Child Care Aware of Minnesota is a statewide early childhood leader driving change through partnerships to build an equitable, high-quality early care and education system that meets the needs of Minnesota’s families and children. We pride ourselves on being a great place to work, offering competitive benefits, flexible work environment, and opportunities for long-term professional growth. We are looking for team members who are passionate, adaptable, and interested in high-impact work that influences systems statewide. Embedding equity in organizational practices is a core value and we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring, promotion, and workplace culture.

Position Description

The Empower to Educate Manager is responsible for overseeing the overall program operations of Empower to Educate (E2E) and the Empower to Educate Mentorship Program, monitoring program budget and contract deliverables, and working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders on outreach, evaluation and reporting, and short- and long-term program strategy and growth. Empower to Educate is a statewide capacity building initiative designed to support individuals to begin, advance, and sustain their career goals in child care and early childhood education. In this role, you will lead and support the Empower to Educate Coordinator and a statewide team of Workforce Advisors who meet with Empower to Educate participants and provide individualized career and education advising, job skills training and placement assistance, financial support, and mentorship opportunities. This position requires a deep commitment to and understanding of anti-racism and a passion to collaborate and connect with internal and external partners in the pursuit of an equitable, just early childhood system that meets the needs of all children, families, and educators in Minnesota. This is a full-time position and reports to the Associate Directors of Programs.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

1. Provide leadership, guidance, program expertise, and oversight of the Empower to Educate program and Empower to Educate Mentorship program and serve as Child Care Aware of Minnesota’s primary liaison for Empower to Educate.
   • Develop, refine, and maintain the Empower to Educate service delivery model and Workforce Advising statewide structure
   • Partner with internal and external teams and departments to ensure a cohesive team across departments and organizations
   • Develop and implement program policy recommendations, collaborate internally and externally to ensure policies are responsive and equitable
   • Utilize key project management strategies to lead and execute the contract and work plan deliverables for Empower to Educate including but not limited to: submitting contract reports and providing monthly written or verbal summaries to the organization and external stakeholders
2. Serve as a Child Care Aware of Minnesota representative and participate in various workgroups, committees, task forces, and planning meetings about Empower to Educate, workforce development, and/or capacity building.
   • Co-lead the Monthly Statewide Advisor Team Meeting with the Empower to Educate Coordinator
   • Attend Capacity Building Steering Team meetings and other various DHS and Child Care Aware system meetings when appropriate.
   • Coordinate and consult with system partners including but not limited to CEED,  Achieve, YWCA, HECC, and Institutes of Higher Education to ensure cohesion and collaboration across agencies.
3. Manage the Empower to Educate program and team, including personnel supervision of the Empower to Educate Coordinator.
   • Assign duties, delegate tasks, and organize the team to execute assigned job responsibilities and contract deliverables.
   • Communicate and implement organization priorities and guide work to enable the team to meet the organization's mission, vision, and strategic direction.
   • Provide ongoing program budget oversight and spending, manage program resources. Distributes financial supports to Empower to Educate participants and mentors.
   • Stay informed of early childhood workforce development and capacity building statewide initiatives and Relationship-Based Professional Development best practices to be shared with the team.
4. Support the organization’s mission, vision, strategic plan, and anti-racism goals by participating in activities and professional development opportunities.
   • Participate in staff meetings and, as needed, participate in workgroups or task forces to assist with achieving the organization’s goals.
   • Implement the organization's strategic plans by embedding the goals into everyday work.
   • Participate in professional development activities to strengthen your understanding and skills around diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood, social work, education, or related field to meet the qualifications to receive a step 10A on the Minnesota Career Lattice
• Three years’ experience in supervision or management
• Knowledge of early childhood education and the early childhood education and child care workforce in Minnesota
• Demonstrated ability to support, coach, and lead a team of adults
• Knowledge of career development and continuing education options in Minnesota including higher education systems, the Child Development Associate credential, and additional training
• Demonstrated intercultural competency skills and experience working cross-culturally, with a commitment to being anti-racist and a commitment to incorporating principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into your work
• Strong and effective written and verbal communication skills
• Understanding of data systems and working knowledge of all basic Microsoft Office programs (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.)
• Ability to work independently and with a team
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Able to work in a rapidly changing environment and manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Working Conditions

• Full-time, non-exempt
• Flexible scheduling, with occasional non-standard hours, including evenings and weekends
• Family-friendly work culture
• Hybrid work arrangement that blends working virtually and onsite
• May require sitting or stationary position for extended periods of time
• Occasional travel

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range - $54,849 – $67,184 annually plus an additional $2,000 a year for lifestyle expenses

Competitive benefit package

• Medical and dental insurance
  • Medical and dental insurance for single or family coverage; CCA covers 70-80% of cost
  • Health Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Vision Insurance
• Disability leave
  • Long-term disability and Short-Term Disability coverage
• Paid Time Off
  • Vacation hours, accrued based on years of service, ranging from 10 to 30 days per year
  • 12 scheduled holidays
  • 3 Personal Days
  • 12 sick days per year
  • Paid parental leave
• Retirement benefits
  • 401k employer match up to 5%
• Employee well-being
  • Employee assistance program, including telephone counseling, financial counseling, rideshare benefits, etc.
  • Wellness Hours: 2 hours per week of paid time off for wellness
  • Flexible spending account for dependent care
  • Flexible work schedule and hybrid work environment
• Career development
  • Professional development opportunities with additional funds for career development
  • Qualifies as a public service organization for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

People of the global majority and American Indians encouraged to apply – EOE

Interested applicants should Apply Here through our hiring portal by April 1, 2025.

Child Care Aware of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status. We encourage interested applicants from all backgrounds to apply.