ICF Consulting Group, Inc. Hiring for Early Childhood Systems Consultant- On Call- Remote at Montpelier, Vermont Full Time

ICF’s Early Education Services Line of Business seeks an Early Childhood Systems Consultant to work for the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (NCECQA) to provide technical assistance to state and territory CCDF grantees. Technical assistance is focused on strategies that strengthen early childhood systems and impact the quality, health, and safety for children in the mixed delivery early childhood system.

The Ideal candidate will have both a background in and experience with ECE systems at the state or national level; examples of preferred experience includes CCDF Administrator or staff, Quality Improvement System Administrator, Licensing Administrator, PD System Administrator, with proven experience and ability to implement an ECE system inclusive and responsive to the needs of families and focused on building or sustaining the workforce.

This position is on-call and home based with up to 30 percent travel to provide TA and attend related conferences and meetings.

TA is defined as both onsite and offsite activities, such as consultation, meeting and conference presentation and facilitation, support of peer-to-peer opportunities, information gathering, review of materials, participation in and leadership for workgroups, strategic planning, and training design and delivery for a wide range of early childhood content areas, including mixed-delivery, early childhood systems building efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Communication, Collaboration, and Client Focus

• Support OCC designated priorities and special projects, including development of TA materials (e.g. issue briefs, handouts, brochures, presentation kits, and webinars).

• Build strong, positive relationships with NCECQA Team for ongoing communication, collaborative planning, and shared problem solving to meet the needs of clients, states, and territories.

• Assist in the planning of CCDF grantees meeting; communicate with states to encourage presentations and participation in the convening; facilitate breakout sessions and regional/state team meetings.

• Build strong partnerships with Federal TA partners across multiple agencies and programs and coordinate TA as established by the contract and client, including in participation national workgroups and task forces as assigned.

• Participate in regular NCECQA team meetings and calls.

• Expertise and Scope:

• Provide and/or coordinate technical assistance to States and Territories upon CCDF Administrators’ and regional office staff members’ requests.

• Research and develop timely responses to state, territory, or Tribal requests and create written documents in approved formats.

• Contribute to the development of group technical assistance opportunities focused on facets of early childhood systems building including the research, preparation and facilitation of peer learning groups, trainings, communities of practice, etc.

• Plan for and deliver tailored, individualized technical assistance connected to early childhood systems building, quality improvement systems.

• Facilitate peer linkages between States and/or Territories.

• Participate in presentations at national meetings and conferences.

• Enter data on TA planning and provision within required databases, adhering to established timelines and protocols.

• Submit claims for reimbursement of office and travel expenses in a timely manner.

• Leadership

• Leverage specialized depth and breadth of expertise and apply a broad perspective to identify solutions to complex tasks.

• Lead the development and delivery of complex tasks and deliverables on multiple ECE topics and activities

• Stay abreast of the latest research, tools, and resources that support the activities of NCECQA.

Basic Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, child development, public administration, public policy, education, or related degree

• 12+ years of experience in the early childhood or public administration field, including:

• Content knowledge on types of care provided in a mixed delivery system, family child care, workforce supports, child care licensing, health and safety standards, quality initiatives including QRIS, and early childhood systems development and alignment.

• Ability to develop T&TA content for state, territories and tribal child care leaders, their partners, intermediaries, and providers.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• A master’s degree in early childhood education, child development, public administration, public policy, education, or related degree.

• 10+ years of experience at the state or national level, focusing on early childhood policies, regulations, and systems.

• Experience working with multiple early childhood education partners as a participant, content advisor, and TA provider.

• Expertise with Smartsheet and other project management tools to track project plans, milestones, and timelines for project deliverables.

• Experience supporting the implementation of the CCDF program at the federal, state, or local level.

• Experience providing T&TA at state, regional, or national meetings and TA to individual organizations.

• Collaboration and partnership experience across early childhood education systems, including state and federal partners.

• Bilingual and able to read, write, and speak Spanish proficiently.

Professional Skills:

• Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.

• Ability to be a team player and multitask in a fast-paced environment.

• Demonstrated outstanding level of professionalism in providing team support, including ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy.

• Sound business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information.

• Ability to apply detailed knowledge of organizational procedures to make independent decisions and serve as a credible resource for a senior management team.

• Ability to work with all levels of internal staff as well as outside clients and vendors.

• Flexibility to handle multiple priorities and work limited overtime, as necessary.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Teams)

• Ability to use technology tools and platforms (such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom) for remote meetings, collaboration on document development, and other communications.

• Proficient in American Psychological Association (APA) citation style.

Working at ICF

Working at ICF means applying a passion for meaningful work with intellectual rigor to help solve the leading issues of our day. Smart, compassionate, innovative, committed, ICF employees tackle unprecedented challenges to benefit people, businesses, and governments around the globe. We believe in collaboration, mutual respect, open communication, and opportunity for growth.

We can only solve the world’s toughest challenges by building an inclusive workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to hiring regardless of any protected characteristic, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability status, or military/veteran status. Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read our EEO & AA policy (https://www.icf.com/legal/equal-employment-opportunity) .

Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please email [email protected] and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations. Read more about non-discrimination: Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/EEOC_KnowYourRights_screen_reader_10_20.pdf) and Pay Transparency Statement (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf) .

Pay Range – There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position. The pay range for this position is :

$82,673.00 – $140,544.00

Nationwide Remote Office (US99)

Need help? We’re here:[email protected]

About ICF

ICF is a global consulting and technology services company with approximately 9,000 employees, but we are not your typical consultants. At ICF, business analysts and policy specialists work together with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. We combine unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge engagement capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future. Learn more at icf.com (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3731098-1&h=2556622195&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icf.com%2F&a=icf.com) .