Early Childhood Policy and Engagement Coordinator

Title: Early Childhood Policy and Engagement Coordinator

State Role Title: Education Coordinator I

Hiring Range: Up to $87,500.00

Pay Band: 5

Agency: Dept of Ed Central Operations

Location: JAMES MONROE BUILDING

Agency Website: doe.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Virginia Department of Education is looking for an Early Childhood Policy and Engagement Coordinator to provide project management, policy analysis, and state and federal reporting support to help strengthen and expand access to child care in Virginia.

This position will support the Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy and Innovation and other division leaders in managing external stakeholder engagement, including among policy-focused committees, advisory boards, and commissions.

The Early Childhood Policy and Engagement Coordinator would be expected to:

• Coordinate VDOE activities related to any Committees or work groups that are charged with shaping or informing early childhood care and education policy in Virginia, including but not limited to the Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC), the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Commission, and workgroups of the ECCE Commission.
  
• Coordinate cross-collaboration with other offices and stakeholder engagement with practitioners, parents, and other partners to ensure policy and regulations reflect practical realities, are responsive to diverse needs, benefit children and families, and can be successfully implemented.
  
• Monitor changes in public meeting laws, requirements, and procedures to ensure that all Committee-related activities are in compliance with public meeting laws and agency norms for committee management.
  
• Serve as a subject matter expert on all policies, programs, regulations, and reports of the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and federal agencies related to CCDBG. Subject matter expertise should support consultation to other offices in the division focused on specific programs (e.g., Child Care Subsidy Program, Mixed Delivery, Virginia Preschool Initiative) in implementation and revision of practices to align with policy.
  
• Produce analysis and reports as required by state or federal regulatory bodies in coordination with the Policy Office and the Division of Budget, Finance, and Operations, including but not limited to the annual CCDF report to the General Assembly.
  
• Manage research projects based on cross-cutting use of data across offices in the division to drive policy decisions and priorities (e.g., examining newly available attendance data in the CCSP program in conjunction with payment and child outcome data to inform changes to CCSP attendance policies).
  
• Review and identify implications of externally-drafted reports, briefs, and presentations using Virginia data to support leadership in decision-making.
  
• Develop and maintain knowledge-sharing relationships with early childhood-focused agencies in other states to ensure the division has up-to-date knowledge regarding nationwide policy developments and innovations.
  
• Serve as subject matter expert on national best practices and policy developments in other states.

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of child care policy (i.e., Child Care and Development Block Grant) required.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills required, including public speaking and ability to effectively present technical and complex information to various audiences.
  
• Relationship-building skills required, including ability to understand a variety of perspectives and to work collaboratively with early childhood stakeholders.
  
• Knowledge and experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting, including with public sector data at the state and/or federal levels
  
• Strong project and time management skills.
  
• Ability to assess and project the impact of child care and early childhood policy on diverse
  populations.
  
• Ability to produce policy and regulatory analysis to ensure compliance with state and federal law.
  
• Ability to manage multiple assignments with critical deadlines and to work collaboratively in a team situation.