Director, Professional Development - Early Learning Services - Philadelphia, PA

Since 1852, Elwyn has helped people with autism, intellectual, developmental, and behavioral challenges lead meaningful lives. As an internationally recognized nonprofit human services organization, we have always been on the forefront of innovation.

Please join us to make a difference in the life quality of children, teens and adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and related behavioral health challenges - and feel the resulting pride that will enrich your own life.

Providing an excellent benefits package is another way we know that Elwyn is truly a special place to work. We invest in your future while you help care for ours:

• Generous Paid Time Off
• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision Benefit Packages
• Earned Wage Access/On-Demand Pay
• Paid On-the-Job Training
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Career Advancement Opportunities and Growth
• Flexible Schedules
• Retirement Savings Plan

The Director, Professional Development, Early Learning Services (ELS) works with ELS Leadership including, but not limited to, Executive Director, ELS, Regional Managers, and Early Intervention Coordinators to ensure high quality staff development activities for educational and allied health professionals working within the Elwyn's Early Learning program. The Director examines regional and city-wide trends, interprets data, regional performance, and stays abreast of evidence-based best practices to inform staff learning and curriculum development as they relate to early childhood special education. This position coordinates, schedules, and evaluates the effectiveness and impact of all professional development initiatives across Elwyn Early Learning Services' Early Learning/Early Intervention programs through assessment and evaluation data and collaboration with ELS leadership.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide supervision of assigned staff in the areas including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, leadership, coaching, training, performance management, promotion, discipline, and termination
• Lead all areas of Early Learning Services' professional development activities, initiatives, and workforce needs; collaborate with ELS leadership to enhance the effectiveness and preparedness of all early intervention personnel through training evaluations, funder regulatory audits, and direct staff community-based observations
• Under the guidance of the Senior Director of Professional Development, ensure a robust curriculum-based annual training calendar that addresses the varied discipline-specific professional development needs of educational staff including teachers, paraprofessionals, speech (SLP), occupational (OT), and physical therapists (PT), parents, caregivers, and leaders to ensure high-quality services to families and children
• Provide a rigorous, diverse, and data-driven professional development program that is inclusive of educational best practices, educational laws and regulations, leadership, disability categories including, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorders, classroom and community-based practices, various modes of assessment, child development, early language and literacy, forms and formats, least restrictive interventions, positive behavior support, and local policies and procedures to ensure that staff are well-versed and prepared to deliver the highest quality service to program participants
• Develop and maintain a working relationship and active directory of local subject matter experts (SMEs) in special education and allied health services, including, but not limited to: SLP, OT, PT, vision, hearing, nursing, and positive behavior supports staff/behavior specialists to provide training, forums, and professional development
• Provide an array of learning and development modalities to stakeholders including, but not limited to, classroom-based training, web-based training (in coordination with IT learning platform development specialist), consultation, coaching, modeling and observation, discipline-specific meetings, group supervision, peer supervision, mentoring, information sharing, and internship program coordination and administration (in coordination with Talent Acquisition)
• Maintain a working knowledge of Pennsylvania (PA) Act 212, PA Title 22 Chapter 14 regulations, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and program policies and procedures; keep current with changes, mandates, and OCDEL expectations to ensure program compliance and updates to staff and stakeholders
• Conduct cross-consultations with the Quality Assurance Advisor (QAA) regarding overall program performance, data trends, workforce training; guide the professional development process through the collaboration with QAA to ensure program quality and fidelity
• Consult with ELS Leadership on the development and implementation of city-wide, regional, and individual professional development plans related to high quality service delivery, continuous professional development, and compliance
• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Professional Development, develop and implement global strategy and targeted activities to address the ongoing needs of staff and stakeholders including but not limited to staff surveys, employee satisfaction, employee engagement, employee appreciation, stakeholder surveys, stakeholder engagements, and the staff trainer initiative
• Develop, implement, and maintain an ongoing staff/stakeholder-trainer initiative which acknowledges and builds on the individual strength and expertise of our current workforce and supports their continuous growth and development to ensure high quality, compliant service delivery
• Manage the ELS professional development budget and resources to produce the maximum benefit in the most cost-effective manner possible
• Attend city-wide stakeholder meetings including, but not limited to, Early Learning Resource Center, Public Health Management Corporation, Community Behavioral Health, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Policy Lab on behalf of ELS to present Philadelphia's Preschool Early Intervention professional development plans, structure data, etc. to improve the quality of City-wide programming for children at the preschool level
• Oversees the intensive coaching process, in alignment with didactic content delivery and core curricula for various roles within the ELS system, as well as the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with fidelity to ensure competency and ongoing application of learned content
• Perform other duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in education or related field including, but not limited to, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Speech and Communication, Social Work, and Human Services preferred; Master's preferred; direct and relevant experience may be substituted for education
• Two (2) years' supervisory experience
• Five (5) years' experience working in Preschool Early Intervention field
• Three (3) years' experience in curriculum development, staff development, or quality improvement; demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans relative to program initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver learning content to adult learners
• Demonstrated experience defining evidence-based practice (EBP), appraising empirical evidence, and employing working knowledge of EBPs as they relate to early childhood special education
• Demonstrated ability to work with internal department managers and administrative team to devise workflow processes and implement strategic plans
• Demonstrated ability to interact with stakeholders, demonstrates excellent relationship building skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate ideas, suggestions, and plans effectively and concisely both verbally and in writing
• Demonstrated ability to work within a team but also able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple deliverables simultaneously and prioritize given tasks to meet the deadline
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage and prioritize multiple, often competing, priorities

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE: See Physical Demands Checklist below which represents the general physical demands and environment conditions to which the employee holding this position must meet, in addition to the duties and responsibilities listed above, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Elwyn will engage otherwise qualified candidates for this position whose disabilities may require reasonable accommodations to enable an individual to perform the essential functions.

Elwyn reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as needed. This job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive statement of duties and responsibilities of the job nor does it constitute a written or implied contract.

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