Director of Professional Development

Educare of Omaha Inc.•Omaha, NE

9d•$0 - $85,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Professional Development provides strategic leadership for the design, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of a comprehensive professional learning system that strengthens staff effectiveness, leadership capacity, and organizational performance. This position develops and oversees high-quality, evidence-based professional learning opportunities for teachers, leaders, staff, and community partners that are aligned with Educare of Omaha's mission, strategic priorities, Head Start Performance Standards, Nebraska licensing requirements, and early childhood best practices. The Director provides program oversight for the agency's professional development department by supervising, coaching, and developing the Infant Toddler Program Specialist and Training and Development Specialist, ensuring professional learning initiatives are effectively planned, implemented, and evaluated to meet organizational goals. Working collaboratively across departments, the Director ensures professional development is data-informed and embedded into daily practice by translating child outcomes, family outcomes, classroom quality data, monitoring findings, and incident reviews into targeted learning, coaching, and continuous improvement strategies. The Director also leads professional learning efforts that support all five program locations in achieving and maintaining the highest Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) ratings, accreditation readiness, and excellence in teaching, leadership, and family engagement. Through innovative adult learning practices and a commitment to continuous quality improvement, the Director advances a culture of reflective practice, accountability, and professional excellence that drives measurable improvements in child outcomes, school readiness, classroom quality, and organizational effectiveness.

Requirements

Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Educational Leadership, Adult Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Organizational Leadership, Human Services, or a closely related field.
Valid driver’s license and car insurance required.
Ability to travel locally and out of state as required.
Ability to obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid certification.
Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in early childhood education, including experience in professional development, coaching, instructional leadership, or program leadership.
Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or leadership experience managing professional staff, coaches, or educators.
Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and evaluating adult learning and professional development systems.
Demonstrated experience using organizational, classroom, child, and family data to drive continuous quality improvement and professional learning.
Working knowledge of: Head Start Performance Standards, Nebraska Child Care Licensing Regulations, Nebraska Step Up to Quality (SUTQ), Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), Adult Learning Theory,andContinuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing organizational change.
Excellent facilitation, presentation, written communication, organizational, and project management skills.
Strong understanding of family-centered, strengths-based, culturally responsive practice.
Strong communication, collaboration, organization, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal teams and external community partners.
Must be able to pass a background check that meets compliance standards.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) in Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Adult Learning, ora related field.
Experience with Head Start, Early Head Start, Sixpence, or similar family-focused programs.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and continuously evaluate a comprehensive professional development strategy aligned with the organization's strategic plan, Head Start Performance Standards, Nebraska licensing regulations, and evidence-based early childhood best practices.
Design, coordinate, and evaluate agency-wide professional learning opportunities that strengthen teaching practices, leadership capacity, family engagement, health and safety, and organizational effectiveness.
Ensure all professional development is job-embedded, data-informed, and directly connected to improving child, family, classroom, and organizational outcomes.
Lead onboarding, orientation, annual pre-service, in-service training, coaching supports, and leadership development initiatives.
Monitor compliance with required professional development, licensing requirements, credential attainment, and continuing education expectations.
Serve as the agency lead for professional learning efforts supporting continuous quality improvement across all five program locations.
Collaborate with leadership teams to develop and implement strategies that support each location in achieving and maintaining the highest Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) rating.
Lead professional development planning related to Nebraska Step Up to Quality standards, CLASS®, curriculum implementation, teacher-child interactions, instructional practices, and continuous quality improvement.
Coordinate professional learning activities that support the successful attainment and renewal of national early childhood accreditation, ensuring staff understand accreditation standards and evidence requirements.
Monitor readiness for SUTQ and accreditation reviews by identifying professional development needs and implementing targeted improvement plans.
Partner with program leadership to analyze organizational, program, classroom, child, and family data to identify strengths, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
Participate in agency data review meetings and facilitate structured professional learning debrief sessions that translate data into actionable improvement strategies.
Collaborate with Education, Family Impact and Community Partnerships, Health, ERSEA, and Operations leaders to ensure improvement plans include meaningful professional development that addresses identified gaps.
Utilize data from CLASS®, Teaching Strategies GOLD®, child assessment systems, family engagement outcomes, coaching observations, licensing reviews, monitoring reports, staff evaluations, and organizational dashboards to guide learning priorities.
Participate in multidisciplinary incident debriefings involving program leadership following significant classroom, health and safety, family, or operational incidents.
Facilitate reflective debrief sessions focused on identifying systemic causes, learning opportunities, and preventative professional development rather than individual blame.
Develop and implement targeted professional learning, coaching, and follow-up activities based on incident trends to strengthen practice and reduce future risk.
Track recurring incident patterns and recommend agency-wide training initiatives that proactively address organizational needs.
Collaborate with coaches, supervisors, and leadership teams to ensure professional development is reinforced through monitoring, ongoing coaching, and reflective supervision.
Support leaders in creating team-based development plans based on team’s observations, performance evaluations, coaching data, and organizational priorities.
Promote a culture of continuous learning, reflective practice, and professional excellence across all departments.