Vice President of Early Childhood
| JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title | Vice President of Early Childhood |
| Department | Early Childhood |
| Reports To | President/CEO |
| FLSA Status | Exempt - Administrative |
| EEO Code | Executive/Senior Level Officials & Managers |
| Workers’ Compensation Code | 8810 |
| Date | September 2025 |
melissal@smifoundation.org
Position Overview
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) is seeking a skilled leader who will be responsible for the design and implementation of Early Childhood strategies to prepare the next generation to thrive and contribute to southern Minnesota’s regional vitality. This person will deepen and expand The Foundation’s commitment to Early Childhood development through continued growth and new strategic partnerships across sectors. Foundation tools include grant making, training, convening, collaboration, consulting, coordinating, and cross pollination. The position will also lead the creation and management of external partnerships and collective action networks consistent with furthering SMIF’s Early Childhood objectives.
Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities
Expertise
- Provide expertise on Early Childhood topics related to Social-emotional development, school readiness, early literacy, current state legislation and the economic impact of child care.
- Offer thought leadership and expert facilitation for building collective action networks that advance workforce, youth, family and education outcomes for the region.
- Drive an ecosystem approach toward SMIF’s Early Childhood work, activating partnerships across economic development, education, and human services sectors.
Strategy Implementation and Program Design
- Oversee the management of Early Childhood programs, initiatives and partnerships to achieve strategic impact objectives and measurements.
- Leverage data to drive and develop programmatic decisions and strategic priorities.
- Design and oversee a robust impact data system across Early Childhood programming, as well as across partners for collective regional work.
- Implement annual and long-range evaluation processes and protocols for all Early Childhood activities.
Resource Development & Budget Management
- Ensure that resources are available to achieve the strategic and program objectives of the early childhood program by collaborating with the Philanthropy team, CEO, and by grant seeking.
- Grant writing, implementation of program funding and meeting all reporting requirements.
- Effectively manage the annual budget and grants awarded to the Early Childhood program.
Training, Convening and Legislative Advocacy
• Oversight of trainings, convenings, partnerships and technical assistance activities of the Early Childhood programming.
- Design and lead cross-regional learning and collaboration opportunities to seed and replicate best practices around Early Childhood and cradle-to-career networks across the 20-county region.
- Participate in and facilitate legislative coalitions and advocacy actions to shape public investments into youth and family development, education, and other areas that affect Early Childhood education and cradle-to-career impacts.
Grant Administration & Project Management
- Direct and oversee all Early Childhood program grant cycles including review and administration processes, achieving high standards for practices and processes.
- Manage donor partner relationships and oversee special projects from external donors, including regional, state, and national funders.
- Direct the planning, management and resource development of projects, partnerships and initiatives.
- Assist with data analysis and regular reporting to foundation partners and stakeholders.
- Responsible for hiring, promotion, professional development and performance management of Early Childhood staff.
Organizational Leadership
- Serve on Management Team and work collaboratively with all staff to ensure an integrated, collaborative approach to The Foundation programs and initiatives.
- Increase and strengthen regional connections and collaborative partnerships.
- Provide strategic input and direction to the organization’s strategic plan, including the deepening and growth of the Early Childhood program to meet the future needs of the region.
- Prepare and present concise and pertinent information to SMIF Board of Trustees.
Non-Essential Job Functions
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Education/Experience
- Undergraduate degree in liberal arts, organizational management or related field.
- Ten years of related work experience, preferably in a non-profit organization.
- Proven experience in managing staff.
Competencies
- Ability to consistently demonstrate SMIF’s Guiding Values & Code of Ethical Conduct while performing the duties and responsibilities of the position.
- Experienced program manager with strong knowledge of early childhood development, education, cradle-to-career, and/or youth development methodologies and resources.
- Experience developing, convening, and facilitating collective action networks.
- Proven management skills and ability to deal with complex relationships and objectives.
- Experience testifying and/or shaping state policies around education, youth and families, etc.
- Program design and process implementation experience.
- Grant writing experience and success.
- Accomplished presentation, facilitation and technical writing skills.
- Ability to work effectively with a broad range of people and styles.
- Ability to apply systems-thinking to generate solutions.
- Ability to explore new opportunities and development connections related to mission and vision.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Manages a team of 3-4 staff members.
Working Conditions/Physical Demands
- The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that are necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Normal office environment with the pressure of timely deadlines.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to: concentrate, sit for long periods of time, stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and/or talk and hear. The employee must have the capacity to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
- Ability to travel within the 20-county service area 25% of time. Occasional travel to other parts of the state.
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation will make reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals who may need assistance in performing the essential functions of this position
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
