Job Description

The Cross-sector Strategic Initiatives Program Officer is responsible for helping to plan, design, and oversee a portfolio of work that incorporates a multi-sector strategy approach across pediatrics, mental health, family support, and early care and education settings to achieve increased integration of and accessibility to service systems for families of young children. The Cross Sector Strategic Initiative Program Officer will focus on two initial strategies – Cross Sector Relationship Building and building out new Child and Family Connection Points that deliver family support activities.

The Cross Sector Relationship Building strategy seeks to establish intentional and institutionalized connections between family resource centers and agencies in other parts of the early childhood system of care. This strategy supports grantees to build relationships, establish family referral pathways, and increase access to family support activities among DEC funded Family Resource Center Initiative grantees, Early Learning for All (DEC partnered preschool) sites, targeted clinical partners, and other entities serving young children and their families.

The Child and Family Connection Point strategy will establish additional points of access to family support activities focusing on settings where families already gather for other services or purposes. The intent is to create new points in the City where pregnant families and families with 0 – 5 year old children can access family support activities.

The Program Officer is expected to have expertise in early childhood and/or a strong base of program design, project management, budget management, evaluation experience, and technical skills to support multi-stakeholder processes. They must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage relationships, communicate professionally, develop community partnerships, facilitate collective problem-solving, and understand the unique responsibilities and accountabilities of representing a public funding agency. They should also be able to assist with Federal, State and local policy analysis and the planning and implementation of early childhood projects and initiatives within DEC. It is preferable for the program officer to have some familiarity with at least one sector of service that serve young children up through five years – e.g., medical, early care education, early intervention, family support.

The Cross Sector Strategic Initiative Program Officer position of the Child and Family Well-being (CFW) Division is under the Cross Sector Programming Team, and reports to the Manager of Early Childhood Systems Integration. The Cross Sector strategies represent new, developing and evolving work for DEC and thus the Program Officer roles, responsibilities, and duties may shift and change as its efforts change to better match our learning and the implementation of CFW strategies.

Examples of essential functions of this position include:

The listed essential functions represent a sample of expected activities the position will perform to support implementation of the cross sector and early childhood system of care building strategies of DEC.

Essential Functions Specific to the Cross Sector Strategic Initiatives

• Support funded and non-funded partners to vision a highly coordinated early childhood system of care and identify the collaborative activities needed to implement the vision.
• Work in coordination with Early Childhood Systems Integration Manager, and other CFW and DEC staff to further develop and expand the Early Childhood Systems Integration funding portfolio, strategies and approaches both internal to the department and external within community.
• Encourage, support, and maintain coordination and partnerships with health care providers, Early Care and Education centers, Family Resource Centers, and other early childhood stakeholders to enhance program delivery and impact, and ensure seamless continuum of care for children and families.
• Assist in the development of new initiatives to implement the strategic initiatives of DEC, CFW and its Cross Sector Section.
• Assist in formative and summative assessments of Early Childhood Systems Integration strategies, in order to gauge effectiveness and impact and support the continuous quality improvements of investments.
• Explore and support sustainability and leveraged funding opportunities through CalAIM Behavioral Health Payment Reform, and other federal, state and local funds applicable to the early childhood system; encourage partnerships and learning opportunities that can better lead to sustainability mechanisms.

