About Community Action Marin

COMMUNITY ACTION MARIN’S MISSION: We make it possible for people in Marin to achieve well-being by providing the vital services they need. Together, we break down the barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change in service to better outcomes for all. 

We hold a shared vision for equity: Those who live, work, and visit Marin, including all racial and ethnic groups, experience fair and just inclusion. We act together to rectify historic patterns of racial, class, and gender marginalization, ensuring that all see themselves reflected in decision making and that all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

About the role

Position:  Program Director, Program Early Education

Reports to: VP, Children, Family & Community Services

Department: Children & Family Services

Pay Rate: $125,000- $140,000 year

Position Type: Full time, Exempt


The Program Director, Early Education provides hands-on operational leadership across Community Action Marin's child development programs and is responsible for ensuring that Childcare sites are appropriately staffed, supported, safe, compliant, and operating effectively each day.

This is a highly visible, site-based leadership position responsible for supervising and developing Site/Area Managers (SAMs) and Senior Managers, Early Education (POCs), strengthening management practices, resolving day-to-day operational challenges, and ensuring consistent implementation of agency and program expectations across sites.

The Program Director maintains a strong presence in classrooms and at program sites, working directly with site leaders to address staffing and coverage needs, classroom ratios, employee performance concerns, parent and staff issues, incidents, licensing readiness, facilities concerns, and other operational barriers that affect the delivery of high-quality services to children and families.

The position works closely with CFS leadership and partners across People & Culture, Education/Compliance, Eligibility & Enrollment, Family Well-Being, Facilities, Finance, and Learning & Evaluation to ensure site needs are identified early, escalated appropriately, and resolved timely.

Essential Duties
Site Operations & Daily Program Leadership

• Provide direct operational oversight and support across CAM child development centers, maintaining a consistent and visible presence at program sites.

• Supervise SAMs and POCs and establish clear expectations for site leadership, communication, accountability, documentation, and follow-through.

• Conduct frequent site and classroom walkthroughs to assess staffing, ratios, classroom operations, safety, supervision, staff engagement, facilities conditions, and overall program readiness.

• Serve as an escalation point for operational issues that SAMs and POCs cannot resolve independently.

• Identify emerging site-level concerns and intervene early before issues negatively affect children, families, staff, compliance, or program operations.

• Ensure operational expectations, policies, procedures, and leadership practices are implemented consistently across sites.

• Coordinate rapid response to unexpected staffing shortages, classroom coverage challenges, site disruptions, relocations, closures, emergencies, and other operational needs.

• Maintain regular communication with CFS leadership regarding significant site needs, risks, staffing concerns, and operational trends.

Staffing, Classroom Coverage & Workforce Coordination

• Maintain active oversight of daily staffing and classroom coverage across sites to support required ratios and continuity of services.

• Work with SAMs, POCs, People & Culture, and other designated leaders to anticipate staffing shortages and develop appropriate coverage plans.

• Monitor vacancies, absences, leaves, substitute utilization, staff movement, and other workforce factors affecting classroom operations.

• Support the effective deployment of substitutes, classroom aids, teachers, and other available resources based on program need.

• Partner with People & Culture on recruitment priorities, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, attendance concerns, corrective action, and other workforce matters.

• Help ensure site leaders consistently apply attendance, scheduling, leave, timekeeping, and supervisory expectations.

• Participate in interviewing and selection of site-level leadership and other critical program positions as assigned.

Supervision & Development of Site Leadership

• Provide regular individual supervision to SAMs and POCs, including coaching, problem solving, goal setting, performance feedback, and accountability.

• Construct structured management meetings to review staffing, enrollment, attendance, incidents, compliance issues, employee concerns, facility’s needs, and other operational priorities.

• Build the supervisory capability of SAMs and POCs so that issues are appropriately addressed at the lowest effective management level.

• Coach managers on communication, conflict resolution, employee accountability, documentation, decision-making, and effective classroom leadership.

• Establish clear follow-up mechanisms for assigned actions and ensure commitments and corrective measures are completed timely.

• Partner with People & Culture on performance evaluations, performance improvement, progressive discipline, management training, and leadership development.

Program Compliance, Safety & Licensing Readiness

• Ensure daily site operations align with applicable Head Start Program Performance Standards, Title 5, Title 22, Community Care Licensing requirements, contract requirements, and CAM policies and procedures.

• Work closely with education and compliance leaders to translate regulatory requirements into consistent day-to-day site practices.

• Monitor operational indicators that may create compliance risk, including classroom ratios, staff qualifications, supervision, health and safety practices, required postings, documentation, and facility conditions.

• Ensure SAMs and POCs understand and follow requirements for unusual incident reporting, mandated reporting, injury reporting, licensing notifications, and internal escalation.

• Support preparation for licensing visits, monitoring reviews, audits, and other program reviews.

• Ensure corrective actions related to site operations are assigned, documented, implemented, and followed through to completion.

