Program Officer, National Child Care and Early Learning

LISC is one of the country’s largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. LISC works with residents and partners to close gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity so that people and places can thrive. We do this by acting as a conduit for grants, loans and equity--and by providing technical assistance and capacity building--to locally rooted organizations that carry out the work in communities.

 

Please note, this is a grant funded position through the end of 2027. While all efforts will be made to continue program funding beyond this date, it is possible that this position will terminate at that time.

 

About Child Care and Early Learning

LISC works to build the supply of quality childcare and early learning infrastructure, in the form of facilities development and organizational capacity-building, through technical assistance, grant-making and loan financing. We work in partnership with key community stakeholders, including educators and the families they serve, to build out hyper-localized strategies focused on supporting childcare providers and educators, connect with the right range of technical assistance services and capital products.

 

These curated responses work to protect the rich make up of our communities of care – ensuring both home and center-based childcare locations run by individuals and members of those communities - have access to the right complement of services and support to meet their needs wherever they are in their business or organizations life cycle. LISC National Child Care and Early Learning is advocate, thought leader and resource to the field for more than two decades.

 

Position Description

LISC is seeking candidates for the position of National Program Officer to work as part of a dynamic team operating within LISC’s National Child Care and Early Learning focused on building upon LISC’s historical success and leadership in the early learning facilities arena while elevating the initiative to a new scale and scope.

 

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work on the ground in targeted communities across Arkansas to expand access to childcare and early learning opportunities. This position will manage the development and implementation of LISC’s new capacity building program for early childhood operators including a facilities fund, and business and project-related technical assistance provided through consultants and community-based partners. The individual will be charged with working with the National Child Care and Early Learning team and LISC Rural to strategically build out the pipeline for the childcare facilities fund, with a primary focus on Little Rock and southeastern Arkansas.  The ideal candidate will have expertise in community development and experience in the childcare and early learning sector, strong project management skills, relevant relationships with key childcare stakeholders, background in managing budgets and facilities projects and compliance. The candidate must also demonstrate cultural competence, working with different communities and stakeholders.

 

The Program Officer will work to deploy strategic investments and technical assistance that promote equal access to quality early learning environments for all children across urban and rural Arkansas. They will also interface across LISC’s network of rural partners and local offices; maximize use of existing financing products; support follow up and execution of key external strategic partnerships and will help develop resources, materials and presentations that seek to elevate LISC’s presence in and value in the Arkansas market and Delta region.

 

A successful Program Officer will be particularly adept at adjusting workflow to meet emerging priorities. Essential functions of the position will include the following.

 

Responsibilities

Technical:

• Lead efforts to provide targeted technical assistance to childcare and early learning centers, family childcare homes, faith-housed and non-profit organizations seeking to make facility improvements including fielding inquiries, making referrals, conducting site visits and community meetings and tracking follow-up.
• Strengthen community-based organizations’ resource, organizational, programmatic, and networking capacities by providing funding, strategic guidance, planning and project management, technical assistance, and training.
• Steward relationships with public and private agencies funding childcare facilities improvements and business development.
• Lead effor