Program Manager, Early Childhood Capacity Building & Capital Access

ABOUT REINVESTMENT FUND:

At Reinvestment Fund, we are dedicated to making a tangible difference in the lives of underserved individuals and communities. Our mission is to create opportunity for underserved people and places through partnerships. We marshal the capital, analytics, and expertise necessary to build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities.

As a federally certified community development financial institution (CDFI), our job is to make finance an agent of positive change and equitable growth. We provide loans, grants and technical assistance to businesses and nonprofits. Our borrowers and grantees educate students, support local economies, and create jobs. They build affordable housing and provide community goods and services that include access to nutritious food, hunger relief, physical and mental health care, and other social services.

ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AT REINVESTMENT FUND:

Early childhood education (ECE) is fundamental to our economy’s health and ability to expand access to opportunity among a wider segment of Americans: women across the income spectrum need reliable childcare to work; ECE owners and staff need to earn money, build wealth, and plan for the future; and children need high quality ECE to increase their school readiness, academic achievement, and lifetime earnings. Yet perhaps no other sector is so essential to our society’s functioning and sustainability and is as poorly compensated and undervalued as ECE. For additional information, click here: Early Childhood Education — Reinvestment

ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Program Manager for ECE will be expected to work independently and collaboratively work with internal and external stakeholders to design and implement processes and approaches to providing capital and technical assistance in support of ECE providers serving low-income families in select communities across Maryland. This is an excellent opportunity for a self-motivated individual with both a team approach and systems-oriented thinking skills to help grow, further develop, and implement innovative programs. This is a client-facing role, providing essential technical assistance to a language diverse community, particularly Spanish speaking individuals. Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

This position is grant-funded; while the intent is for the primarily assigned program to be a multi-year initiative, subsequent funding is subject to annual appropriation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program Management, Leadership, and Communications:

• Implement programs in support of Reinvestment Fund’s mission to close gaps in availability of high-quality childcare in low-income communities and promote the importance of high-quality facilities in child development settings.
• Along with the Program Director of ECE, contribute to long- and short-term program planning, design, and implementation, ensuring achievement of milestones and overall program goals within budget and approved timeline. Manage non-salary budgets and coordinate with finance team to allocate and track spending.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with awardees and local/regional external program partners for early learning providers – funders, advisors, vendors and consultants. Convene networks, facilitate informational meetings, and manage multiple contractual relationships towards mutual goals and collective impact.
• Manage contractual obligations, including analyzing and evaluating program outcomes, data and results, reviewing budget data, drafting funder and internal reports, and tracking and meeting compliance requirements and deadlines.
• Manage and monitor contracts with a wide variety of vendors to support program implementation, including meeting performance expectations, payment, compliance, and reporting.
• Represent Reinvestment Fund externally in the ECE industry, including public speaking engagements, leading webinars, presenting at conferences and participating in other gatherings to do outreach and provide exposure for Reinvestment Fund’s ECE programs.
• Support/collaborate on written pieces and research overviews, and fundraising efforts.
• Other duties as assigned.

Capital Access Management and Program Implementation

• Lead programming for applicants and recipients of financial and technical assistance (including development of applications and eligibility criteria, awards, funding disbursements, workplans, budgets, loan closing requirements, compliance and reporting, and ongoing project tracking).
• Provide one-on-one technical assistance to ECE program participants regarding best practices in real estate development, ECE facility project development, key design standards, fundraising and financing, business operations, marketing and community engagement, and other specifics as needed. Coordinate with partners and experts to identify client needs and available resources.
• Manage small loan (less than $500K) processes, compliance and reporting, including management of loan funding and technical assistance to recipients, which will include the following:
  • Analyze and process funding advance requests and appropriate backup documentation as presented by the awardees.
  • Obtain and review project compliance materials as required during the grant or loan period.
• Plan, manage, and coordinate logistics for programmatic meetings and webinars.
• Maintain project files in excellent condition and consistent with organizational policy and departmental procedures, with sufficient documentation for third-party review, prepare files for timely audits.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Advanced degree a plus and/or at least five years’ relevant experience working in grants or loan management, early childhood education, real estate development project management, community development finance, or other related fields.
• Fluent Bilingual Spanish speaking ability – able to communicate effectively with English and Spanish-speaking applicants and customers. (The interview process will include an assessment to measure listening & speaking skills, as well as translation skills.)
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to multi-task and manage multiple processes, programs, and projects simultaneously while working under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience and skills in facility development, early childhood coaching, small business lending, and/or providing training and technical assistance to businesses and organizations in the sector.
• Self-motivated and solution-oriented.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, for a variety of audiences.
• Proficient in MS Office – Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
• Ability to work with diverse individuals, communities, and groups on complex issues.
• Ability to travel up to 10-15% within Montgomery County, MD.
• Evidence of a strong commitment to Reinvestment Fund’s mission and work.

Competencies:

• Technical Aptitude – Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; able to pick up new systems quickly; has familiarity with database structures and definitions; comfort in interfacing data between various systems; understanding of CRM principles and functionality; demonstrated experience in business process analysis.
• Demonstrated customer service orientation – ability to support applicants and customers through the life cycle of a (grant or) loan patiently and with a mindset toward furthering their understanding of the capital access process.
• Communication Skills – Ability to create and communicate ideas through speech and written communications. Effectively uses data visuals and other presentation materials to establish facts; ability to communicate in meetings using a consultative, collaborative, client-oriented approach.
• Collaborative Nature – a positive “can-do” attitude and demonstrated calmness and composure in times of uncertainty and stress; strong work ethic and a desire to make an impact; high level of emotional intelligence and ability to influence others without authority.
• Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving – Ability to understand overarching business goals, transform them into business requirements, and implement logical steps toward achieving a business objective; able to participate in all project management roles, operating in a cross-functional business environment.

WORK LOCATION:

For this position, we will consider a remote work designation for candidates in the Montgomery County, MD area. 10-15% travel will be expected within the county. Additional travel will be occasionally required to our Philadelphia headquarters (typically twice per year) for all-staff meetings and upon initial onboarding.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Reinvestment Fund offers a competitive salary based on experience and skills, as well as an excellent benefits package including employer-paid health, disability, and life insurance, 401(k) savings plan with employer match, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care and transportation), tuition reimbursement, paid time off, and EAP program.

The salary range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $80,000 and $90,000/year, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Reinvestment Fund uses E-Verify to validate all new hires' ability to legally work in the United States and all new hires may be subject to a background check.

Reinvestment Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment practices based on race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, national origin, non-job-related disability, or status as a veteran. Reinvestment Fund is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and in our external investment practices.

Reinvestment Fund, Inc. has an affiliate, RF Impact Advisers, Inc. (“RFIA”) that is a state-registered investment adviser. In order to advance compliance with and prevent violations of federal and state securities laws and to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, RFIA has adopted a Code of Ethics to govern certain conduct of its staff, including certain staff of Reinvestment Fund because Reinvestment Fund is an advisory affiliate of RFIA. As part of this Code of Ethics, there are specific personal reporting and other requirements and disclosures of personal financial and/or securities transactions information for certain individuals, and this reporting may extend to your household members.