Career Center

Position Overview

The Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) within the Institute of Child Development is seeking a Curriculum Specialist for the Trainer and Relationship-Based Professional Development Specialist Support (TARSS) program. The person for this role has extensive experience working in childcare programming, especially in the areas of training and curriculum development. This individual will work closely with TARSS and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Development Services (CDS) Division personnel to organize, coordinate, and maintain the DHS curriculum library. This individual will also develop and lead additional projects serving the Trainer and RBPD Specialist community, especially in the areas of course writing and course development. Activities include creating, managing, and modifying DHS-owned courses; partnering with DHS and DHS-funded organizations to determine curriculum needs throughout the state; developing a continuous improvement plan aimed at enhancing course content; developing support processes for course writers; and working with the TARSS team to meet deliverables outlined within the work plan. This person will work closely with the TARSS Project Manager, the Associate Director of Program Quality, and the DHS Workforce Development Director designing, implementing, and evaluating these projects. 

CEED serves as an intellectual home for high-quality, cutting-edge research and evaluation in the early childhood workforce, including research-to-practice on multiple early childhood related topics, professional development and program quality for early childhood professionals, workforce issues in early childhood, and evaluation of early childhood programming. Competitive applicants will have a track record of leading early childhood training and course/curriculum development; demonstrated experience supporting other professionals within early childhood programming; demonstrated experience creating and disseminating professional development; extensive experience with the Develop data system; and experience contributing to successful grant proposals and reports. This position will report to Kristina Erstad-Sankey, Associate Director, Center for Early Education and Development.

The individual in this position works under an annually renewable contract contingent upon performance and available funding.

The University of Minnesota is a national leader in research, education, and outreach. This position would add to that mission by being a part of the research-to-practice arm of the number one developmental psychology program in the nation. The individual in this role will join a vibrant team working on several exciting research-to-practice opportunities. This role is classified under Professional and Administrative (P&A), which provides excellent benefits and opportunities to partner with internal and external early childhood faculty, researchers, and organizations.

This position is based on campus. Per UMN policy, work may be done remotely when appropriate and approved by your manager.  All UMN employees are expected to follow applicable public health and safety procedures.  

Job Responsibilities

Project Oversight (75%):

• Serve as a curriculum specialist in a statewide childcare training and RBPD specialist support project
• Create, modify, maintain, and disseminate online and in-person learning opportunities for adult learners
• Develop and implement at least one statewide conference per year
• Lead the day-to-day operations and collaborate with the team to implement project deliverables
• Lead and train groups of course writers to develop high-quality early childhood courses for child care professionals
• Coordinate with external partners
• Collaborate with team members to collect, analyze, and report program data

Teaming and Collaboration (25%):

• Work closely with the TARSS Project Manager, the Associate Director, and the rest of the TARSS project personnel to develop and implement project deliverables
• Participate in meetings to generate new ideas to meet future project goals
• Attend professional conferences, colloquia, and symposia
• Complete other tasks as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• BA/BS in relevant field (early childhood development, child psychology, early childhood education, early childhood special education, social work, human development, psychology) or closely related field, and three or more years of related professional experience.

• 3 or more years of related professional experience as a trainer, course/curriculum developer, and/or consultant within early childhood programming.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with people from a variety of communities, backgrounds, and identities

• Experience leading projects or programs in early childhood

• Experience with adult learning and training

• Experience developing and disseminating online and in-person content

• Ability to maintain data confidentiality.

• Willingness and ability to travel within the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and to other statewide locations.

• Ability to conduct oneself in a professional manner; prompt, can complete duties in a timely and responsible manner; works well under pressure and can follow appropriate channels of response.

• Evidence of success in leading a team of people to meet project objectives and deliverables

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in early childhood development, child psychology, early childhood education, early childhood special education, social work, human development, psychology or closely related field
• Direct practice/work experience with infants, young children, and families
• Demonstrated experience working on large-scale projects
• Completed the RBPD Credentials
• Demonstrated skills in interpersonal communication, administrative leadership, project management, and team building
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in working with community partners, such as child care programs, non-profit organizations that serve diverse families with young children, local schools, state and local health, human service and education agencies, and other community-based organizations supporting families at risk
• Demonstrated success in working in collaborative, multi-disciplinary environments

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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