In service of the City of Richmond’s Equity Agenda, the Department of Human Services is seeking a Management Analyst, Principal to serve as the City of Richmond’s Early Childhood Coordinator within the Office of Children and Families. This role aims to facilitate alignment, collaboration, and collective impact as the City works to improve outcomes for Richmond’s youngest residents and their caregivers. The Early Childhood Coordinator will serve as a subject matter expert for early childhood development for the City of Richmond and support the prioritization and dissemination of policies and practices that support young children’s healthy development. The position will report to the Senior Policy Advisor and Manager of the Office of Children and Families in the Department of Human Services and will work directly with key stakeholders within the City of Richmond’s agencies as well as other public, private, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations.

Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively as a member of the Department of Human Services team.
• Serve as City liaison for early childhood issues with external partners.
• Monitor federal and state legislative and administrative policy pertinent to perinatal health, early childhood care and education (ECCE), parent and caregiver education, and other topics relevant to early childhood development.
• Research and analyze best practices nationwide and provide recommendations to the Senior Policy Advisor and Manager of the Office of Children and Families.
• Partner with Richmond Public Schools and community ECCE providers to improve kindergarten readiness.
• Build, maintain, and steward strong relationships with key stakeholders at all levels and across sectors.
• Attend community events and meetings relevant to early childhood development on behalf of the City of Richmond.

Qualifications, Special Certifications, and Licenses:

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Asset-based approach to community engagement.
  • Strong interpersonal skills.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communications.
  • Strong judgment and curiosity when navigating complex scenarios.
  • Ability to think nimbly and connect ideas and practices across sectors and fields of knowledge.
  • Strong sense of initiative and ability to operate at a high level without close supervision.
  • Proven ability to build relationships across lines of difference in the service of shared purpose and collective impact.
  • Solutions-orientation with a track record of overcoming challenges to achieve strong results, particularly in collaboration with ideologically and culturally diverse stakeholders.
  • Deep conviction in the potential of all children, especially those from historically oppressed communities, to excel on an absolute scale when they and their families are provided equitable opportunities to thrive.

• Minimum Training and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; master’s degree preferred.
  • Experience working in education and/or public service in urban and/or low-income communities.

• Licensing, Certifications, and Other Special Requirements:

  • Some assignments may require a valid Driver's License with a satisfactory driving record, and a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Driver's License within 30 days of hire.

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

Environmental Hazards: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

Physical Requirements and Working Environment: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly talk, hear, see, perform repetitive motions, stand, finger, and walk; frequently reach, grasp, lift, pull, and push; and occasionally climb, stoop, crouch, and feel. The working conditions may contain environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.