Senior Director, Early Education

About the role

Position: Senior Director, Early Education
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Department: Children & Family Services
Pay Rate: $140k/yr-$155k/yr
Position Type: Hybrid, Full-time, Exempt

Essential Duties

• Ensure program implementation aligns with HSPPS, Title 22, Title 5, licensing requirements, contract requirements, and agency standards.
• Coordinate and strengthen internal monitoring systems, including audits, CLASS assessments, DRDP reporting, licensing readiness, documentation review, and corrective action tracking.
• Monitor program compliance trends and support timely follow-up on identified gaps, including corrective action plans and continuous quality improvement activities.
• Contribute to required reports and monitoring preparation, including PIR, FA1/FA2, DRDPs, licensing documentation, and related funder or regulatory submissions.
• Support timely reporting and internal communication regarding unusual incidents, licensing concerns, compliance findings, and emerging risk patterns, escalating significant concerns to the CEO and other designated leaders.
• Use data in collaboration with the Learning & Evaluation team to identify patterns, improve practice, and support consistent implementation across classrooms, sites, and family childcare homes.
• Ensure instructional quality, curriculum fidelity, developmentally appropriate practice, trauma-informed care, inclusion practices, and positive child outcomes across age groups and service settings.
• Accountable for education, behavioral health, disability/inclusion, and site leaders working to ensure children, including children with disabilities, receive individualized, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate supports consistent with applicable requirements.
• Partner with leaders to ensure staff development, credential requirements, background clearance, and role-specific training are tracked and completed in accordance with program and regulatory expectations.
• Supervise and support assigned managers and teams responsible for education services, program compliance, site support, behavioral health/inclusion, and, as related to site needs, program operations.
• Facilitate collaboration across CFS service areas, including Education, Early Childhood Intervention, and Compliance.
• Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, accountability, and problem-solving support to ensure consistent program implementation and timely resolution of operational and compliance concerns.
• Partner with People & Culture to support performance evaluation processes, staff development plans, and healthy management practices that reflect CAM values.
• Partner with Operations, Facilities, Eligibility & Enrollment, and Site/Area Management leaders to support safe, functional, and compliant educational environments.
• Help maintain shared awareness of site projects, compliance deadlines, facilities issues, and operational changes that may affect children, families, and staff.
• Oversee routine monitoring related to early education, inclusion/behavioral health, facilities, and site operations, ensuring gaps are documented, assigned, and addressed.
• Collaborate with Finance and program leaders to monitor spending and align resources with funder, contract, and regulatory requirements for assigned program areas.
• Support grant, contract, and compliance documentation by providing program information, monitoring data, and implementation updates as requested.
• Identify resource needs that affect service quality, compliance, staffing, training, or safe program operations and elevate recommendations through established leadership channels.
• Engage regularly, and as prioritized by the CEO, with program committees, school districts, family childcare partners, and community organizations to support child and family well-being.
• Collaborate with Family Well-Being and other service area leaders to improve transitions, readiness, referral coordination, and access to supportive services.
• Represent CFS in selected program, partner, and community settings with a focus on operational coordination, service quality, and program compliance spokesperson duties.
• Work with People & Culture to support positive labor relations with SEIU-represented staff.
• Support information gathering, implementation follow-up, training, and problem-solving related to grievances, collective bargaining matters, and labor-management processes as assigned.

Qualifications

• A high school diploma or equivalent (GED) is required in accordance with CAM employment standards.
• A master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Public Administration, Human Services, or a related field is strongly preferred; equivalent combinations of education and directly relevant experience may be considered in accordance with agency practice.
• A valid California Child Development Program Director Permit is required and must be maintained as required for the role and compliance requirements.
• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience in early childhood education, Head Start/Early Head Start, child development, or human services programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex teams, multi-site programs, and services funded by multiple grants, contracts, or regulatory frameworks.
• Strong working knowledge of ECE regulations and quality systems, including Head Start Program Performance Standards, Title 5, Title 22, CLASS, DRDP, ASQ, licensing, and program monitoring.
• Experience with internal monitoring, audits, compliance tracking, corrective action plans, documentation systems, and data-informed continuous improvement.
• Experience working with children with disabilities and supporting inclusive, individualized, developmentally appropriate services is preferred.
• Experience in union environments, labor relations, or collective bargaining support is preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Robust program planning, monitoring, evaluation, budgeting, staff development, and implementation management skills.
• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical program systems, workflows, training, documentation expectations, and follow-up processes.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Effective communicator and relationship builder across diverse internal and external audiences.
• Proactive, solution-focused approach to problem-solving, process improvement, and risk identification.
• Familiarity with FCC, CSPP, CCTR, and California’s ECE landscape.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is highly preferred.
• A strong commitment to social justice, equity, and CAM’s mission to provide high-quality programs to serve low-income individuals and families.
• Deep understanding of—and ability to articulate—the role equity, inclusion, and diversity play in CAM’s work.
• Software proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, ChildPlus, CDMIS, and project management or workflow tools such as Asana or Smartsheet.

Standards of Professionalism

• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality, professionalism, and adhere to CAM’s Code of Ethics.