Ready Families Manager

Opportunities for the Ready Families Manager Thrive in 5 seeks a skilled collaborator and successful project manager to drive the success of the Ready Families component of Thrive in 5 and coordinate with other areas of the plan.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience developing and facilitating partnerships at a community, municipal or state level; managing complex, multi-sector projects that are data-driven and results-oriented; working effectively with community leaders and stakeholders to achieve a common goal; and effectively communicating and partnering with diverse individuals and organizations. In addition, the ideal candidate will have an in-depth understanding of family engagement and support practices, particularly as they relate to the diverse families of Boston, as well as a deep commitment to the ultimate success of Thrive in 5.

The Ready Families Manager will:

Coordinate successful implementation of the Ready Families component of Thrive in 5.
• Engage, convene, facilitate and staff a multi-organization, cross-sector implementation team to carry out the goal and strategies of the Ready Families component of Boston’s School Readiness Roadmap.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance to organizations to support their implementation of Ready Families strategies and activities and the Thrive in 5 framework, as well as garner ongoing feedback from organizations about how Thrive in 5 can support and strengthen their work.
• Identify opportunities to align and coordinate current resources and policies (at the local and state level) to implement Ready Families strategies and to support and expand existing effective programs within Boston, building on and learning from other national and international efforts.
• In partnership with the Thrive in 5 Executive Director, seek and secure new funding sources as needed to support implementation of Ready Families strategies.
• Under the guidance of the Thrive in 5 Executive Director, manage the implementation budget for the Ready Families component.
• In partnership with the Data and Research Team (DART), identify data and research needs, develop and oversee evaluation of Ready Families strategies, and coordinate Ready Families evaluation with other areas of Thrive in 5. (This work will contribute to a citywide conference every one to three years sponsored by Thrive in 5 on the state of early childhood and school readiness in Boston.)

Support the overall success of Thrive in 5.

• Proactively communicate, coordinate and collaborate with the Thrive in 5 Executive Director and staff, United Way and partner organizations about implementation activities and resource and policy needs.
• Effectively integrate and align Ready Families implementation with other Thrive in 5 components and other city and state level, public and private initiatives, supporting and strengthening existing efforts.
• Participate in the development and implementation of a communications plan to ensure partner organizations and the community at-large are informed about the progress and results of Thrive in 5.
• Serve as a champion and spokesperson for Thrive in 5 throughout the city and an active advocate for its success.

Qualifications

 1. Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 5 years experience in project management in human services, government and/or business. Advanced degree preferred.

2. Demonstrated success leading community, municipal or state level, cross-sector change efforts through a collaborative model.

3. Demonstrated success leading diverse teams to achieve a common goal.

4. Demonstrated understanding of the diversity of Boston neighborhoods and families, including but not limited to diversity of race, culture, language of origin, religion and family structure.

5. Content expertise in one or more relevant areas, such as family engagement and support, child development, and/or education.

6. Familiarity with research-based family support practice, including multi-disciplinary strategies to engage underserved families, effective program models and cross-cultural parent education approaches. 7. Experience with evaluation design and implementation.

8. Excellent professional written and oral communication and presentation skills.

9. Experience working independently and in a team environment.

10. Experience with budget management and identifying and responding to resource and funding opportunities is not required but is a plus. As part of the commitment to Thrive in 5, the Ready Families Manager will be employed by United Way.

The Ready Families Manager will report to the Thrive in 5 Executive Director and a senior staff person from United Way. The position is full-time (with an option of 80% time) and offers a highly competitive compensation and benefits package. The Ready Families Manager will be housed at United Way, located at 51 Sleeper Street in Boston, along with the Thrive in 5 Executive Director and one other Thrive in 5 staff member.  United Way is an EEO/AA employer with a demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace.

To Apply:

 Applications should be e-mailed to Nicole Nash at nnash@supportunitedway.org (please reference “Thrive in 5 Ready Families Manager” in the subject).

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Applications must include and will not be considered without:

•  A cover letter of no more than three pages describing your interest, your experience in each of the 10 areas above, and your answers to the following: 1. please describe the most challenging collaborative project you have managed and the factors that led to success. 2. Why should school readiness be a top priority in Boston?
• A resume of no more than three pages
• Your salary history
• Your salary requirements For more information about Thrive in 5 and Boston’s School Readiness Roadmap, please visit www.thrivein5boston.org.

Please download the full Job Description below.