Director, Early Childhood Education Finance, Operations and Growth

Job Description

Job Description

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter through the Workable online portal. -impact- partners/j/EFFDE0516B/

Applications submitted through any other channel(s) will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Role Purpose

The Director works directly with executive directors and senior teams at early childhood education (ECE) programs across Connecticut that participate in Social Impact Partners's (SIP) ECE Growth Accelerator to strengthen financial and operating models and implement priority changes that support growth and the conditions for high-quality early education. The role combines strategic advising with hands-on analysis, helping organizations prioritize opportunities, make sound decisions, and carry out practical solutions through implementation. The Director also identifies recurring field-level challenges and develops practical solutions in partnership with program leaders that can benefit Connecticut’s broader ECE system.

A Pivotal Moment

Connecticut is investing in early childhood education through a historic ECE Endowment and a statewide goal to expand affordable, high-quality child care. Since 2020, SIP has supported this work through partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, contributions to the Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, Child Care for CT, and direct support to ECE organizations. This role brings finance and operations expertise to organizations that are essential to Connecticut’s children, families, workforce, and communities.

Opportunity to Apply Your Expertise for Impact

We welcome candidates from the private, public, or nonprofit sectors who want to apply finance and operations experience to direct, meaningful social impact. This role offers the opportunity to help mission-driven organizations become stronger, more sustainable, and better positioned to serve children and families. Deep ECE experience is not required; curiosity about the sector and the ability to quickly understand the economics of complex, labor-intensive organizations are more important.

Position Type: Employee or consulting/contractor engagement; structure and level of commitment may be tailored based on the candidate’s experience and availability.

Location: Hybrid, Connecticut statewide travel required.

About Social Impact Partners

Social Impact Partners is a Connecticut nonprofit working to close the opportunity divide and increase economic mobility. We partner with government, business, education, and nonprofit leaders to advance equitable education and workforce systems, from early learning through meaningful employment. SIP works locally and statewide to help partners understand complex problems, develop strategies, and carry out work through implementation.

Requirements

The Successful Candidate

The successful candidate will bring strong finance and operations experience, analytical rigor, curiosity, interpersonal judgment, and a low-ego, partnership-oriented approach. They may come from business, consulting, finance, operations, the nonprofit sector, or across sectors, and will be energized by applying their expertise in a mission-driven context. This role is best suited to someone comfortable moving between executive-level advising and hands-on work, including financial analysis, modeling, tools, research, facilitation, and implementation support.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Advising and Decision Support

·        Build trusted relationships with ECE executive directors, senior teams, finance and operations leaders, and boards; provide clear objectives, practical analysis, candid counsel, and accountability.

·        Help leaders clarify complex problems, evaluate tradeoffs, pressure-test assumptions, and make strategic decisions about sustainability and growth.

Financial and Operational Strategy

·        Conduct financial and operational diagnostics across revenue, staffing, utilization, facilities, administrative costs, and other key operating drivers.

·        Develop financial models, scenarios, dashboards, decision tools, and recommendations that help leaders and boards assess options and plan for changing funding and operating conditions.

Implementation and Change Management

·        Support leaders in moving from analysis to action by advising on implementation plans, risks, resources, stakeholder alignment, progress tracking, and needed adjustments.

·        Engage specialized staff, volunteers, or external expertise when additional capacity is needed.

Field Learning and Scalable Solutions

·        Identify recurring financial and operational challenges across ECE organizations and develop shared solutions, partnerships, pilots, business cases, or tools in collaboration with providers.

·        Translate provider-level insights into practical resources that strengthen future SIP Growth Accelerator cohorts and inform SIP’s broader ECE work.

Initial Priorities

During the first 12–18 months of the role or engagement, the Director will establish an advisory model, complete financial and operational diagnostics, help organizations advance priority implementation goals, and identify at least one cross-organizational pilot, partnership, or funding strategy.

Qualifications

·        6+ years of progressively responsible experience in finance, operations, management consulting, business strategy, business-unit leadership, portfolio operations, strategic finance, or advisory roles, with demonstrated responsibility for analyzing complex organizations and advising leaders on financial and operating decisions. Equivalent depth of experience will also be considered; prior executive-level titles are not required.

·        Demonstrated ability to earn the confidence of executive directors, senior leadership teams, and boards.

·        Advanced financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, scenario-planning, and operating-model improvement capabilities, including experience strengthening organizational structures, systems, processes, or performance.

·        Ability to connect analysis with enterprise-level strategy, make complex financial and operating information clear and actionable, and translate recommendations into effective implementation.

·        Experience working in organizations with multiple revenue sources, public funding, or regulated services.

·        Strong judgment, discretion, humility, and comfort operating amid ambiguity, shifting policy conditions, and incomplete information.

·        Motivation to apply finance and operations expertise in a mission-driven environment, curiosity about the economics and operating realities of early childhood organizations, and commitment to equity, inclusion, and expanded access to high-quality early care and education.

·        Demonstrated willingness and ability to personally conduct analysis, build models and tools, develop recommendations, and carry out work through implementation.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include a master’s degree in a relevant field, CPA, or comparable professional experience; experience in ECE, human services, education, healthcare, or another regulated, labor-intensive service sector; and familiarity with nonprofit governance, board financial oversight, shared-service models, capital strategies, partnerships, or new operating models.

Work Location and Requirements

This Connecticut-based hybrid role requires statewide travel, regular collaboration with providers and the SIP team, and availability for in-person meetings, including at SIP’s office in Westport, CT. It may be structured as an employee or consulting/contractor engagement, with schedule, office presence, and level of commitment tailored to the engagement and needs of the work.

Physical Requirements

The employee is regularly required to communicate clearly, in oral and written formats, with others in-person, via video conferencing, over the phone, and via other devices. The employee must be able to transcribe, read extensively, prepare and analyze data, and constantly operate a computer and other standard office machinery. The employee must be able to travel throughout the state.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Social Impact Partners is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to sound EEO practices in all professional activities and employment practices. We comply with the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act, and all other applicable federal, state, and local laws. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We prohibit discrimination, including harassment, against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, military status, disability, or any other protected category.

Benefits

SIP offers a supportive hybrid work environment and competitive salary. Employees who meet the minimum required hours per week are eligible for health, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, a tech stipend, participation in a 401K retirement savings plan with employer matching, and paid holidays and time off. You will work with a dynamic and collegial team of change makers with a bias for continuous learning, and 200+ skilled volunteer and cross-sector partners.

The anticipated salary range for this position is $135,000–$150,000 annually for a full time 40-hour workweek, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Compensation prorated accordingly for contractor / part-time schedules.

Employment with SIP is on an at-will basis. This means that either employee or SIP may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law. Nothing in this job posting or any other communication should be interpreted as a guarantee of employment for any specific duration.