Child Care Capacity Builder – Assistant Manager/Manager/ Senior Manager

Position Title: Assistant Manager/Manager/Sr. Manager – Child Care Capacity Builder

Department: Access and Engagement

Reports To:  Manager – Early Childhood Access & Engagement

Category: Full-time: 37.5 hours per week

About Thrive Birth to Five: Thrive Birth to Five (TB5) has been the early childhood systems building organization in the Richmond Region since 2007 and was designated Ready Region Central by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Virginia Department of Education in 2022. TB5 convenes diverse public and private organizations to work collectively to ensure all children are ready to succeed in school, work, and life. Partners include childcare entities, school systems, state and local governments, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Authorities, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and local businesses. Our region includes the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties, as well as the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond. 

About Child Care Capacity: Community Engagement is one of the building blocks of a strong early childhood care & education system. TB5’s work has a goal of increasing childcare capacity through local business engagement, partnerships with local planning commissions and economic development authorities, legislative engagement, advocacy efforts, and convening with other external stakeholders. Through the Access & Engagement Department, the Leadership Team, and the Board of Directors Advocacy Committee, TB5 will develop strong public-private partnerships across the region to facilitate buy-in for shared accountability and benefit with the goals of increasing access to quality early childhood care and education (ECCE), improving compensation for the ECCE workforce, and continuing to advocate for increased investments in the early childhood system.

Roles and Responsibilities

Build and Enhance Cross-Sector Partnerships and Collaboration

• Establish and strengthen relationships with local and regional businesses, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Authorities, and Planning Districts/Commissions to promote the critical role of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in workforce development and economic growth.
• Provide direction and support to businesses to implement policies that support their employees’ access to childcare
• Provide leadership and direction for childcare capacity building and expansion of publicly funded childcare spaces
• Create and maintain a comprehensive list of resources geared towards businesses planning to invest in childcare for their employees
• Develop and assist in delivery of presentations on the economic impacts of childcare with businesses, community partners and policymakers
• Lead monthly stakeholder groups including developing and presenting relevant content and timely follow-up on action steps
• Coordinate with other projects and coalitions in early childhood and workforce development sectors to maintain a full understanding of the current landscape of local and regional activities.
• Remain up to date on programmatic best practices and opportunities to further engage stakeholders, partners and providers in systemic activities.
• Create and maintain detailed tracking of communication with stakeholders, business leaders and other community partners

Data communication and storytelling

• Create compelling, insightful narratives that highlight successes, challenges, and areas of need within early childhood systems
• Translate complex data into actionable insights for leadership and stakeholders
• Create and maintain locality specific data snapshots and a local dashboard of regional childcare capacity data
• Use regional data to drive long-term goals, recognizing patterns and challenges
• Utilize data visualization techniques to make complex data more approachable for a diverse audience
• Ensure data quality and privacy standards are consistently met

Build Shared Vision for Collective Impact

• Lead TB5 Board of Directors Advocacy committee – creating a bi-directional exchange of information to identify TB5’s advocacy priorities and direction
• Engage with advocacy partners and outside campaigns (e.g. Gotta Have Childcare, Shovel Ready) that focus on advocating for investments in early childhood
• Create and manage a regional Legislative Engagement plan that includes collaboration with Family Council, that is reviewed and updated with new goals and action steps identified and executed on an annual basis
• Organize efforts with Legislators during the General Assembly sessions
• Build relationships with ECCE providers to schedule site visits for legislators, including scheduling, preparation, set up and follow up
• Stay up to date and provide relevant legislative and policy updates to the TB5 team
• Create and implement campaigns for Week of the Young Child/Provider Appreciation Day with a focus on legislative outreach
• Utilize LinkedIn with the purpose of sharing research and resources on why Early Childhood Care and Education is important for workforce development and increase public will

Support Virginia Promise Partnership (VPP)

• Regularly meet with VPP’s Director to ensure coordination with statewide and organizational goals and initiatives
• Attend events, meetings, and community tabling opportunities organized by Virginia Promise Partnership to build awareness of the childcare movement and recruit advocates

Core Capabilities

A capacity builder focused on creating effective, equitable networks.

• Engage in public/private partnerships to elevate early childhood education as a workforce issue with investment leading to a positive return on investment, including recruitment and retention.
• Seek out, foster, and sustain relationships that yield additional capacity in early childhood care and education
• Foster a regional culture of equity, trust, transparency, and shared accountability for documented outcomes that are driven by efficient and effective use of community resources.

A nimble collaborator who can navigate change effectively.

• Effectively work with businesses and community leaders to implement a clear vision for the rapidly changing field of Early Childhood Care & Education

An externally-facing communicator

• Experienced public speaker and facilitator
• Communicate using a variety of methods to best suit the needs of varied audiences
• Passionate about early childhood care and education, brain development, and community service

Education/Experience/Skills/Qualifications

Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree is preferred and at least five years of experience, directly or combined, in public-private partnerships, advocacy, legislative engagement, and/or policy work, that will provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. Familiarity with Virginia’s Early Childhood System is a plus.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Strong Project Management and Organizational Skills: Skilled at prioritizing multiple tasks with excellent attention to detail, meeting deadlines with minimal supervision
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen provider and partner relationships and forge new ones.
• Collaboration: Effective at working with partners in diverse and complex networks to reach common goals and objectives.
• Relationship Building: Skilled at establishing and cultivating strong relationships both internally and externally – including individuals, providers, and stakeholder groups.
• Tech Savvy: Experience with CRM software (Salesforce), Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and Power Point. Experience gathering and utilizing data.
• Creative and Innovative Thinking: Actively presents new opportunities, proposes solutions and recommends best practices with a proven ability to anticipate challenges and effectively resolve potential issues through creative problem solving
• Valid Driver’s license and reliable transportation required as this position requires regional travel

Salary: $70,000 to $100,000

The position is eligible for a competitive salary and benefits package, including health and dental insurance with generous employer contributions, employer paid short-term and long-term disability and life insurance. Accrued vacation up to 20 days per full year. Hybrid work is an option after a training period, up to two days per week.

Anticipated start date:  September 2025

To submit an application:

Submit a cover letter and resume to hiring@thriveB5.org by August 11, 2025.

Thrive Birth to Five is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: we are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.