Community Organizer: Early Childhood Education

Organizational Overview: College Unbound (CU) is an accredited and state-approved college whose mission is to reinvent the higher education experience for underrepresented returning adult learners. Through rigorous and engaged scholarship, College Unbound integrates students’ own purposes for learning with the needs of their workplaces and communities, improving the lives of the students and the lives of those they touch. Started in RI, College Unbound now supports students across multiple states and looks to continue to develop an infrastructure to support this developing model.

Position Summary: College Unbound (CU) seeks an Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector-specific Community Organizer (CO) to build, strengthen, and grow partnerships across Washington State that expand access to CU’s bachelor’s degree initiative for people interested in starting or advancing their career in early childhood education. Reporting to the Washington-based Site Director, the CO will work closely with College Unbound staff, overseeing the collaboration between organizations. This role will also cultivate relationships with ECE employers, state agencies, professional associations, advocacy coalitions, and community organizations to create clear and supported pathways for educators to earn their degree and advance in their careers. The ideal candidate is a relationship-builder, systems thinker, and collaborator who understands the ECE workforce landscape and is committed to equity in higher education and workforce mobility.

About College Unbound’S ECE Initiative:

As an EarlyEdU Alliance member and with funding from Bezos Family Foundation and Ballmer Group, College Unbound has developed an initiative for people interested in starting or advancing their career in early childhood education, offering an annual $3,500 scholarship as well as the opportunity to access ECE classes and earn free college credit for training, certifications, and field experience.

College Unbound is an accredited, nonprofit college designed specifically for adults. CU awards credit for prior learning and lived experience, allowing students to earn their degrees on an accelerated timeline with minimal out-of-pocket cost. CU’s flexible schedule allows students to attend full-time while continuing to work full-time, and our high-support approach ensures students have access to the resources they need to overcome barriers that might otherwise get in the way of degree completion.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Partnerships

• Foster and maintain partnerships in Early Childhood Education that provide access to prospective CU students and can provide additional employment opportunities and pathways.
  • Build partnerships with early childhood education employers, networks, unions, and statewide ECE agencies in Washington State.
  • Advise the Site Director on MOUs, partnership plans, and program agreements that support student pipelines and employer-sponsored cohorts.
  • Represent College Unbound in ECE convenings, committees, and statewide/national forums alongside the Site Director.

Fundraising/Development

• Introduces the Regional Director and CAO to corporate funders, foundations, and individual benefactors.

Organization Operations

• Participates in Weekly Regional Check-In Meetings.
• Responsible for the collection and reporting of accurate and timely data.

Public Relations

• Manage public relations and marketing efforts, serving as a CU spokesperson in building CU’s reputation, increasing community awareness, and sharing CU’s message -- both internally, with students, and externally, with public, private, and community partners at the Site.
• Provide leadership in enhancing CU’s image and mission by assuming a visible, highly regarded presence at the Site and working closely with other professional, civic, and private organizations where necessary.

Strategic Leadership/Program Development

• Build the essential, collaborative civic relationships to advance CU’s strategic goals, especially within the targeted Sector.
• Recruit prospective Lab Faculty within the target Sector who are able to provide CU students with authentic, relational, and meaningful learning experiences.
• Stay current with ECE workforce initiatives, credentialing systems, compensation reforms, and licensure requirements, including national head start requirements.
• Act as liaison between ECE sector and CU’s Assistant Provost and Director of Curriculum Development to identify opportunities for credit for prior learning (CPL) and on-the-job learning tied to early childhood roles.

Requirements:

• a Master’s degree in Education, Psychology, Social Work, Non-profit Leadership, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in early childhood education, workforce development, higher education, or related fields with a deep knowledge of ECE workforce systems and state policies, nationally and locally, with emphasis on Washington State (e.g., DCYF, ECEAP, Head Start, WAC requirements).
• Management Skills: hands-on experience, be highly organized, a problem solver, with proven ability to multitask, handle pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Relationship and Interpersonal Skills: experience in building, sustaining, and deepening relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders, including non-profit and community partnerships, parents, elected and appointed officials, major donors, and others. Cultural competence in working with diverse communities.
• People Management, Financial, and Operational Abilities: the ability to work with, build bridges, and motivate a diverse group of professionals through empowerment, creative leadership, and team building. Experience in managing operational budgets and finance.
• Communication Skills: excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholder groups.