Position Profile

Position Filled

Durham’s partnership for Children

www.dpfc.net

Assistant Director

Durham, NC

The Organization

Durham’s Partnership for Children is a nonprofit organization that works to make sure children across Durham County arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed.  Their mission is to mobilize and unify the Durham community to create and support innovative and successful collaborative approaches to serving the needs of children 0 to 5 years of age and their families. The ages of birth to five account for the most critical time in a child’s development.  That’s why the Partnership works collaboratively throughout Durham County to identify the needs of young children and their families.  The Partnership also designs and funds model programs to ensure children and their families have the resources they need.  Our funded programs focus on early childhood education, child health care, early intervention, parenting education and family support.

Durham’s Partnership for Children is one of 78 local partnerships across North Carolina to administer Smart Start funds at the local level.  Smart Start is North Carolina's nationally recognized and award-winning early childhood initiative designed to ensure that young children enter school healthy and ready to succeed.  It is a public-private initiative that provides early education funding to all of North Carolina’s 100 counties through the network of local partnerships.

Durham’s Partnership for Children administers Durham County’s More at Four Pre-Kindergarten program, and works in collaboration with the early childhood professionals, Durham Public Schools, Operation Breakthrough Head Start, Child Care Services Association and Durham’s Alliance for Child Care Access. The More at Four program operates in private class rooms, Durham Public Schools, and Head Start. There are 29 class rooms across Durham County with high quality statewide standards to meet to prepare children for kindergarten.  The program is working to provide high quality early educational experiences for 4-year-olds who are not attending preschool or are not experiencing a high quality early care environment for various reasons. The program is community-based, voluntary, and designed to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten. The program follows the Durham Public School calendar and runs 6.5 hours a day, 180 days a year.

 

The Area

Durham’s Partnership for Children is located in Durham, North Carolina.  Flanked by Raleigh and Chapel Hill, the three cities form the internationally-known Research Triangle.  Research Triangle Park is home to corporate giants and serves as the destination for many corporate relocations.  The Triangle is one of the nation’s fastest growing areas, with a current total metro population of 1.3 million.

Situated in the beautiful rolling hills of North Carolina’s central piedmont, Durham lies a short drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic coast beaches.  The climate is mild with an average high of 88 degrees in mid-summer and 52 degrees in mid-winter.  We boast an average of 220 sunny days every year!

Durham has tremendous resources where cultural and performing arts organizations such as the American Dance Festival, Durham Arts Council, Full Frame Film Festival, and the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science thrive. Featuring outstanding educational resources, the Triangle offers seventeen universities and colleges.   Men’s and Women’s ACC basketball, professional Hockey and a Minor League baseball team, the Durham Bulls, all make their home in the Triangle. 

For more information about Durham and the Triangle, visit http://triangle.citysearch.com/ and The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.durham-nc.com.

 

The Candidate

Durham’s Partnership for Children seeks an experienced nonprofit manager to serve as Assistant Director.  The Assistant Director assists the Executive Director with the responsibilities inherent in the management of the organization (DPFC), and is able to act in the Executive Director’s capacity when the Executive Director is absent or in need of support.  The Assistant Director responds to the day-to-day needs of the Partnership with a focus on operations, development and planning including but not limited to, oversight of grants development and internal and external relationships and communications. The Assistant Director works with the Finance Director and Executive Director for management of risks and minimizing exposure to risks for the organization and is responsible for oversight of non-financial human resource functions. 

The Assistant Director must be a strategic thinker and self-starter who weighs initiative with necessary collaboration.  The successful candidate will be organized and professional, able to balance competing priorities, promote high quality expectations, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.  The individual must have strong management skills, with experience establishing goals and obtaining desired outcomes.  Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills are required to interact with diverse audiences, including excellent writing and public speaking ability.

 

The Position

Duties and Responsibilities:

Assist Executive Director.  The Assistant Director acts in the capacity of the Executive Director in his/her absence; serves as a representative of DPFC in order to develop cooperative relationships with local government agencies, community groups and individuals to facilitate the development and implementation of effective early childhood and family support initiatives; responds to the day-to-day needs of the Partnership to align financial, programmatic, communication and development functions; serves at the direction of the Executive Director to perform tasks, functions, or special projects through appropriate communication and/or coordination to support successful operation and long range planning of the organization; prepares reports of DPFC activities and/or obtains related information as requested by DPFC committee. 

Managerial Responsibilities.  The Assistant Director directs and monitors the management of all operations, development and communications efforts including grants management and in collaboration with the Executive Director on community efforts including new initiatives. The Assistant Director is responsible for non-financial human resource procedures.

