About Nurtury Early Education
Nurtury envisions a world where, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, all children have the opportunity to learn, discover, and develop the skills that empower healthy development and lifelong learning. To meet this vision, Nurtury provides high-quality child care to give Greater Boston’s youngest children, birth to age five, the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development, and supporting families. A nonprofit that has been a leader in the early education sector for 145 years, Nurtury serves nearly 1,200 children in center-based programs and family child care settings. Over 95% of the families Nurtury serves are income-eligible for Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) through the state’s Department of Early Education & Care.
Nurtury’s programs include
- Center-based care, offering child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in classroom settings at three licensed centers located in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Cambridge;
- Family child care, home-based, state-licensed programs which benefit families seeking a smaller and more intimate setting for the care of their children, with a network of 150 providers throughout Greater Boston, serving 75% of Nurtury families;
- The Family Partners program, which facilitates connections for Nurtury families to access wraparound services; and
- The Early Education Family Child Care Incubator, the first program of its kind in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the second in the nation, which provides shared workspace, resources, and on-the-job training for newly licensed entrepreneurs to launch their Family Child Care small businesses.
Nurtury has played a leadership role in shaping the evolution of high-quality, accessible child care, helping to found the National Association of Nursery Educators in the 1920s (precursor to the current National Association for the Education of Young Children), advocating for the first fundamental Child Care Standards law in Massachusetts in the 1960s, and establishing the first childcare Quality Assurance Department in the country in the 1990s. Nurtury’s current advocacy work includes efforts to expand public funding for early education, increase wage equity for the early education workforce, reduce barriers and increase sustainability for family child care small businesses, and improve access to affordable care for children and families, especially those from marginalized communities.
Learn more about Nurtury at https://www.nurturyboston.org/.
The Vice President of Programs Opportunity
Nurtury is seeking an extraordinary leader to serve as the Vice President of Programs (VPP) as they deepen their leadership capacity and continue to grow their programs. The VPP will report to the CEO and will provide leadership for quality program delivery, innovation, and evaluation, ensuring successful design, development, and ongoing improvement within Nurtury’s center-based care programs as well as the professional development and family services programs for both center-based and family child care models. A highly skilled leader and manager, they will work with staff across programs to ensure cohesion around mission, goals, and performance standards, bringing an asset-based approach to developing team members and leaders within the organization and upholding a culture of collaboration and communication. The Vice President of Programs will also provide leadership around a culture of data-driven decision-making, bringing a strong understanding of best practices in evaluation and continuous quality improvement.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a member of Nurtury’s Senior Management Team, acting as an expert and resource across the agency on program development, implementation, and continuous quality improvement
- Drive program design and provide leadership across a portfolio of Nurtury’s programs by:
- Providing appropriate support, coaching, and accountability for the Senior Director of Early Learning Centers and all managers and staff within the three early learning centers
- Leading the development and delivery of high-quality professional development programs for Nurtury staff in center-based programs and supporting the Vice President of Business Development in ensuring effective professional development for family child care providers, with a focus on providing guidance and support to the Senior Director of Professional Development for effective professional development offerings and planning, supporting classroom observations, and developing formal onboarding and workforce pipeline programs
- Further developing programs, in collaboration with the Director of Family Services, to strengthen supports for families in both center-based and family child care programs
- Participate in continued innovation as Nurtury adapts to the evolving needs of their families and the external environment
- Provide leadership for Nurtury’s data and evaluation work, including program assessment and continuous quality improvement activities
- Collaborate with the Vice President of Business Development as a resource for new program initiatives within Nurtury’s family child care and small business support programs
- Support programmatic reporting for funders and regulators, partnering with the development team to deliver program content for proposals and reports
- Represent Nurtury externally with key partners, funders, regulatory, and policy agencies
- Partner with the CEO and Vice President of Business Development on policy interpretation and advocacy, including interpreting state and federal regulations for Nurtury’s current and future programs
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. As a successful candidate for the Vice President of Programs, you will display many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:
- You bring extensive experience in strategic program design, management, and implementation in a nonprofit, human service, or education management setting. Prior experience in educational organizations will be beneficial.
- You are a skilled leader with a track record of success in supervising staff and developing staff capacity. Prior experience in unionized environments is an advantage.
- You are experienced in leading within highly diverse organizational and team contexts, demonstrating cultural competency and humility as well as excellent communication skills.
- You lead with a strong focus on quality, evaluation, and assessment, with an understanding of how to leverage data toward effective decision-making and continuous quality improvement.
- You come to this role with strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
- You are a team-oriented and mission-driven leader, energized by helping others become better at their work in order to fulfill shared goals.
- You bring an open and positive communication style, ensuring effective and clear communication across all levels of an organization.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $135,000.
Nurtury offers an excellent benefits package that includes health, dental, vision insurance; flexible health and dependent care savings accounts; 403 (b) retirement plan; a 50% child care discount in Nurtury’s programs; life and long-term disability insurance; and a generous vacation, holiday, and sick time policy with additional personal and professional days.
Location
The Vice President of Programs will be based out of the Nurtury Learning Lab in Jamaica Plain and will maintain a regular presence across Nurtury’s sites and programs, with flexibility for a hybrid schedule.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Cassie Scarano and Kirstin Griffiths. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Nurtury provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
About DSG | Koya
DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website.