Program Manager

About First 5

First 5 Sonoma County is an independent public agency, established under the California Children and Families Act of 1998 (Proposition 10) which funded a local First 5 Commission in every California county to build integrated and comprehensive systems of support for children, prenatal to five years. Through a voter-approved tobacco tax, First 5 promotes optimal child development through investments in health, early learning and family resiliency. Catalysts for systemic change, First 5 Sonoma County partners with school districts, the early care and education sector, the health care system, community leaders, the private sector and social service agencies. By working through partners with a focus on prevention, we are able to maximize our collective impact and cost-effectiveness, and leverage community resources with federal, state and grant dollars.

Summary

The Program Manager develops, manages and administers local and regional activities related to First 5 Sonoma County projects and initiatives to develop, improve and enhance systems that support the optimal development of children, birth to five. The position advocates for and supports efforts to establish, increase and leverage resources and revenue streams to support early childhood systems. In addition, the Program Manager represents First 5 Sonoma County as a contributor to local, regional and state collaborative initiatives and fosters cross-agency communication.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

Administrative

• Develop, track and update project plans, identify and mitigate risks, manage contingencies
• Develop proposals and manage project funding sources, initiatives, including but not limited to procurement of funded partners, development of subcontracts, securing Commission approval, manage project budgets, tracking expenditures.
• Work with Program Director to develop contractual scopes of work and budgets, as related to special projects and initiatives
  
  

Project leadership

• Provide core leadership for First 5 Sonoma County special projects and initiatives.
• Plan and facilitate regular meetings associated with project leadership (i.e. Quality Counts Consortium, Regional HUB, Help Me Grow committees, project stakeholder meetings)
• Maintain regular contact with project counterparts in other counties.
• Update First 5 staff, Commissioners on project-related activities at the local/regional/state level.
• Work with First 5 staff and partners to develop communications and public awareness campaigns
• Research and share knowledge on leading practice in early childhood systems improvement, such as QRIS, universal screening, etc.
• Work collaboratively with community organizations and partners to improve quality, capacity, and evaluation of services for young children and families, including promoting leading practices and quality standards across service systems.
• Promote cross-system and cross-sector governance and decision-making for issues affecting children and families.
• Advocate for young children and families by building a shared vision and creating public/political will, inclusive of encouraging countywide public and private organizations to increase their alignment of resources for improved outcomes for young children and their families.
• Professionally represent First 5 Sonoma County to promote the achievement of the organization’s mission and goals, particularly as it applies to system change and capacity building. Make presentations as required.
• Actively champions and advocates for inclusivity and social and racial equity.
  
  

Budgetary/Supervisory Responsibilities

This position directly supervises Program Coordinators and has budgetary oversight of funding streams that are restricted to time-limited special projects.

Required Experience & Education

• Bachelor's degree with major coursework in child development, community health, social services or related field.
• On-the-job experience in prevention, health promotion and/or health education experience, especially dealing with diverse populations, together with academic coursework in health education, community health, social services or a closely related field may be substituted for a Bachelor's degree on a year-for-year basis.
• Three or more years professional experience in project/program development, implementation and monitoring.
• Bilingual/fluent (written and spoken) in Spanish and English preferred
• Graduate level coursework is desirable.
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Outstanding project management skills and an ability to handle a complex environment with multiple priorities; navigates and is adaptive to ambiguous, fast-paced environments; handles uncertain situations professionally and reasonably; and maintains flexibility to respond to changing circumstances or priorities.
• Knowledge of the full range of programs, services, policies and issues that impact young children e.g. early childhood education, health and development; family support and well-being; and community engagement, including research-based, best, and emerging practices.
• Knowledge of local early childhood arena and children’s issues is a plus.
• Understanding of the social justice issues underlying disparities in children’s health, education and well-being.
• Demonstrated success at facilitating convenings and collaborative processes.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with demonstrated ability to develop and deliver reports, recommendations, and presentations.
• Strategic thinker who considers internal and external stakeholder needs and considers impact when making decisions.
• Ability to interact and build relationships with a variety of constituencies, e.g. funded programs, community partners, staff, and Commissioners.
• Mission-driven and self-directed, with a demonstrated passion for First 5 Sonoma County’s work to strengthen families and improve child outcomes.
• Strong decision-making skills with use of good judgment in recognizing scope of authority.
• Ability to work well as a team member and independently while collaborating with others to achieve desired goals/results.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and ability to use widely supported internet browsers.
• In depth knowledge of organizational, operational and programmatic concepts and practices applied by public, private and nonprofit agencies engaged in health, early care and education or social services related activities.
• Success in the fiscal areas of effective budget development/management and grant development and management.
• Skill in preparing correspondence, reports and other written materials for a range of key stakeholders including local, regional and state policymakers.
  
  

Physical And Sensory Requirements

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Mobility to work in a standard office environment and attend off-site meetings; mobility and manual dexterity to use standard office equipment and handle documents; vision to read handwritten and printed materials and a computer screen; hearing and speech to communicate in person and by telephone.
• Mobility, flexibility, gross body coordination, and dexterity sufficient to stand, sit, walk, stoop, reach, bend, twist, and turn
• Ability to frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally move up to 50 pounds
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time.
  
  

Work Environment

• This job primary operates in a professional office environment.
• Hybrid after probation period (a combination of remote and in-office work)
  
  

Benefits

We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability. Other perks include generous paid time off, holiday pay, a 9/80 and 4/10 work schedule, and a family-friendly workplace policy. This is an opportunity to work with a dynamic team with the great purpose of supporting the community to give children age 0 to 5 the best start possible.

How To Apply

If you meet these requirements and are ready to embark on an exciting new career opportunity, we’d like to hear from you! We ask all applicants to include a cover letter with their application. Must be a California resident.

First 5 Sonoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants regardless of race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other classification protected by law.

Compensation: From $87,395 to $104,305 per year