Tribal Child Care Project Specialist

Who We Are:

Miami Environment & Energy Solutions (MEES) is wholly owned by the federally recognized Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and is a Small Business Administration certified Tribal 8(a) business, and a Small Disadvantaged Business. As a Tribal 8(a), MEES has the capability to work with federal customers in creating responsive, comprehensive, and fast solutions to mission requirements.

MEES offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) matching, and generous PTO and federal holidays schedule

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY:

The Tribal Child Care Capacity Building Center’s Project Specialist will coordinate and develop high quality training and technical assistance (TA) that improves the capacity of Tribal early childhood programs. The Project Specialist will support TCBC staff in developing TA for Tribal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs that reflect the diversity of languages and traditions that exist in American Indian and Alaska Native cultures. The programs are geographically diverse and provide comprehensive services to children and families that are culturally responsive and respectful of tribal sovereignty. 

 The ideal candidate will have both a background and experience in Project Management, Administration, Child Development or Early Childhood Education with extensive knowledge of the CCDF regulations and program implementation. The Project Specialist will design TA for CCDF funded early childhood programs, with a focus on supporting effective CCDF administration, capacity building, and the full implementation of CCDF requirements. TCBC Project Specialists shall be responsible for supporting the design, development, and implementation of TA to promote, support, and improve the early development of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age using research based practices. The ideal candidate will have experience with developing culturally respectful engagement strategies in Tribal communities.

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•  Support Office of Child Care (OCC) designated priorities and special projects, including development of TA materials (e.g. issue briefs, handouts, brochures, presentation kits, and webinars).
• Participate in and/or lead various workgroups as requested by the client, Deputy Project Director, or the Project Director, and as relevant to the project’s work. 
• Work with the Deputy Project Director to ensure that resources are created timely to support training, TA delivery, and OCC requests.
• Work with the DPD to develop the TCBC Resource Development Strategy. Support the quarterly review and updates to the TCBC Resource Development Strategy.
• Maintain a library of TCBC approved templates.
• Support the design, development, and distribution of training and materials to ensure targeted and universal training events are planned and offered effectively and meet the needs of participants. Determine the clearest and most logical way to present information for greatest reader or participant comprehension by using instructional design, adult learning principles, and Indigenous Storywork as the TA approach is developed. 
  1. Participate in the development of the internal workgroup’s TA approach.
  2. Participate in product development to ensure adult learning principles, indigenous principles, and audience are considered.
  3. Provide guidance to content developers on the OCC style guide. 
• Work with the Subject Matter Expert (SME) Team and team members to develop, design, and deliver targeted and universal training events (national and cross-regional face-to-face trainings and webinars, peer learning groups and communities of practice).
  1. Support the Deputy Project Director, TA Manager and Subject Matter Experts to develop workgroup planning meeting schedules to ensure timely development of TA materials.
  2. Monitor resource development throughout the process using the OCC approved approach paper. 
  3. Develop a project timeline to ensure project goals and deadlines are met.
• Event logistics including scheduling with OCCs calendar, registration, tracking attendance, and virtual platform logistics (if applicable). 
• Ensure that targeted and universal training events are evaluated in a consistent and timely manner and that staff are notified and follow-up on any issues or questions that surface.
• Ensure the design of resources are based on the OCCs Style Guide, on TCBC approved templates, and meet 508 coding specifications to ensure alignment and consistency in messaging, branding, and style.
• Maintain a tracking process for all resources including development, review, editing, 508 coding, and publishing through innovative workflow solutions that meet established project procedures.
• Review and/or copyedit content developed by other members of the team to ensure voice, grammar and style is on point and complex concepts and language is updated to plain language.
• Manage the 508-coding process and final publication of written products and other deliverables to the OCC website. 
• Manage updates to the OCC website based on TCBCs Work Plan. 
• Maintain an inventory of products developed and creation of a transition plan in preparation for contract completion.
• Maintain the OCC Tribal CCDF contact information spreadsheet by working with the TA Manager, Senior TA Specialists and TA Specialists monthly.
• Assist the Project Director and Deputy Project Director in the completion of the TCBC monthly and annual reports.
• Develop and maintain a system for tracking data and information used for reporting, project management, and internal training opportunities.
• Work closely with the SME team to provide Tribal CCDF grantees an updated Resource Bulletin that contains a hyperlinked list that could assist them in the improvement, management, and provision of their CCDF services, on a quarterly basis. Use information gathered by the SMEs on ECD-related materials available on the web (e.g., the OCC TA website, the Office of Head Start’s Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC), other federal partners’ sites. 
• Work closely with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Early Childhood National Centers, the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN), Child Care State Capacity Building Center (SCBC), Office of Head (OHS) Start Region XI, the Programmatic Assistance for Tribal Home Visiting (PATH), the National American Indian Alaska Native Head Start Collaboration Office, community organizations, child care programs, and other early childhood providers state-wide and regionally, as appropriate. 
• Work closely with the OCC Regional Program Manager (RPM), OHS Region XI TA Team, and the OCC TA System partners to develop, deliver, and facilitate (remote and onsite) TA for CCDF grantees and their partners, according to the TCBC Work Plan. 
• Participate and sometimes facilitate weekly Project Specialists Team and full-team calls. 
• Implement all plans and protocols as expected, according to the TCBC Project Work Plan.

Job Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Project Management, Administration, Early Childhood Education or Child Development or related field.
• 5+ years of demonstrated experience in early childhood services working with children and families from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.
• 5+ years of experience offering training and technical assistance within early care and education, including strong consultation, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Knowledge of Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) regulations, Head Start performance standards, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to develop training and TA content, including excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience coordinating teams to establish and track project plans, milestones, and timelines for project deliverables. 
• Ability to maintain up to date knowledge of current child development practices and research based early childhood quality improvement methods and approaches.
• Proficient in MS Office Applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, Teams) and other E-learning, webinar, and project management tools including SmartSheet.
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Team player with the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to apply detailed knowledge of organizational procedures to make independent decisions and serve as a credible resource for a senior management team.
• Ability to be flexible to handle multiple priorities and to work limited overtime as necessary.
• Experience working with Federally recognized Tribes and Native communities preferred. 
• Deep understanding of American Indian and Alaska Native communities preferred. 
• Experience in a leadership position within a Child Care Development Fund (CCDF)/Head Start Program preferred. 
• Experience providing training at State, Regional, or National Meetings and technical assistance to individual organizations preferred.
• Experience at Tribal, state and/or national level with policies, early care and education regulations, and systems, particularly the implementation of the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) and/or other Tribal/state early learning programs preferred.

 Travel

This position will involve some travel to OCC sponsored events.

Miami Nation Enterprises is an Equal Opportunity Employer