Area Manager

Job Summary:

The Area Manager provides direct oversight and leadership to site-level staff across an assigned geographic region, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compliant early childhood education and family services in accordance with Head Start Program Performance Standards, Arizona Department of Education regulations, and agency policies. This position bridges content area management and site operations, providing supervisory support, technical assistance, and reflective supervision to Site Managers, Education Specialists, and other assigned staff. The Area Manager promotes continuous quality improvement, maintains regulatory compliance, and fosters a collaborative team environment aligned with PGCCS mission, values, and strategic goals.

Essential Functions:

The Area Manager will ultimately be evaluated on a combination of skills, dispositions and behaviors, some of which are related to the specific service area of this position and others that represent general expectations of all our agency employees.

The Area Manager's responsibilities chiefly fall within the following essential functions, although s/he may perform other tasks and/or duties as assigned. The Area Manager will demonstrate competency to perform essential functions that include:

1. Provide regular, reflective, and collaborative supervision to Site Managers, Home Base Teachers assigned staff in accordance with Head Start Program Performance Standards and SHRM best practices for people management.
2. Conduct probationary and annual performance evaluations for Subordinates using agency-approved, quantifiable, and objective evaluation criteria.
3. Assist Human Resources in the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and separation processes; communicate staffing needs and changes promptly.
4. Conduct probationary and annual performance evaluations using quantifiable, objective criteria and agency-approved forms and checklists.
5. Monitor staff attendance, certifications, required credentials, and compliance documents; follow up promptly on deficiencies.
6. Identify performance improvement needs and implement corrective action plans in partnership with Human Resources and consistent with agency personnel policies.
7. Facilitate access to training, coaching, and career development opportunities that reflect individual and team needs.
8. Responsible to arrange and facilitate regular supervisory meetings with Site Managers and Home Base Teachers; provide mandated trainings and timely updates to policies and procedures.
9. Coordinate cooperative educational efforts, transitions, meetings, and socializations between Home Base and center-based programs to support continuity of services for enrolled children and families.
10. Assist Site Managers and Home Base Teachers in connecting families with community resources; promote practices that reflect culturally and linguistically responsive service delivery.
11. Ensure all assigned sites operate in full compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards, Arizona licensing codes, ADE regulations, and applicable grant requirements.
12. Establish and maintain effective recordkeeping and monitoring systems that ensure program accountability and documentation accuracy.
13. Promote and model a culture of continuous quality improvement aligned with agency strategic goals and federal performance standards.
14. Ensure facility maintenance needs are reported, tracked, and resolved in a timely manner; assist with scheduling maintenance activities.
15. Participate as an active team member in cross-functional workgroups, content meetings, and agency-wide initiatives.
16. Develop and deliver relevant training and technical assistance to site staff, including onboarding, policy updates, and skill-specific coaching aligned with Head Start learning frameworks.
17. Provide on-the-job mentoring and individualized technical assistance to staff progressing in their roles; support implementation of evidence- based practices.
18. Maintain expertise in Early Childhood Education (ECE) content and disseminate current research and promising practices to staff regularly.
19. Facilitate and participate in regular team meetings, mandatory trainings, and community of practice sessions.

Minimum Requirements:

 1. Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education, Elementary Education, or closely related field. Master's degree preferred. All education must be from an accredited institution.
 2. Two years directing committees and workgroups, and grant/proposal writing.
 3. Three to five years in a licensed facility, and five years providing T/TA and consultation services to preschool programs.
 4. Four years; adult supervision, working with low income, culturally and linguistically diverse families.
 5. Advanced computer skills in Excel, Power Point, Word, Access, internet, and email.
 6. Arizona's driver's license, proof of insurance, fingerprint card, and Social Security card, and provide a vehicle for program business.
 7. Health Questionnaire is required at hire and will be updated every 3 years.
 8. Meet all agency, state and federally required immunizations or have an approved exemption on file.
 9. Employee must be able to speak, read, write, and understand English.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1.Knowledge of; Head Start Program Performance Standards, ECSE, Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF), and ADE regulations required.
2. Possess excellent oral (including public speaking) and written communications required.
3. Knowledge of Child Development Associate (CDA) credentialing process, Quality First, Head Start Program Performance Standards, Head Start Early Learning Framework and CLASS required.
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills required.
5. Demonstrate the understanding of DCS reporting system, signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect.
6. Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and exercise sound professional judgment in a fast-paced environment.

Physical Requirements:

Able to perform the following physical requirements of the position with or without reasonable accommodation: critical sensory requirements include general vision; specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Hear or listening the normal range (corrected) and speak and give directions clearly. Able to walk, sit, stand, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects up to 10 lbs., and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions:

Work is performed in a classroom/office setting where minimal exposure to injury exists. Hours of work will generally be during regular business hours and average at least 40 hrs. per week. There will be work variations in work hours due to employee special projects, deadlines, and other concerns. PGCCS employees have the possibility of exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials through collateral duty to their routine work assignments, such as rendering first aid if need arises, and seldom exposure to vibration, toxic conditions, odors, dust, mold and poor ventilation.