Position Title: Center Director
Employee Type: Full-Time Regular
Supervisor Title: Program Director
Division: U.S. Programs & Advocacy

Summary
This position is responsible for the general and day-to-day operations of a Head Start/Early Head Start center or cluster of outlying centers. You will be responsible for providing coverage to multiple classrooms, ensuring compliance with federal, state and local regulations; communicating with parents and the community; supervising and monitoring of all staff assigned to the center(s). The Center Director may be reassigned to various centers as deemed necessary for program operations.

As a front line representative of Save the Children, Center Directors are required to ensure the safety and security of children and families that he/she comes into contact with, adhering to the agency’s values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaborations, Creativity and Integrity.

As a Save the Children employee who will come into contact with children on a routine basis, you are expected to prevent child abuse in every situation by striving, through mental awareness, good practice and training to minimize risk to children. You must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern and report and respond to any instance of child abuse and promote training and awareness around all child safeguarding obligations.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
• Hire and coach staff; facilitate resolution of conflicts; encourage and support professional development opportunities; develop and monitor center and staff schedules.
• Oversee staff in the monitoring, control, and review of budgets, identification and interpretation of Head Start and community needs, conformance to Performance Standards, and other regulatory requirements.
• Conduct regular staff meetings, arrange staff training, set job standards/goals and monitor/provide ongoing feedback for performance improvement and appraisals.
• Work with all center staff to ensure quality teaching and learning environments and work with content area managers/specialists/coordinators to plan and implement pre-service and ongoing in-service for cooks, teachers, assistant teachers, and program aides.
• Track and monitor staff attendance, including verification of timesheets.
• Arrange for family days, staff work days, fairs and events as well as work with Family Service Coordinators, center staff, and families to plan and implement monthly center parent meetings; take the lead in arranging Family Nights and Parent Committee meetings.
• Perform systems evaluation and development and ensure adequate systems are in place to maintain highest quality of service to children and families in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards; ensure consistency in service delivery across programs.
• Responsible for monthly safety checks, annual safety inspections, and completion of licensing requirements.
• Report any child or staff incidents.
• Monitor employee on-site filing requirements; assist with the fiscal management of the center, including cost allocations; assist in the identification, purchase, and annual inventory of center supplies and equipment.
• Monitor Child Plus for timely and accurate data input of children and family information.
• Lead the center’s process through state licensing, Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and special accreditation (including but not limited to National Association for the Education of Young Children – NAEYC)
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience, plus at least two years of relevant experience
• Proven work experience in a position that directly relates to the implementation and monitoring of program operations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of program planning and practices in infant/toddler and preschool center-based program’s thorough knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards and best practices related to early childhood education.
• Proven knowledge of general business practices including supervision, accounts payable, inventory control and risk management.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with individuals and teams at all levels, whether internal or external
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, children and parents, and outside agencies.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Demonstrated ability to successfully oversee and operate the day-to-day program in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations.
• Demonstrated successful time management, organizational, and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging

• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to successfully communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams at all levels—whether internal or external—in the provision of high quality services to children and families
• Demonstrated successful interpersonal, communication and organizational skills; great problem solving and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to follow established and communicated directions and take initiative
• Demonstrated knowledge of the purpose of the Head Start/Early Head Start program.
• Proven ability to relate sensitively with children.
• Proven ability to keep all required information strictly confidential.
• Must participate in professional development training including basic first aid and pediatric CPR certification as required by state licensing and HSPPS.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging

Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.

This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job. The incumbent should maintain a valid driver’s license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Preferred Qualifications
• Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish or English and other languages used by children and families).
• If in North Carolina, holding a Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) Licensure preferred.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)