Program Management & Governance Specialist (Remote Opportunity)

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI) is a public service, outreach, and economic development unit of the University of Massachusetts, providing government, business, and non-profit organizations with effective solutions in the areas of research, organizational development, training, and technical assistance through its 9 distinct business units. UMDI has a budget of approximately $23 million per year and employs approximately 130 full-time professional employees, and 50 part-time, seasonal, and graduate student employees.

UMDI’s Program Management and Fiscal Operations (PMFO) business unit, funded through the federal Office of Head Start (OHS) National Training & Technical Assistance (TTA) System, works closely with OHS to ensure that all Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) agencies have access to current, high-quality and evidence-based information, resources, and TTA to support Program Management, leadership, governance and fiscal operations.

The PMFO Program Management and Governance Specialist will enhance Regional Grantee Specialists’ knowledge of Program Management functions through the provision of TTA through various means including virtual technology, phone conferences, and on-site visits. The PMFO Program Management and Governance Specialist will create high quality, evidence-based materials to use during presentations and/or be placed on the Office of Head Start’s national website, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC). These resources will positively affect the delivery of services to the nation’s most vulnerable children and families by providing Grantee Specialists and grantees with the most up-to-date research on Program Management and governance.

Essential Functions

• Provide TTA on Program Management, governance and leadership in the following areas:
  • Program monitoring, self-assessment, and supporting a continuous quality improvement approach.
  • Strategic planning and program planning; developing written plans; and the Head Start planning cycle.
  • Goal setting, visioning, and action plan development.
  • Determining community needs and conducting and using a community assessment.
  • Key management systems and procedures for ongoing monitoring, addressing deficiencies, and quality improvement plans.
  • Human resources, including staff qualifications and professional development, human resources management, personnel policies, staffing requirements/program options, hiring, and degrees/credentialing.
  • Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance (ERSEA). Requirements and procedures for eligibility determination, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of children in HS/EHS.
  • Eligibility/enrollment of homeless, refugee, migrant and other vulnerable children/families.
  • Record-keeping and reporting (administrative requirements and standards, PIR, record access and retention).
• Develop resources and deliver PMFO Program Management and Governance TTA in collaboration with other TTA Specialists.
• Work closely with the Program Management Team Leader to provide seamless delivery of Program Management and Governance TTA.
• Communicate with appropriate Program Specialists and other Regional Office staff who work with grantees to determine the TTA needs of the region.
• Support regional TTA staff in the selection and utilization of TA resources.
• Work with other PMFO Specialists to create evidence-based materials on leadership and governance to be shared with Grantee Specialists and grantees and uploaded to the national Head Start website, ECLKC.
• Participate in the planning and implementation of OHS sponsored national training events.
• Travel, nationally, as requested by the TTA Manager, and as needed, to ensure quality contract performance and to have additional contact for TTA purposes with grantees and remotely-based staff.
• Deliver presentations at professional meetings and national and regional conferences.
• Support implementation of evaluation activities and ensure that all documentation and reporting is complete.

Other Functions

• Participate in regular monthly virtual and occasional on-site team meetings of Program Management and Governance TTA Specialists.
• Respond to requests for Program Management and Governance TTA from OHS, their TTA systems, States/Territories/Tribes, and other stakeholders.
• Participate in Program Management and Governance TTA materials development, identify gaps in current materials, and participate in the dissemination of resources.
• Prepare monthly and other reports by accessing input on progress indicators/outcomes.
• Communicate in-person and via web-based/virtual forums.
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of key University administrative procedures, systems, tools.
• Participate in business unit and UMDI-wide initiatives as requested.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in Early Childhood Administration or a related field).
• Five (5) years of senior management experience with HS/EHS, OHS Regional TTA system, early childhood field, and/or nonprofit agency.
• Five (5) years’ experience providing management TTA to non-profit leadership teams and Boards of Directors.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with HS/EHS, child care programs and systems, and/or the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Excellent skills and experience planning, coordinating, and providing customized management TTA.
• Excellent public speaking, group facilitation, and writing skills.
• Effective TTA skills and knowledge of adult learning, leadership, reflective practice and team processing.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills; successful experience working with diverse groups.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities effectively.
• Ability to move and transport items weighing up to 20 pounds from one location to another.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Master's Degree in Early Childhood Administration or related field.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Conduct work in a home-based office with high speed internet access, sufficiently free of distractions, where employee will be expected to maintain regular communication with supervising manager(s) and clients.
• Position requires multiple hours in a stationary position and the use of office equipment and computers.
• Regular travel required. Approximately 35% or more time spent traveling nation-wide to deliver TTA and attend meetings.
• The employee will be exposed to outside environmental conditions during travel times.
• The physical/mental demands and work environment factors described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.

Work Schedule

• Standard full-time work schedule consisting of five, eight-hour days and 40 hours each workweek.
• Work performed in addition to the regular work hours may be necessary, and may require a change in availability at specific times, to accommodate for variations in work demands.
• This position has the opportunity for a remote work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where the employee’s work location is to work from a site other than the UMass Amherst campus. As this position falls within the Professional Staff Union, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the Professional Staff Union collective bargaining agreement.

Additional Details

• This position is funded by grants and/or contracts, and is contingent upon funding.
• This is a full time, benefited position.
• Applicants must be work authorized for employment in the U.S. on a full-time basis.
• Any job offer is specifically conditioned upon the potential candidate consenting to and successfully completing a background review.
• For more information about the Donahue Institute, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/@umassdonahueinstitute2556/videos.

Salary Information

PSU Level 31

PSU Hiring Ranges

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three (3) professional references.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.