Grantmaking and Support Essential Functions

• Design, implement, grow and sustain initiatives that align with and further CFW Division and Department goals and objectives.
• Manage a grant portfolio for child and family health and well-being, in consultation with manager and deputy director, which includes oversight of budget utilization, services, activities, and performance of grantees.
• Negotiate terms and conditions for each agency grant in the assigned portfolio, including operating budgets, scopes of work, and performance metrics;
• Support execution of final contracts in conjunction with the Finance and Operations Division, by ensuring that all required program related documents and procedures are complete.
• Monitor expenditures related to approved budgets, reimburse authorized expenses, maintain supporting documentation of related contracts and financial/budgetary analyses to ensure grants stay within scope and cost.
• Collaborate with the Finance and Operations Division and provide program documentation and insights to inform mid-year and year-end budget reconciliation.
• Oversee and manage the monitoring, compliance, and performance evaluation on grants, contracts, and initiatives. This includes conducting on-site visits, supporting evaluation and data collection, tracking Key Performance Indicators/Metrics, and establishing and coordinating other methods and procedures to ensure accountability.
• Work in coordination with Early Childhood Systems Integration Manager and other DEC staff to implement public procurement processes, including procurement document planning/writing, proposal review, selection processes, and interested party communications.
• Collect data and information and prepare various reports, memoranda, and correspondences on initiative progress and status; recommend project or program modifications to assure initiative goal attainment, high-quality implementation of services, and contract adherence.
• Provide troubleshooting, guidance, and technical support to portfolio of grantees and participating sites as needed; plan and develop needed training and technical assistance for the grantees to build capacity and enhance programming and administrative compliance.
• Convene meetings and learning exchanges between provider partner agencies to share updates and relevant information, identify and resolve issues, review program achievement, recommend needed modifications, and support continuous quality improvement.
• Initiate and maintain relationships with DEC grantees and stakeholders through professional written, virtual and in-person correspondence and interactions.
• Conduct compliance activities, evaluation, and reporting for external grants received from local, state, and federal funding sources, as needed.
• Coordinate activities and collaborate with other DEC and CFW staff in support of grant administration, as needed.
• As needed: oversee the work of external consultants; report to senior level and executive management; supervise staff.

Systems Level and Continuous Learning Essential Functions

• Initiate and sustain collaborative partnerships and activities with DEC staff, City departments, and other stakeholders at local, regional, and state levels to ensure effective implementation of grant portfolio and promote integration with related efforts.

• Integrate and align other Early Learning and CFW Division initiatives and efforts as needed; participate in department-wide planning, resource allocation, and organizational development.

• Work with the Evaluation, Policy and Communications Division for internal/external research and analysis of trends, promising practices, and opportunities that can identify and prioritize areas for future actions and investments.

• Collaborate with DEC Program Officers on developments, challenges, and opportunities to advance the department’s program strategies.

• Engage in Department, unit and individual professional development and continuous learning, including participating in conferences and meetings, funder networks, and other field-building/professional development opportunities that will enhance prospects for leadership development and early childhood systems building.

• Engage in training and development sessions with staff and other partners to enhance knowledge and skills in relevant program practices, and quality standards, and to foster learning exchanges across early childhood sectors and settings.

• In partnership with supervisor, engage in on-going learning opportunities to enhance mutual development and address strengths and professional growth possibilities.

• The Program Officer may be required to work evening and weekends, and travel regionally and nationally.

• May perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND three (3) years of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice; OR

2. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the following fields: public or business administration, urban planning, government, social work, education, finance, or criminal justice AND two (2) years of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, criminal justice; OR

3. Possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university in public policy, planning, social work, public administration, finance, education, criminal justice, or business administration; AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and /or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice; OR

4. Possession of a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited college or university AND one (1) year of administrative/professional experience in community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice.

SUBSTITUTION:
Verifiable administrative/professional experience involving community development, housing and/or housing development, workforce development, finance, education, social work, children/youth work, or criminal justice may substitute for the educational requirement in Minimum Qualification #1 on a year-for-year basis.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• 24 months of experience with the development, implementation, monitoring, and support of programs and services that focus on strengthening families; early care and education; prevention and early intervention; health and well-being.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of two (2) years full-time work experience in management consulting, industrial/organizational design consulting, higher learning, public policy organization, philanthropy, and/or other business consulting.
• Strong familiarity and/or work experience with the following settings and programs: maternal child health, pediatric, medical/health care, family support, early intervention and/or child development programs.
• Experience leading or participating in collective impact initiatives; ability to understand collaborative dynamics, and proven success in minimizing barriers and maximizing levers for change toward a common vision.
• Experience with human centered design or other similar evidence-backed problem solving and design theory approaches.
• Higher education degree in social work, child development, education, public health, and/or public/business administration preferred.
• Bilingual Chinese, Spanish, or African American Vernacular English (AAVE) preferred, but not required.
• Experience managing programs, budgeting processes, and staff in a fast-paced, complex environment.

Additional Information

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training, and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility or disqualification.

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at How to Verify Education Requirements.

** SELECTION PROCEDURES:** **** The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.

Notes: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

What else should I know?

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams [required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

1. Visit Careers with Purpose | City and County of San Francisco (sf.gov)
2. Type "9774" into the "Search by class or keyword" field.
3. Click the link to open the Job Announcement.
4. Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst Lynn Tran at lynn.tran@sfgov.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.