Associate and Senior Director roles, Early Childhood

Summary

Afton Partners is seeking an Associate and a Senior Director to support and lead strategic planning, policy, and systems design engagements for Early Childhood clients. The roles advise governments, philanthropic funders, and mission-driven organizations, with responsibilities spanning research, analysis, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, systems design, team leadership, and implementation support.

Responsibilities

• Lead large strategic planning and systems design engagements with Early Childhood clients across the country
• Own the delivery of our largest and most complex early childhood engagements, from shaping the initial problem to producing a final plan that clients adopt and put into action
• Statewide or local early childhood commissions and task forces charged with setting long-term strategy
• Strategic plans for funder collaboratives and philanthropic initiatives
• Organizational strategic plans and business plans for system intermediaries, advocacy organizations, and early childhood providers
• Systems design work on governance, funding, quality, access and affordability, and workforce compensation and pathways
• Structure ambiguous problems, ensure comprehensive and meaningful stakeholder engagement, design and facilitate decision-making processes, build a compelling case for a path forward, and move diverse stakeholders to action
• Lead project teams of Directors, Managers, and Associates and develop them through the work
• Partner with Managing Directors and Partners on business development and practice growth
• Carry out research, analysis, and engagement tasks that shape the recommendations our clients act on
• Facilitating public commissions and advisory bodies
• Engaging communities
• Assessing needs and gaps
• Modeling costs and informing funding policy options
• Studying workforce compensation and benefits strategies
• Planning state and local governance strategies
• Supporting program design and implementation
• Produce accurate, well-organized work and steadily build your expertise

Skills

• Strong management consulting skills
• Knowledge of the federal, state, and local ECEC landscape
• The leadership skills to build and develop strong teams
• Strong subject-matter or technical expertise
• Demonstrated success in leading complex, multi-stakeholder strategic initiatives from start to finish
• Analytically strong
• Curious
• Eager to learn fast

Qualifications

Must Haves

• strong management consulting skills
• knowledge of the federal, state, and local ECEC landscape
• the leadership skills to build and develop strong teams
• strong subject-matter or technical expertise
• demonstrated success in leading complex, multi-stakeholder strategic initiatives from start to finish
• analytically strong
• curious
• eager to learn fast

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• 401(k) with company match