The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is a national, nonprofit public policy, research and technical assistance organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. CSSP’s mission is to help create a racially, socially, and economically just society, in which children and families thrive. CSSP focuses on families facing the most significant barriers – including families living in poverty and those whose lives are affected by discrimination based on race, immigration status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

CSSP accomplishes its mission by developing and advancing effective public policy; helping to transform public systems to be more preventive, results-oriented, accountable, and caring; and supporting local leaders to create the community opportunities, supports, services and environments in which all children and families can thrive. CSSP works in partnership with other national organizations, foundations, and governmental and community leaders to test new ideas and approaches, provide technical assistance, generate new evidence, and support networks of innovators. All of our work reflects a long-standing organizational commitment to equity and social justice.

Job Description

CSSP seeks a Program Manager to join the CSSP Young Children and their Families (YCF) Team with primary responsibilities related to CSSP’s innovative work with local communities to test effective responses to early life stress. With support from The JPB Foundation, CSSP is working with communities in the Early Childhood-LINC* network to test broader implementation of DULCE (Developmental Understanding and Legal Collaboration for Everyone), an intervention and approach that brings together the health and early childhood systems, along with legal partners, to prevent and mitigate early life stress. DULCE implementation is guided by senior CSSP staff and a team of national experts. Also as part of this work, CSSP is working with a network of parent leaders to address race equity issues as parents advocate for the opportunities, services, and supports needed by their own children and their communities’ children. As part of the larger team carrying out this work, we are looking for a highly motivated and knowledgeable person who will serve as the DULCE Program Manager, a newly created position to support the growth of this exciting effort.

*Early Childhood LINC (Learning and Innovation Network for Children) is a network of 14 communities dedicated to supporting families and improving results for young children. This network of early childhood system building organizations join together for shared learning and innovation, working to accelerate the development and impact of community-based, integrated early childhood systems.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

The DULCE Program Manager will report directly to the DULCE/EC-LINC* Director and will:

• Work closely with other members of the DULCE team to implement a recently completed DULCE Business Plan to spread, sustain, and build the evidence for DULCE;
• Partner with the DULCE Director to think strategically about leveraging DULCE opportunities for growth, building new partnerships, anticipating and addressing challenges, and disseminating findings to the field;
• Manage and monitor DULCE activities and training, including working closely with other CSSP staff and subcontractors to ensure that all project deliverables are met on time;
• Serve as a liaison between the DULCE national team and individual communities, managing the relationship and communication with community and clinic representatives;
• Organizing, prioritizing, and monitoring deliverables and tasks to meet project and contract requirements, including helping to develop reports to funders;
• Partner with the DULCE National Team to develop and/or monitor development of materials, tools and processes to support DULCE implementation (e.g. training materials, briefs, reports);
• Help plan and develop in-person and web-based training and technical assistance experiences and resources;
• Manage the DULCE website, working with the DULCE Program/Research Assistant on content and website development;
• Support the development and management of implementation work plans for each community/clinic, working closely with the DULCE leadership;
• Facilitate communication about DULCE within CSSP and with external members of the DULCE National Team;
• Work closely with other CSSP staff to continuously improve implementation processes; and
• Assist with other aspects of the initiative and CSSP’s work, including administrative and operational support, as

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Commitment to equity and reducing disparities based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, sovereignty, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, and socioeconomics;
• A graduate degree (preferred) in public health, health, social work, child development, psychology, or a closely related field;
• Experience working with community partners and direct experience in project implementation at the local/community level in early childhood or a related field;
• 3-5 years of experience with project coordination, program implementation, training, contracts management, and/or project management, preferably in the nonprofit sector;
• An understanding of the critical role parents play in the lives of young children and a strong commitment to elevating the role of parents as decision-makers;
• Excellent attention to detail, and the ability to work in an extremely organized and efficient manner;
• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills;
• Ability to work well autonomously and as a strong team player;
• Flexibility and an ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment;
• Curiosity and commitment to learning;
• Appreciation of the strategic use of data and experience using a data-driven approach to accomplishing goals;
• Familiarity with early childhood cross-sector systems and initiatives that are aimed at improving the lives of young children and their families;
• Proficiency in MS-WORD, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and video conferencing technology; and
• Ability and willingness to

Compensation and Benefits

Starting salary is commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits provided, including short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, health and dental insurance, retirement benefits, generous vacation, sick, and holiday leave. CSSP is an equal opportunity employer and strongly believes that our organization and our work benefit from the experiences and perspectives of a diverse staff.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should send cover letter with salary requirements, resume and writing sample to  [email protected] (subject: Program Manager/YCF Team). In your cover letter, please be sure to indicate where you found this position announcement.

Applicants accepted until October 1, 2018 or until position is filled.