family well-being.
The Program Partner, as part of an integrated strategy team, will, where appropriate, co-design grants in collaboration with other Program Partners recognizing intersecting goals, shared purpose, and overlapping areas of work.
CANDIDATE PROFILE:
The Foundation is seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic individual with experience in ECE systems and/or program operations and administration to elevate and strengthen the field, the profession, and high-quality practice. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to thrive in a mission-driven environment that promotes continuous learning. This entails skillful management of complex issues and effective problem solving, while maintaining a results-oriented and collaborative mindset. While the ideal candidate will be able to fulfill the position responsibilities, meet the requisite qualifications, and possess the desired characteristics, we invite you to express interest even if you do not meet all the criteria.
Responsibilities:
General & Cross-Cutting:
Incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in all aspects of the work
Create grantee relationships based on respect and dignity grounded as collaborative partners
Collaborate with community partners to foster sustainable and positive change
Build state-wide awareness and support for effective, equitable public policy
Encourage creative-thinking and risk-taking to foster innovation
Utilize research, data, and community engagement to inform the work
Grantmaking Strategy & Process:
Formulate and execute program strategy and objectives for the early care and education and early childhood portfolio, and assess grant initiatives and impact, aligned with Foundation’s strategic framework
Develop grant recommendations that adhere to the Foundation’s mission, programmatic priorities, and strategies. Conduct programmatic and financial due diligence to determine organizational strength and effectiveness
Collaborate with potential applicants to develop grant proposals, co-designing rationale, purpose, activities, and outcomes, including development of place-based grantmaking strategies
Conduct landscape analyses and synthesize perspectives to understand relevant federal, local, and state contexts influencing the work
Assess grantee and programmatic performance through grantee communications, reporting, and site visits; develop methods to measure and demonstrate the potential impact of the Foundation’s work overtime
Partner Engagement & Development
Cultivate, facilitate, and harness positive relationships and partnerships with grantees to promote collaboration and maximize impact
Collaborate with other funders and engage diverse external stakeholders that enhance Foundation strategies to maximize systems change
Support grantee partners with resources including connections to communities of practice, technical assistance, and non-financial resources
Prioritize support and collaboration with advocacy and grassroots organizations rooted in the experience of impacted communities
Clearly and consistently communicate with grant applicants, recipients, and other partners in a transparent, timely, and respectful manner
Collaborate with the foundation team to share knowledge and learnings
Organizational Leadership
Prepare various Board materials, such as grant recommendations, dockets, write-ups, up-dates, and report summaries, and present them to the Board
Manage the online grants process, including application guidance, grant evaluation funding recommendations, and reports
Help organize and manage the program’s convening, research, and knowledge exchange activities internally and externally
Serve as thought partner as part of Foundation team and leverage work across grant strategies in collaboration with Foundation colleagues
Assist in projects or efforts related to the Foundation’s strategic communications to promote the Foundation and its work
Represent Foundation publicly, sharing program approaches and grant making outcomes, and serve as an active participant and field thought leader
Qualifications & Desired Characteristics:
In addition, strong candidates will offer:
At least 5 years of specific experience in early care and education systems and/or programming; experience in philanthropy is a plus
Deep knowledge of high-quality early care and education practice from a systems/programmatic perspective; knowledge of grantmaking is a plus
Solid knowledge of early care and education research and its application to informing program and policy
Demonstrated record of continuous quality improvement efforts at ECE system or program level; with the purpose of informing regulatory and legislative policy change a plus
Experience convening and collaborating with stakeholders, including parents and ECE professionals, engaged in program, practice, and systems development grounded in consensus-based decision making
Track record of navigating power dynamics across stakeholders while maintaining a collaborative approach responsive to diverse perspectives, cultures, and lived experiences
Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
High-level of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, empathy, and transparent communication)
Excellent facilitation and relationship management skills and ability to engender trust with colleagues, grantees, and community partners
Able to work independently and as part of a team
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter describing their interest in and qualifications for this position to info@couchfoundation.org. No phone inquiries will be accepted
The deadline for application submission is December 2, 2024
The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQIA+ applicants
Employment in this position is subject to a pre-employment background check, reference check, and verification of work history and relevant credentials, licenses, and/or certifications
SALARY RANGE: $100,000-$120,000, commensurate with experience and expertise