Grantee specialist

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.

The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers.

In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI) Regional Head Start business unit Grantee Specialist provides training, consultation, and technical assistance to Head Start recipients on management systems including program planning, fiscal management and governance issues.

Grantee Specialists work at the direction of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Regional Office.

Essential Functions

• Provides intensive on-site, group and virtual training and technical assistance (TTA) to grant recipients designed to help recipients strengthen their internal management systems and ensure they follows best research-based practices and are compliant with the Head Start Act and regulations as related to governance, program management and fiscal operations.
• Provides technical assistance (TA) to individual grant recipients with identified Federal monitoring and overview findings on the development and implementation of a comprehensive Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), informed by a root cause analysis, as directed by the regional office.
• Maintains regular and timely communication with Regional Office staff throughout the duration of delivery of TA including communication on progress towards corrective actions and quality improvement.
• Provides TTA to recipients on emerging Head Start priorities, guidance to new directors, and short-term recipient requests.
• Complies with all national, regional, contract, and UMDI planning and reporting requirements which includes required reports for each TTA event for the use and reference of the recipient, Regional Office, Central Office, other government officials, and other members of the public.
• Coordinates TTA with Region I Team Specialists in Early Childhood, Family Engagement, Health and Systems to ensure effective integration of management and delivery systems.
• Develops and provides effective virtual and / or in-person trainings to a variety of audiences including Regional Office staff and state partners.

Other Functions

• Attends meetings as required by contract, the OHS and the TTA Coordinator (TTAC). This includes in-person quarterly meetings at the ACF offices in Boston, bi-annual meetings in Washington DC, and four team meetings at UMDI headquarters at minimum.
• Performs other special project-related work as required at the direction of the Contract Office Representative (COR) or TTAC and functions as representative and liaison for the Regional TTA network in national, regional and state committees.
• Participates in business unit and UMDI initiatives as required.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Minimum of five (5) years' experience related to program and / or organizational management and / or fiscal operations in or with Head Start / Early Head Start (HS / EHS) programs and the development and implementation of comprehensive management systems.
• Experience assisting organizations to address compliance issues and working with recipients experiencing management and organizational structure changes.
• Experience providing TA to recipients in analyzing and redesigning systems to improve the effectiveness and quality of program operations.
• Experience providing TA to governing bodies, management teams and program staff.
• Demonstrated experience, knowledge and / or skills in at least one of the following :
• Fiscal management expertise in either Head Start or Federal grants and contracts.
• Data gathering, analysis, evaluation and reporting.
• Ability to help recipients prioritize goals and objectives, plan and assess progress for five-year grant periods.
• Experience providing trainings to large groups and one-on-one TTA in-person and virtually, to include proficiency in the use of virtual platforms and tools.
• Experience communicating, both orally and in writing, to various audiences.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Master's Degree.
• Academic disciplines : Public Administration, Business Administration or Management.
• Knowledge and experience with Process Consultation.

Physical Demands / Working Conditions

• Must maintain a home office, with high-speed internet access, sufficiently free of distractions to allow work to be done.
• UMDI will supply laptop computer, printer / copier, LCD projector, computer speakers, cell phone. Other equipment and resources may be provided.

All must be returned to UMDI when leaving UMDI service or upon the conclusion of the contract.

• Ability to travel throughout New England at least 50% of the time. Nationwide travel on occasion. On-site work may be required for periods of time ranging from one day to several weeks.
• Must be able to transport and set up equipment and materials to TTA sessions weighing up to 20 lbs. per item.
• The physical / mental demands and work environment factors described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Additional Details

• This is a full-time, benefited position.
• This position is funded by grants and / or contracts and is contingent upon funding.
• Applicants must be work authorized for employment in the U.S. on a full-time basis.
• Successful candidate must live in one of the six New England states : Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont.
• Job offer is contingent upon the Office of Head Start acceptance and approval.
• Any job offer is specifically conditioned upon the potential candidate consenting to and successfully completing a background review.
• The Regional Head Start business work is built upon advancing equity and strives to use culturally responsive and equitable practices in all of its work.

To this end, we are actively working to engage a diverse team of Training, Consultant, and Technical Assistant Specialists that is reflective of the Head Start Community.

Work Schedule

• Standard full-time work schedule consisting of five, eight-hour days and 40 hours each week. Work performed in addition to regular hours may be necessary, as may be a change in availability at specific times, to accommodate for variations in work demands.
• This position has the opportunity for a remote work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where the employee's work location is to work from a site other than the UMass Amherst campus.

As this position falls within the Professional Staff Union, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the Professional Staff Union collective bargaining agreement.

Salary Information

Level 30

PSU Hiring Ranges

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three (3) professional reference.

The search will remain open until filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.

To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.

Last updated : 2024-02-25