At Easterseals of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, we are committed to two – often interconnecting - pillars of work…early learning and disability. Through these pillars, we transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support. As an affiliate of America’s largest nonprofit health care organization, we have proudly served the communities and families of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford since 1936.

For more information about our organization, please visit us online at www.eastersealschicago.org.

The Program Manager for the Partnering with Parents Program provides leadership to Partnering with Parents staff and maintains quality programing as set by the Collaboration for Early Childhood contract in keeping with Easterseals’ mission to transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support.

The Program Manager ensures that the program is providing high-quality, relationship-based, inclusive home-based services to all parents and children in the program utilizing the Parent as Teacher (PAT) model. This position plays a crucial role in the organization: implementing plans for individualized professional development for all staff members that results in exemplary parent and child interactions and retention of staff.

This position is located at Easterseals Partnering with Parents at 171 S. Oak Parve Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Program Operations

• Advocate for the program and advance relationships with funders, legislators, community organizations, advocacy organizations, and industry associations.
• Oversee program contracting; ensuring contracts comply with funder and agency requirements.
• Oversee the community needs assessment process and translate community needs into recommendations for program design changes (hours of operations, locations, composition of services, outreach initiatives, etc.)
• Oversee community and family engagement, promotion of program services, and program enrollment; ensuring full enrollment across the program.
• Provide financial management and oversight of program operations to ensure all available resources are deployed in ways that maximize the program’s ability to provide high-quality services and achieve program goals in compliance with Parents as Teachers quality standards.
• Monitor budget to actual performance, develop plans to address variances, and create budget amendments if needed.

Team Development/Leadership:

• Provide direct supervision and leadership to staff in areas of responsibility.
• Attract, develop, coach, motivate and retain high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility and performance.
• Foster staff development, elevating expertise and ensuring everyone is given opportunities to learn, develop and advance in their careers.
• Embody the core competencies and values of Easterseals and positively promote the organization’s culture.
• Provide direction, goals, and communication on key issues that empowers the team to achieve results. Ensure clear understanding of the organization’s values and goals.
• Organize work, establish priorities, make proper assignments of human resources, and efficiently allocate resources.
• Attend scheduled meetings with Parent Educators to provide supervision, review completion of participant related paperwork, including but not limited to assessments, developmental screenings, and personal visit records.

Communication & Reporting:

• Create and maintain tools and reports that empower leaders, staff, and stakeholders to make data-driven decisions and answer high-leverage questions.
• Work with the leadership team to ensure that information disseminated to stakeholders is an accurate and valid reflection of activities occurring across funders and program models.
• Facilitate and participate in regularly scheduled committee meetings.
• Assist in preparing periodic reports in accordance with the Collaboration for Early Childhood contract.

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a Human Service or Social Service field

Knowledge/Experience Required:

• 3 years of previous social service settings experience with progressive responsibilities.
• 2 years’ experience in a leadership position, preferably in the nonprofit sector, with responsibility for planning and building systems and processes.
• Experience working with grants and government contracts.
• Project management and change management experience.

Vehicle/Transportation Requirements:

• Valid driver’s license, auto insurance and reliable vehicle.

Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to write compelling reports, presentations, and plans.
• Ability to analyze and interpret contracts.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness—Being aware of others' reactions & understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking — Talking to convey information effectively, including public speaking.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing for the needs of the audience, including writing and editing reports, summary memoranda, correspondence, etc.
• Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
• Management of Financial Resources — Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, budgeting and accounting for these expenditures.
• Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Technologically adept – comfort, familiarity, and ability to learn and use variety of computer applications. Intermediate-level knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and Excel. Ability to use internet browsers, video conferencing
• Ability to break down silos and revamp systems and processes to optimize alignment, integration, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Fluency with data and evaluation, including development and use of metrics and assessment/ measurement tools.
• Excellent interpersonal skills that allow for effective relationships in a diverse environment with ability to collaborate and build a consensus.
• Exceptional project management skills: ability to lead complex projects from conception to fruition, with continuous follow up to ensure timely project completion.
• Able to communicate effectively, concisely, and persuasively at all levels of organization, demonstrating a willingness to listen, respond appropriately and effectively navigate conflict.
• Demonstrates the ability to conceptualize and articulate program outcomes.
• Excellent project management skills that foster positive collaboration and execution.
• Experience in facilitating and managing across teams while maintaining focus on the “big picture.”
• Well organized, highly detail oriented and accuracy driven.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and supervisory skills.
• Project management experience, including demonstrated success managing concurrent projects that include numerous work streams and stakeholders.
• Exceptional work ethic, and the ability to multi-task by managing complex and competing priorities, while thinking strategically and articulating well-reasoned recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

ADA: Easterseals will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Unless exempted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, all persons hired for this position are required to possess the ability to perform the physical tasks necessary to perform all job functions, i.e., bending, floor-sitting, etc., as well as to have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently.