Professional Learning Associate Director

Job Description

Professional Learning Association Director

Overview
For three decades, School’s Out Washington (SOWA) has served a critical role to advance equitable expanded learning ecosystems in Washington state. We work to ensure high-quality afterschool and summer programs are available so all of Washington’s youth—and especially low-income youth and youth of color—can have the opportunities they deserve to thrive. SOWA is dedicated to building responsive community systems to support quality afterschool, youth development and summer programs for Washington’s children and youth ages 5 through young adulthood.

Position Summary:
The Professional Learning Associate Director ensures the delivery of responsive, relevant, accessible, and high-quality training supports. This role oversees SOWA’s annual statewide training calendar, regional symposiums, and the annual Bridge Conference. Additionally, the Associate Director supervises the training services team and leads the partnership with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) for school-age professional development. This position is responsible for building strong collaborations across the organization and with external partners to enhance the professional learning experience for providers in the field.

Reports to: Program Quality Division Director
Location: Remote from anywhere in Washington state, or from our office in Tukwila, WA

RESPONSIBILITIES

Statewide Professional Learning System

Work closely with the Program Quality Division Director and the Professional Learning team to strengthen SOWA’s professional learning strategy, aligning with organizational goals, funding requirements, and strategic plan;
Oversee the strategy and supports related to the implementation of a cohesive Professional Learning System that includes through lines to all aspects of SOWA’s professional learning supports (training, coaching, and peer learning cohorts/meetings);
Ensure content development and delivery align to provider needs, contract and quality system requirements, and organizational capacity;
Ensure a strong equity lens and practice in the development and delivery of all SOWA’s professional learning services.

DCYF Contract and Partnership Management

Serve as the contract lead to oversee the School Age Child Care Professional Development contract with the Department of Children, Youth and Families;
Maintain strong communications and working relationship with DCYF and the SOWA project team to ensure contract deliverables are complete and on track;
Serve as an Organization Trainer Mentor for SOWA and provide oversight of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Trainer Approval process for SOWA’s trainers;
Oversee the contractors and staff assigned to any contract-funded special initiatives, such as the School-Age 30-Hour STARS revision, or other related projects;
Participate in DCYF-convened meetings with other regional organizations or statewide workgroups, as determined by DCYF, such as the Child Care Aware of Washington, The Imagine Institute, local college point-of-contacts, DCYF Licensing, regional DCYF staff and regional DCYF-designated partners.

Bridge Conference & Symposium

Organize and oversee all aspects of SOWA’s annual Bridge Conference to ensure its success;
Lead design process and provide project management for the Bridge Conference and any statewide learning symposiums;
Convene and manage planning teams to design and deliver the Bridge Conference and learning events;
Ensure Professional Learning team representation on the Bridge Committee to support conference design and presenter engagement.

Training Services

Lead the training team, which is responsible for the development, administration, and continuous improvement of the statewide training calendar, trainer management, and all aspects of training design and delivery;
Ensure training services remain responsive, accessible, consistent, aligned to youth program provider feedback and input, funding/contract requirements, and SOWA’s signature training pathways;
Ensure professional development opportunities for SOWA trainers to meet state requirements for continuous learning and to ensure services are delivered based on SOWA’s training and philosophy;
Ensure high quality delivery of trainings and other supports for School Age Child Care providers, including the delivery of in person and/or online School Age Basics, in each DCYF region and in multiple languages;
Oversee and support the development and implementation of SOWA-designed trainings, including the Structural Racism and Cultural Responsiveness training modules and the corresponding Train the Trainer course;
Deliver training in-person locally, statewide and/or via distance learning on a variety of topics, as needed;
Gather, analyze, and act on data (qualitative and quantitative) to ensure that learning experiences and training resources are equitable, meet stated outcomes, and are responsive to the needs of participants;
Work in coordination with SOWA’s Program Quality team and the Forum for Youth Investment’s Weikart Center to provide high caliber training services to systems and sites engaged in Youth Program Quality initiatives;
Promote the implementation of the Washington State Quality Standards for Afterschool & Youth Development Programs (Quality Standards) and the Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals (Core Competencies).

Personnel Management

Supervise, coach, mentor and support the Training Services Manager, the Training Content Manager, and Bridge Conference support staff to build job-related skills and needed competencies;
Support the recruitment and retention of BIPOC and bilingual Independent Consultant trainers;
Perform recruiting, hiring and on-going personnel management duties as necessary;
Collaborate to continuously improve culture, morale and structures that support organizational effectiveness.

Budget Management

Work with the Program Quality Division Director and the Director of Finance and Administration to oversee and manage the statewide training budgets;
Monitor progress around DCYF contract deliverables to ensure the full realization of revenue each contract year;
Work with the Training team and Operations team to ensure that workshop registrations and fees are recorded, and revenue targets are met.

Other Responsibilities

Address racism, sexism, heterosexism and other discriminatory practices, including reflecting and addressing how racism and bias may appear in the context of your work with others;
Work toward racial equity through undoing institutional and structural racism, including active participation in organizational learning;
Support overall office functionality and organization;
Participate in staff and team meetings;
Serve as an ambassador for the organization, both formally and informally;
Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Competencies

5+ years of work experience in education, social work, humanities/social sciences, Expanded Learning (summer, after school, school age child care, youth development) or similar field required. Additional years may be substituted for preferred higher education.
Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred, in social service, public administration, education, child and youth development, recreation, or related field
Washington State Approved Trainer meeting DCYF requirements, preferred
Strong organizational and project management experience
Deep knowledge of equity and social justice principles and practices and experience working toward racial equity within organizations
Direct knowledge and/or lived experience and connections to BIPOC communities, preferred
Experience and/or knowledge of School- age / Youth / SEL Program Quality Assessment tool and approach, preferred
Content knowledge of adult learning, school age child care, after school programming, youth development, culturally relevant services, youth leadership, or family support
Experience supervising staff and working in collaborative teams
Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
Experience budgeting and monitoring revenue and expenses
Ability to work collaboratively, proactively address conflict, and build trust with staff and community partners
Ability and willingness to travel occasionally around the state

Hours and Benefits

40 hours per week, Monday-Friday; occasional evenings and weekends required.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Classification: Exempt

Hiring range: Pay band 28, $82,000-$98,000 based on relevant experience. Over time, the employee in this role may earn up to $115,000 per year with additional years of service.

Benefit package includes medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, 403b retirement savings plan, and generous paid time off.

Our Equity Commitment: School’s Out Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. School’s Out Washington has a commitment to addressing racism, sexism, heterosexism and other discriminatory practices and a commitment to working toward racial equity through undoing institutional and structural racism. Women, People of Color, and LGBTQ individuals are encouraged to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should send their resumes and cover letters to jobs@schoolsoutwashington.org with the subject line “Professional Learning Associate Director.”

Please send your resume and cover letter as one document. Cover letters should be no more than 2 pages and should outline how your professional background, experience, interests, and passions specifically correlate to the position and School’s Out Washington’s mission and work.

Applications received by 5:00 PM (PST) on September 9, 2024 will receive full consideration. Applications will continue to be accepted after this date. However, preferential consideration is given to those submitted by 5:00 PM (PST) on September 9, 2024. The announcement will remain posted until the position is filled.