Job Abstract

ICF’s Early Education Services Line of Business seeks an Early Childhood Systems Consultant to work for the Child Care State Capacity Building Center (SCBC) to deliver training and technical assistance to Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) grantees and their partners to assist with understanding and implementing best practices in child care consumer education.

The Early Childhood Systems Consultant will support the Office of Child Care (OCC) funded Consumer Education Technical Assistance (TA) activities in alignment with CCDF requirements and consumer education best practice, such as delivering TA to CCDF grantees and their partners, facilitating peer learning opportunities, leading webinars, and providing significant expertise to consumer education resources. This may include working with federal partners such as OCC and state partners and contractors who are responsible for the state or territory child care consumer education efforts. TA will be delivered through virtual platforms or onsite as requested.

The ideal candidate will have both a background and experience with CCDF and early care and education (ECE) systems at the state or national level, including experience supporting the implementation of CCDF. The ideal candidate will also understand or have led efforts related to child care regulations and program implementation, with a focus on child care consumer education websites, child care licensing, subsidy programs, quality rating and improvement systems, Head Start, State prekindergarten, and other early childhood programs and initiatives. Significant experience in consumer education as it relates to CCDF, with knowledge of website development and website best practices is required.

This position is home based and requires up to 20% travel to deliver technical assistance to CCDF grantees and to OCC sponsored events. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Communication, Collaboration and Client Focus

• Support OCC designated priorities and special projects, including development of TA materials and reports.
• Build strong, positive relationships with SCBC Team for ongoing communication, collaborative planning, and shared problem solving to meet the needs of clients, states, and territories.
• Build a strong, positive relationship with OCC regional office staff and regional CCDF Lead Agency staff, for ongoing communication, collaborative planning, and shared problem solving.
• Build strong, positive relationships with CCTAN partners to ensure all States, Territories and Tribes benefit from the wide range of training and TA services funded by OCC to support the entire child care sector.
• Collaborate closely with OCC staff and other federal partners in the planning and of training and/or TA to CCDF grantees and other partners in the child care sector.

Expertise and Scope

• Plan for and deliver individualized TA on consumer education topics to CCDF Lead Agencies and their partners.
• Provide TA and consultation to States and Territories upon CCDF Administrators’ and regional office staff members’ requests in a manner that is responsive to state and territory needs; meets states and territories where they are; and uses a relationship-based approach.
• Contribute to and lead in the development of group TA opportunities focused on facets of consumer education including the research, preparation and facilitation of webinars, peer learning groups, trainings, communities of practice, etc.
• Proactively lead and support data collection and website assessments to help inform consumer education TA
• Incorporate evidence-based facilitation, active listening, cultural humility, analysis, data, strategy, resource provision, research, and reflective thought partnership in the work.
•  Incorporate a human centered design perspective into the work by centering users (families, child care providers, etc.) as the main recipients of consumer education information.
• Participate in presentations at OCC regional and national meetings, webinars, and conferences. 
• Leverage specialized depth and breadth of expertise and apply a broad perspective to identify solutions to complex tasks.

• Stay abreast of the latest research, tools, and resources that support the activities of the consumer education team.
• Proactively contribute to the development of consumer education resources that are universally available through SCBC including researching, developing, preparing, and disseminating resources and products through appropriate channels that advance the work of the consumer education team.
• Proactively contribute to the development of group TA opportunities focused on facets of consumer education including the research, preparation and facilitation of peer learning groups, communities of practice, etc.
• Participate in regular continuous quality improvement activities and support ongoing evaluation of the work.
• Establish and use communication protocols and continuous quality improvement from evaluation data and other feedback loops into the work.
• Participate in weekly TA team and full-team meetings and conference calls.
• Participate in national workgroups and task forces as assigned.
• Enter data on TA planning and provision within the TA Tracker database, adhering to established protocols and timelines, and provide regular updates in various formats to demonstrate sound implementation of the work and the results that are being achieved
• Submit claims for reimbursement of office and travel expenses in a timely manner.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

 Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, public policy, public administration, or management.
• 12+ years of relevant experience to include:
• Experience with content knowledge related to CCDF requirements, including child care consumer education, child care licensing, subsidy programs, quality rating and improvement systems, Head Start, State prekindergarten, and other early childhood programs and initiatives, including core knowledge of key federal early childhood law, policy, and regulation
• Prior experience providing training and technical assistance in the field of early education, preferably to state leaders and their partners
• Collaboration and partnership experience across ECE systems, including state and federal partners
• Prior experience with project management including leading a group of senior professionals and complex deliverables
•  Experience working with state agencies or partner organizations specific to early childhood policy development and program implementation
• Prior experience developing early education materials, such as TA tools, presentations, handouts, etc.
• Prior experience delivering training/TA through virtual platforms (i.e., Zoom, Teams)

Preferred Skills:

• Master’s degree in early childhood education, public policy, public administration, or management
• 12+ years’ experience working in government administration (Federal, State, or local) focusing on early childhood policies, regulations, and systems.
• 5+ years’ experience with implementing projects using a human centered-design approach.
• 5+ years’ experience with the development of consumer education materials and high-quality written products, such as TA tools, presentations, handouts, reports, etc.
• Proficient in MS Office Applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, TEAMS) and other e-learning, webinar tools, and project management tools including SmartSheet and Mural
• Expertise with Smartsheet and other project management tools to track project plans, milestones, and timelines for project deliverables.
• Expertise in supporting the implementation of the CCDF program at the Federal, State or Local Level
• Expertise in providing training at State, Regional, or National Meetings and TA to individual organizations.
• Experience in using knowledge of adult learning styles in the creation of products.
• Collaboration and partnership experience across early care and education systems, including State and Federal partners.
• Bilingual and able to read, write, and speak Spanish proficiently.

Professional Skills:

• Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills  
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities  
• Ability to be a team player and multitask in a fast-paced environment.  
• Demonstrated outstanding level of professionalism in providing state and their partners’ team support, including ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy.  
• Sound business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information.  
• Ability to apply detailed knowledge of organizational procedures to make independent decisions and serve as a credible resource for a senior management team.  
• Ability to work with all levels of internal staff as well as outside clients and vendors.  
• Flexibility to handle multiple priorities and work limited overtime, as necessary. 

Working at ICF

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Pay Range - There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position. The pay range for this position is: