Technical Project Specialist- REMOTE

ICF’s Early Education Services Line of Business seeks a Technical Project Specialist to support a large early education training and technical assistance (TA) team on early care and education (ECE) projects. The Technical Project Specialist contributes to the development of innovative, high-quality products and services in support of multiple projects within the Early Education Services line of business. Technical Project Specialists have an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge, gain exposure to major projects, and interact with experts in the field while building content knowledge and consulting skills. The specialist will support Office of Child Care funded training and TA activities in alignment with Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) requirements and best practice, such as assisting with TA requests, supporting peer learning opportunities, and identifying best practices related to CCDF implementation, early childhood systems building, and other priority topics. 

The ideal candidate will have both a background and experience in Child Development or Early Childhood Education (ECE) with knowledge of CCDF regulations and program implementation, with a focus on supporting Lead Agencies to develop and implement strategies to strengthen the business practices of child care providers.

The position is full-time and remote and may involve some travel to OCC sponsored events.  

Technical assistance (TA) is defined as both onsite and off-site activities, such as consultation, meeting/conference presentation and facilitation, support of peer-to-peer opportunities, information gathering, review of materials, participation in and leadership for work groups, strategic planning, and training design and delivery in a wide range of content areas including early education policy and systems building efforts, health and safety standards and monitoring, program quality improvement, professional development systems and workforce, infant and toddler care initiatives, and other key areas.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support TA staff through training sessions, conference calls, and information sharing events. 
• Support the development and delivery of training and TA content. 
• Support the development of presentations at national meetings and conferences.
• Support all required reporting activities according to the established protocol and timelines.
• Enter data on TA planning and provision within the TA Tracker database, adhering to established protocols and timelines. 
• Support development of resources in key topics areas related to quality improvement, and health and safety in child care programs following existing protocols and methods established by leadership. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of CCDF program implementation and child care subject matter and program operations across early care and education and out of school-time programs.
• Support the collection of data related to event planning, participation, and engagement.
• Support data collection and stay up to date on childcare business practices and adult learning principles research and best practices.
• Demonstrate good judgment in planning, supporting, and delivering, targeted, and universal TA.
• Work from a collaborative approach and demonstrate excellent interaction and communication that is strength based and solution focused.
• Build strong, positive relationships with project staff and partners for ongoing communication, collaborative planning, and shared problem solving to meet the needs of CCDF Lead Agencies, their intermediaries, and early care and education professionals and systems.
• Actively engage in team meetings, internal workgroups, and other collaborative projects as requested.
• Maintain a consistent work schedule and communicate with supervisor any changes to the schedule that impacts availability during regular work hours. 
• Work closely with the project team experts following the guidance of the task leads. 
• Works under fairly limited direction. Normally receives little instruction on day-to-day work, general instructions on new assignments.
• Support the delivery of specialized training, tailored to specific needs and audiences, using traditional and nontraditional methods and adult learning principles.
• Coordinate with the Resource Development and Dissemination team to ensure appropriate support for all events, including translation, technical support, and registrations.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, pu