Director of Child & Youth Programs (new position)

Department: Programs

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Compensation: $80,000/annually

Reports to: Chief Programs Officer

Direct reports: Senior Early Education Center Manager, Youth Development Manager, Enrollment & Billing Specialist, Head Start Teachers, Get Kids Ready Teachers

Driver Status: Personal Vehicle

Primary Location: COA Riverwest Center, 909 E. Garfield Avenue, Milwaukee 53212

Mission

COA Youth & Family Centers nurtures children, supports families, and builds strong and resilient communities – one child, one family, one community at a time.

Summary

The Director of Child & Youth Programs is a new positioned aligned with the organization’s current stage of growth. The position provides leadership, supervision, and operational oversight for designated early childhood education and youth development programs serving children from birth through age 12 at COA Riverwest.

Reporting directly to the Chief Programs Officer, this position is responsible for ensuring that assigned programs deliver high-quality, developmentally appropriate, safe, inclusive, and impactful services that advance COA’s mission and meet the evolving needs of children and families.

The Director provides direct supervision, coaching, and accountability to assigned program managers, supporting their professional development while ensuring excellence in program delivery, regulatory compliance, financial stewardship, staff performance, and family engagement.

This is a full time, on-site year-round position eligible for benefits.

Benefits include generous paid time off, health plans (medical, dental, vision), life insurance, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) retirement plan, 11 paid holidays and a great working environment.

Main Job Responsibilities

Program Leadership and Oversight

• Provide leadership and oversight for assigned early childhood education and youth development programs serving children from birth through age 12.
• Ensure programs operate in alignment with COA’s mission, strategic priorities, organizational values, and established policies and procedures.
• Support program managers in implementing high-quality, developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed programming.
• Promote continuity and collaboration between early childhood education and school-age youth development services.
• Monitor program outcomes, enrollment, attendance, participation, and overall effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen program quality, efficiency, accessibility, and family satisfaction.
• Work collaboratively with the Chief Programs Officer to establish annual program goals, performance measures, and improvement priorities.

Supervision and Staff Development

• Directly supervise assigned program directors, providing consistent leadership, guidance, coaching, and accountability.
• Conduct regular supervisory meetings, performance evaluations, and professional development planning.
• Support program managers in effectively supervising their respective teams and maintaining a positive, productive workplace culture.
• Assist with recruitment, selection, onboarding, retention, and succession planning for assigned program leadership positions.
• Address performance concerns promptly, fairly, and consistently in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, inclusion, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Promote staff engagement, professional growth, and leadership development.

Program Quality, Licensing, and Compliance

• Serve as primary liaison and contact for Head Start/Early Head Start programming.
• Ensure assigned programs operate in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, licensing requirements, contractual obligations, and COA policies.
• Support program managers in preparing for licensing visits, monitoring reviews, audits, and other compliance activities.
• Monitor corrective action plans and ensure identified deficiencies are addressed promptly and effectively.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, recordkeeping, and reporting systems are maintained.
• Collaborate with program directors and organizational leadership to ensure that health, safety, supervision, and child protection requirements are consistently implemented.
• Promote continuous quality improvement through regular program observations, assessments, and performance reviews.
• Immediately elevate significant compliance, child safety, or operational concerns through appropriate organizational channels.

Financial and Operational Accountability

• Provide oversight of assigned program budgets in collaboration with program directors, the Chief Programs Officer, and Finance.
• Monitor expenditures, staffing allocations, enrollment, and program resources to promote financial sustainability.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency without compromising program quality.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of required program reports and documentation.

Family Engagement and Community Relationships

• Promote welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and family-centered environments throughout assigned programs.
• Support program directors in developing strong relationships with parents, caregivers, and families.
• Assist with the resolution of escalated family concerns in a timely, professional, and solution-oriented manner.
• Promote effective communication with families regarding program expectations, services, and opportunities.
• Support appropriate collaboration with schools, community organizations, and other partners that enhance services to children and families.
• Identify emerging family and community needs and communicate opportunities for program improvement or expansion.

Collaboration and Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a collaborative member of COA’s program leadership team.
• Maintain regular communication with the Chief Programs Officer regarding program performance, staffing, compliance, challenges, and opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Chief Operating Officer, Human Resources, Finance, and other organizational departments as appropriate.

Other

• Role model appropriate behavior at all times. This includes developing and maintaining appropriate professional relationships with youth, colleagues, parents, facilitators, community members, etc.
• Represent the program and the agency appropriately to stakeholders and the general public.
• Attend professional development, staff meetings, and conferences, trainings (including weekends and Saturdays) to remain current in industry knowledge.
• Responsible for opening or closing of center and perform opening and closing duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• An Associates (or higher) in Early Childhood Education is required.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education is preferred.
• A minimum of 4 years of supervisory experience and five years of delivery of early childhood education is required.
• Minimum Registry Level 14
• Must be at least 25 years old with a valid Wisconsin driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and adequate insurance coverage

Competencies

• Embody COA’s mission and core values
• Philosophical compatibility with COA mission and youth development methods
• Knowledge and expertise in program philosophy and practice, with an orientation to participate guided and culturally relevant services
• Strong budget creation and oversight skills and the ability to develop reasonable projections that include both fiscal and programmatic benchmarks.
• High level of creativity and problem solving ability. Demonstrated examples of coaching, managing through crisis, producing quality improvements, and implementing changes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills; extremely detail oriented
• Effective interpersonal skills to develop strong relationships
• Must be a self-starter, take initiative, and be able to work independently
• Creativity in program development and delivery

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

The physical requirements are the ability to sit and stand for long periods.

The work environment is an active environment with youth and families. This requires the ability to respond quickly to changing situations and be able to move around the COA site as needed. This position also requires some evenings and weekend work.

These characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may ne made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

The above is intended to describe the general content and requirements of this job. It is not meant to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties responsibilities or requirements. In other words, other duties as assigned.