ECE Workforce Technical Assistance Specialist

The BUILD Initiative (buildinitiative.org) envisions a time when all children reach their full potential; race, place, and income are no longer predictors of outcomes. The BUILD Initiative partners with state leaders to promote equitable child- and family-serving systems that result in young children thriving and learning.

The BUILD Initiative is a national effort that advances state work on behalf of young children (prenatal-five), their families, and communities. BUILD staff partner with early childhood state leaders focused on early learning, health, mental health and nutrition, child welfare, and family support and engagement to create the policies, infrastructure, and cross-sector connections necessary for quality and equity. BUILD provides consultation, planning, and tailored implementation assistance, learning opportunities, resources, and cross-state peer exchanges. These efforts help state leaders improve and expand access to quality and promote equitable outcomes for our youngest children. BUILD takes a whole child/family/community approach to systems building. The organization is deeply committed to racial equity and promotes data analysis to determine programs and services impact the places and people furthest from opportunity and then BUILD facilitates state actions to remedy marginalization and under resourcing. BUILD is state-focused, but we embrace the significant role of community and the potential positive impact of federal funding such as ARPA, Title V, TANF, and the many other federal funding streams. BUILD promotes cross-sector collaboration across systems and including public and private sector stakeholders. This is critical to building broad ownership and addressing complex systems issues that undergird inequities. BUILD is an organization placed to assist state leaders do the hard things, test new strategies, and innovate.

This role is part of BUILD overall, a highly effective team working to bring about positive change for young children and families that is constantly learning about all aspects of the early childhood field and working at the forefront of an exciting movement to promote early childhood systems building. This staff member is a part of the National ECE Workforce Center, a federally funded center staffed by a partnership from Child Trends, BUILD, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and ZTT, in which BUILD leads the design and delivery of technical assistance.

BUILD is a virtual organization. Staff members work from home offices. Team members have will attend or facilitate in-person meetings but work primarily via phone and computer.

BUILD is fiscally sponsored by TSNE (tsne.org), which provides financial and grants management, human resources, legal, and other supports.

• Building and maintaining relationships with leaders in a minimum of 3 ACF regions, including with state ECE personnel, representatives from state agencies administering federally and state-funded ECE programs, and local ECE leaders and staff, including from HS, FCC, and community-, center-, and school-based programs and remaining up to date on ECE workforce developments in those areas.
• Providing targeted and intensive technical assistance and participating in universal technical assistance across all five policy areas in the Center’s conceptual framework: qualifications and educational supports, compensation, work environment supports, data, and financial resources, aligned to the ACF priorities of improving the quality, capacity, and sustainability of state and community systems, strategies, policies, and programs to promote career advancement and improve compensation of the ECE professionals across the mixed delivery system. It is expected that each TA specialist will have different areas of expertise.
• As requested by leadership, broker additional technical assistance and support from TA partners.
• TA Specialists will assist with the development of the universal, targeted, and intensive TA Plans.
• TA Specialists will assist with the development and implementation of educator focus groups with feedback loops to ensure that TA activities and resources are designed, implemented, and monitored to shift policy, practice, and programs and responsive to early childhood program and systems leaders.

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

• Master’s degree, preferred in an early childhood-related field including psychology, political science, or education
• Deep knowledge of and experience in at least one central child- and family-serving system such as education, early learning, health, or child welfare.
• Commitment to work with colleagues and partner with individuals and groups of leaders across systems to advance to increase opportunity, remove barriers and redistribute resources to benefit programs and the workforce intentionally centering those marginalized by existing policies, programs, and practices.

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, time management, project management, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically with an ability to see the big picture while managing details.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with multiple partners to work toward multiple objectives and interests to achieve a shared goal.
• Travel expected – at least four times a year.
• At least 5 years in the field (early childhood, education, human services, health, etc.) and at least 3 years of managing multiple projects.
• State-level experience.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Regarding COVID-19: TSNE considers the health and safety of our employees of the utmost importance, and due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and subject to your state and local laws, our policy requires that all employees performing in-person work at a TSNE designated office are fully vaccinated. For the purpose of this policy, fully vaccinated indicates that you have received a single dose of the Janssen vaccine, or both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Certain exemptions may be requested and will be considered by Human Resources.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Remote

Compensation: The ssalary for this position is $100,000 annually

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): 12 paid holidays, 3 weeks vacation, 1 week personal holiday, and sick time for full-time staff;
• 80% Employer-paid, $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim;
• Low-cost MetLife Dental and Vision;
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care;
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance;
• Employer-paid Pension through TIAA;
• ...and more!

TSNE/BUILD strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/BUILD prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/BUILD celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/BUILD's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.