Organizational Responsibilities.  The Assistant Director assists with the development of the organizational strategic planning efforts through facilitation of planning with staff and committees, both in-house and within the community; assists staff and/or consultants with activities to ensure progress toward achievement of goals and objectives through regular review of reporting and on going staff communications; works with staff members to ensure that work plans are aligned with strategic planning goals; serves as the liaison with grantors as necessary; and assists the Executive Director in human resources functions (non-financial) including providing recommendations for personnel manual updates as needed, facilitating the processing of new or terminated employees and maintaining employee job descriptions.

In the event the Assistant Director possesses bilingual skills, the incumbent may be required to perform translation services at the direction of the Executive Director.

The Assistant Director will attend committee meetings and participate in community events and DPFC sponsored events at the direction of the Executive Director.

The Assistant Director is responsible for other duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of all staff to contribute to the positive work environment at DPFC and work to maintain a team effort.

Essential Functions:

 

• Advises/assists the Executive Director and appropriate staff in carrying out the functions/responsibilities within the organization; develops/establishes objectives and long range plans; assures all goals are met; acknowledges and abides by all DPFC established policies and procedures.

• Pursues the application of sound management concepts throughout the organization in order to promote the growth of employees and the growth of the business in order to provide a quality program to the community.

• Responds to complaints/concerns (internal and/or external) in a professional and timely manner; communicates concerns/complaints to the Executive Director, when appropriate; maintains composure at all times; provides accurate/timely reports to the Executive Director in all areas of responsibility.

• Develops annual work plans with staff, as appropriate, and coordinates special projects including board and staff retreats as identified. 

• Supervises operations, development (grant writer) and community development.

• Works closely with the Finance Director and Program and Evaluation Manager to monitor staff, contractors and providers for satisfactory performance and organizational alignment.

• Interviews, selects, hires, promotes, demotes, transfers, and recommends termination of employment as appropriate to the Executive Director; reviews the performance of staff with senior management to encourage growth and development; provides on-going feedback with frequent contact with subordinates. Manages non-financial human resources procedures.

• Participates in staff meetings to improve communication/address problems; recommends solutions.

• Delegates authority to departmental subordinates with full recognition that delegation of authority does not relieve overall responsibility.

• Performs timely employee reviews in accordance with the organization’s policies/procedures; applies appraisal process accurately and impartially; corrects performance deviations; subordinates, collectively, meet their standards.

• Coordinates work with other departments, contractors, and providers to assure smooth workflow and minimal down time.

• Represents the Executive Director in the community at the direction of the Executive Director.

• Has MIP (state financial reporting system) authority for the Executive Director as necessary.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing, and to plan and execute work effectively within a specified time frame.

• Technical ability to carry out duties with regard to laws, rules, regulations, etc. Experience and/or background in resource development and communications.

• Superior organizational skills and initiative; capacity to accept and follow through on assigned responsibilities with minimal guidance.

• Proven skills as a supervisor of subordinate staff.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Board and/or committee members, supervisors, peers, private providers, community agencies, and other resources.

• Ability to carry out functions with minimal supervision.

• Ability to foster an environment that minimizes consequential errors.

• Clear and concise communication, both orally and in writing.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality of information in the performance of duties.

• Thorough knowledge of the organization’s goals and missions as well as DPFC and/or DSP services.

• Strong interpersonal skills that allows for appropriate interaction with personnel in the state, in the community, and within the agency.

• Competence with the computer and related software, calculator, telephone, fax machine, copy machine, and other equipment, as required.

• Thorough knowledge of the organization’s position regarding the achievement of its goals and missions, and its compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific Requirements:

1. Education and/or Experience:  Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Public Administration, Human Services field or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
2. Minimum of five years of progressively responsible managerial experience in a non-profit human services agency, or the equivalent.
3. Background or experience in early childhood.
4. Additional experience with program management, grant writing, budgeting, staff development and supervision may be substituted for some of the formal education requirement provided the requisite skills have been obtained.

• Ability to work with a diverse group of people and programs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Detail-oriented, organized, can set goals and meet deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills, including database management and spreadsheets.  Knowledge of grants management tools and resource development tracking efforts.
• Knowledge of Durham community a plus.
• Valid driver’s license.

 

Safety, Security and Confidentiality:  This position requires keeping complete confidentiality of all human resource/financial information and protecting the confidentiality all DPFC files and records.

Physical Demands:  The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, speak and hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

An individual in this position will be exposed to conditions typical of office staff. 

Employer’s Rights:  This job description is general in nature and illustrative of the kind of duties and responsibilities required of this position.  It is not exhaustive and does not contain a detailed description of all of the duties that may be required of the incumbent occupying this position.

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, resume, salary requirements and a list of three references to:

Sherry Heuser, Senior Consultant

Capability Company

e-mail address:  DPfCAD@capabilitycompany.com

web address:  www.capabilitycompany.com

Telephone:  (919) 926-0746

Submission of resumes by e-mail is preferred.  Please include only your last name in the subject line.