Iowa and National Director

About the Organization

First Children’s Finance (FCF) grows the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care. Founded in 1991, FCF provides business and financial assistance to business owners and leaders in early care and education. We work on three levels:

• Business level – supporting care business owners with training, consultation, and tools to improve financial sustainability.
• Community level – supporting local planning efforts to increase the supply and sustainability of child care.
• Systems level – partnering with state, tribal, and local systems to improve investments, policies, and processes.

FCF is headquartered in Minneapolis and has active programs in multiple states, with offices in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont. Learn more at www.firstchildrensfinance.org.

About the Role

FCF is seeking an Iowa and National Director; a strategic, collaborative leader who inspires, motivates, and empowers others to achieve FCF’s goals. The ideal candidate has a proven track record in program and people management, including external partnerships, and is a high-functioning generalist with strong fundraising and communications skills. This individual will advance FCF’s Theory of Change through creativity, innovation, and a continuous improvement mindset.

This is a remote position with a preference for candidates based in Iowa but open to those with strong familiarity or the ability to learn Iowa’s child care context.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Development: Plan and implement an annual fundraising strategy; cultivate relationships with institutional funders; secure funding from state government and philanthropy; develop funding proposals and evaluation reports; manage the annual budget.
• Program Planning and Management: Develop, manage, and promote business and financial programs; help Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers build business skills and capacity; market, evaluate, and improve FCF programs; provide training, consultative, and technical assistance to strengthen ECE programs.
• Human Resources Planning and Management: Support, develop, and retain qualified staff, consultants, and volunteers; foster a culture of cooperation and mutual respect with a focus on outstanding performance.
• Relationship Management: Maintain strong relationships with ECE business leaders and advocates statewide and nationally; build and sustain partnerships with private and public sector leaders, revenue sources, industry leaders, and allied organizations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reporting to FCF’s Chief States Officer, the Director leads a team of nine organized into three teams supporting work in Iowa and nationally (e.g., Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, North Dakota). The Director ensures program effectiveness and sustainability and participates on the FCF Leadership Team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, organizational development, planning, communication, finance, nonprofit administration, or public administration; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least four years of executive or advanced-level supervisory experience in a nonprofit organization; knowledge of early care and education issues preferred.
• Successful track record of securing approximately $1 million annually through philanthropy, government, corporate, and individual donors.
• Program planning, development, facilitation, and evaluation experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community and economic development, current service trends, and emerging models in early care and education.
• Proven administrative competence in financial management, budgeting, planning, and goal setting.
• Familiarity with FCF’s Theory of Change or a positive orientation to innovation and continuous improvement.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Skills

• Ability to recruit, retain, lead, and develop staff.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to work independently.
• Strong business and financial consultation and training skills.
• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze financial statements and manage budgets.
• Strategic thinking, risk management, and implementation in dynamic environments.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; public speaking experience.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse staff, customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Experience supervising collaborative work with multiple team members.
• Commitment to being an engaging ambassador and advocate for FCF with key leaders.
• Systems thinking with attention to detail and big-picture focus.
• Energetic, enthusiastic, and proactive with a can-do attitude.
• Private sector engagement and partnership experience is a plus.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The role supervises three direct reports and provides leadership for a team of nine.

Benefits

• Four medical plans and two dental plans.
• Vision coverage.
• Basic life insurance of $50,000.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Nine paid holidays and pro-rated personal holidays based on hire date.
• Pro-rated paid time off in the first year.
• Paid family medical leave.
• Home office allowance.
• Reimbursement for allowable travel costs.
• Flexible work environment.

FCF provides transparent compensation to support equitable hiring practices.