Program Manager - Greater Mecklenburg, NC

The Opportunity

Reporting to a North Carolina Senior Program Manager, the Greater Mecklenburg Program Manager has a unique opportunity to help shape the future direction of Reach Out and Read in the area. The Program Manager will be a valued team member who plays an essential role supporting early childhood systems integration work through the medical home and community. This is a highly relational job, both within a tight-knit virtual team, and when working directly to support our medical and clinic partners. It requires a commitment to equity combined with the ability to influence without direct authority and diagnose systems challenges, while respecting and supporting clinic and family cultures. By establishing collaborative relationships with medical providers and staff at multiple program sites and providing professional development services and implementation guidance, the Program Manager provides the support needed to adhere to Reach Out and Read best practices. The Program Manager has frequent contact with their assigned programs through regular communication and visits and helps develops champions for the Reach Out and Read program among medical providers and staff.

You are an ideal candidate for the position if you are a results-oriented professional who is eager to lead efforts to expand and improve programming and communicate effectively with external partners to achieve outcomes. You will be best suited for this position if you are comfortable interacting with a number of different stakeholders, interested in providing excellent customer service, able to progress work independently and able to stay solutions focused. As the Program Manager you will need to be a problem solver eager to learn new skills and technology; adapt to an evolving and growing organization; and work as an effective team member with remote colleagues in a virtual working environment.

Greater Mecklenburg region currently includes the following counties: Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Stanly, Anson, Lincoln, Gaston

*the ideal candidate lives within this geographic area

Key Responsibilities

The primary functions of this position consist of the following:

Programmatic Assistance and Support (50%):

• Maintain regular contact with ROR sites to develop relationships with clinical and administrative staff in order to assess quality and model fidelity, deliver support, provide professional development, and identify additional needs.
• Create and implement program quality improvement plans to support ROR sites’ efforts to reach a higher level of program quality as needed.
• Support ROR sites’ implementation of program quality improvement processes, monitor progress, and reassess, in partnership with clinical and administrative staff.
• Support ROR site leaders to identify and overcome barriers that negatively impact their program’s quality and sustainability.
• Conduct in-person and virtual site visits to ROR sites in assigned region with a frequency appropriate for sites’ identified needs and quality rating.
• Cultivate Reach Out and Read champions and advocates from among each ROR site’s medical providers and staff.
• Offer all medical providers opportunities to participate in ongoing ROR professional development.
• Guide new ROR sites through the process of applying, training providers, and implementing Reach Out and Read.

Community Connectivity (30%)

• Collaborate with early childhood and medical systems work in the region to ensure the medical home is activated as a partner in support for families.
• Coordinate resources and services with community partners as needed.
• Represent Reach Out and Read in community meetings and convenings.
• Participate in asset mapping work to better understand geographic territory.

Program Data and Reporting (10%):

• Review progress report data for assigned programs and use it to inform program support plans and quality ratings for each program.
• Track and document quantitative and qualitative program data using established tools and databases.
• Provide data summaries for assigned region to support funding applications, partnership development and advocacy activities, as requested.
• Support ROR sites in the region to ensure completion of required reporting, including Progress Reports, parent surveys, and Outlines of Roles and Responsibilities. Analyze, understand, and address barriers to accurate completion/participation in processes.

Book Support and Funding (10%):

• Support ROR sites in selection and ordering of books to meet the needs of their patients.
• Provide guidance for efficient tracking processes to support accurate data collection and reporting.
• Identify ROR sites in need of book funding support and collaborate with the Leadership Team in the allocation of funding to individual sites.
• Assist with fund development and advocacy in connection with ROR sites (e.g., arrange site visits for prospective or existing donors or legislators).

Qualifications and Experience

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Experience implementing professional development and quality improvement processes.
• Experience developing advocates to lead and motivate colleagues in quality improvement efforts.
• Excellent customer service skills with a desire to solve problems and work with doctors, nurses, and medical practices.
• Self-motivated, independent worker who functions effectively in a “virtual” work environment, while being an enthusiastic, collaborative team member. Demonstrated ability to take both initiative and direction, maintaining a focus on mission and collective team impact.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, meet deadlines and adapt flexibly within a rapidly growing organization.
• Ability to effectively use electronic communications systems as primary work processes, including database systems, internet use, and MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Access to dependable and regular transportation for frequent in-state travel.

Additional desirable qualifications (not required)

• Experience with practice change efforts and Quality Improvement processes in a healthcare setting.
• Education and/or experience within the fields of health care, early childhood systems, literacy, parenting support, or related fields.
• Experience working with diverse populations and underserved communities.

Position Specifications

This is a full-time position. The Greater Mecklenburg Program Manager will work from a home-based office, as part of a virtual team. Regular travel throughout the assigned region and attendance at regional meetings is required.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary will be competitive with similar roles at non-profit organizations of a comparable size, and you will also receive a robust benefits package. We offer medical and dental insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid vacation, professional development stipend, and more.

About Reach Out and Read

Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. Reach Out and Read’s tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five, particularly in economically disadvantaged families who are at risk for adverse outcomes. The daily practice of reading aloud with a parent supports children’s literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Through its national network of providers, Reach Out and Read is helping to set 4.7 million children a year on a path to a bright future, from birth.

Reach Out and Read is the only national early literacy intervention delivered through pediatric care providers. The program has been the subject of 16 independent studies, the largest body of scientific research for any psychosocial intervention in pediatrics. Research shows that children served by Reach Out and Read are read to more often, enjoy sharing books more, and have better expressive and receptive language skills.

Reach Out and Read Regional Office - serving NC, SC, VA and DC - has been serving children across the region since 1998. The ROR regional team works virtually in communities across the two-state region and is supported by a regional Advisory Board. High-quality implementation of the Reach Out and Read evidence-based model is a primary focus for the RORC team, and fidelity and impact guide our work.

The Impact

• Reach Out and Read program sites are located in more than 6,000 hospitals and health centers in all 50 states, Washington, D. C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Reach Out and Read serves more than 4.7 million children and their families annually.
• More than 7.2 million new, developmentally appropriate books are prescribed to children each year.
• More than 32,000 medical providers currently participate in Reach Out and Read
• 16 independent studies demonstrate that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children and, as a result, children’s language development is enhanced.

To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org. ... OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER------------------------------

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the American with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please notify hr @reachoutandread.org and we will work to accommodate your needs.