• Immediately elevate significant health, safety, child supervision, licensing, staffing, or compliance concerns through established reporting channels.

Incident Response & Problem Resolution

• Provide leadership and coordination when significant incidents, parent concerns, employee conflicts, safety concerns, or operational disruptions occur at a site.

• Ensure appropriate internal leaders are notified promptly and that required documentation and reporting processes are followed.

• Partner with People & Culture on employee-related investigations and corrective action while maintaining appropriate role boundaries and confidentiality.

• Identify recurring operational patterns across sites and recommend systemic solutions rather than addressing issues only on a case-by-case basis.

• Support managers in communicating appropriately and timely with employees and families regarding site-level operational matters.

Facilities & Site Readiness

• Partner closely with Facilities and Operations to ensure classrooms and centers are safe, functional, clean, appropriately equipped, and ready to serve children.

• Monitor facilities are concerns that affect licensing, classroom capacity, health and safety, staffing, or continuity of services.

• Coordinate operational planning related to classroom openings, closures, relocations, repairs, emergency response, and site transitions.

• Ensure site leaders promptly report facilities and safety concerns and follow through until issues are resolved.

Cross-Functional Program Coordination

• Serve as a primary operational liaison between program sites and centralized CFS and agency functions.

• Partner with Education/Compliance leadership to ensure operational practices support instructional quality and regulatory requirements while maintaining clear accountability between operational and educational functions.

• Collaborate with Eligibility & Enrollment regarding enrollment, attendance, vacancies, classroom capacity, and site utilization.

• Partners with Family Well-Being and Early Childhood Intervention teams when site operations affect child or family support needs.

• Work with Learning & Evaluation to review operational data and identify trends requiring management attention.

• Participate in CFS leadership meetings and other agency meetings as assigned.

Qualifications

Education:

• High school diploma or equivalent (GED) required in accordance with CAM employment standards.

• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Human Services, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field strongly preferred.

• Valid California Child Development Program Director Permit

Experience:

• Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in early childhood education, Head Start/Early Head Start, state-funded child development, or a comparable multi-site human services environment.

• Minimum three years of direct supervisory or management experience, including supervision of managers or site leaders strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience managing day-to-day operations across multiple classrooms, centers, or program locations.

• Experience managing staffing coverage, classroom ratios, employee performance, incidents, licensing requirements, and operational problem solving.

• Working knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards, Title 5, Title 22, Community Care Licensing, and California early childhood education requirements.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong operational leadership and ability to manage multiple sites, competing priorities, and rapidly changing program needs.

• Demonstrated ability to be highly visible and effective in a field-based leadership role.

• Strong supervisory, coaching, accountability, and performance-management skills.

• Ability to assess an operational problem quickly, determine appropriate next steps, assign accountability, and ensure follow-through.

• Strong judgment regarding when issues can be resolved at the site level and when escalation is required.

• Ability to interpret regulatory and organizational requirements and translate them into practical site-level expectations.

• Excellent organization, documentation, communication, conflict-resolution, and relationship-management skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively across program, operational, and administrative functions while maintaining clear lines of accountability.

• Ability to analyze staffing, attendance, enrollment, incident, and operational data to identify trends and inform decisions.

• Bilingual English/Spanish highly preferred. 

• A strong commitment to social justice, equity and the agency’s mission to provide high-quality programs to serve low-income individuals and families.

• Deep understanding – and ability to articulate – the role equity, inclusion, and diversity plays in our work.

Software:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint.

• Proficiency with or demonstrated ability to learn early childhood education and program management systems, including ChildPlus, Brightwheel, Learning Genie, and other agency-designated platforms.

• Ability to use program systems to monitor enrollment, attendance, staffing, classroom operations, child and family information, incident documentation, compliance requirements, and other operational indicators.

• Ability to review system-generated reports and dashboards, identify trends or areas requiring follow-up, and hold assigned staff accountable for timely and accurate data entry.

• Familiarity with HRIS, scheduling, timekeeping, learning management, and performance management systems; experience with Rippling or similar platforms preferred.

• Ability to learn and effectively utilize new technology, data systems, and workflow tools as organizational needs evolve.

Confidential and Sensitive Information:

• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality, professionalism, and discretion when handling sensitive information involving children, families, employees, and agency operations.

Employees in this role may be required to perform the following physical activities, with or without reasonable accommodation:

Bend: Flexion of the upper trunk forward while standing and knees extended, or knees flexed when sitting

Lift: Exertion of physical strength to move objects 10-25lbs from one level to another

Carry: Hold or rest weighted objects 10-25lbs directly on hands, arms, shoulders, or back while moving from one location to another

Climb: Ascend/descend with gradual or continuous progress, using both hands and feet

Push: Exertion of force on or against an object (weight/size) to move it from one location to another

Feel: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin

Travel: Travel to sites using a personal vehicle may be required based on job duties