Professional Development Specialist

The professional development specialist is an early childhood expert who will help build and lead Child Care Answers' professional development services. This is a new position at Child Care Answers. With support from the Leadership team and colleagues across the organization, the specialist will help design, launch, and grow a central place where child care professionals across central Indiana can find, request, and access high-quality learning that meets their real needs.

In the first year, this role will guide our plan for professional development services by defining the structure, services, partners, and how we will measure success. The specialist will lead professional development opportunities, identify and organize experts in the field, and build a simple, reliable system for child care professionals to request the training and support they need.

The specialist will also work alongside other professional development providers to understand what child care professionals are asking for, reduce duplication, and fill gaps. Through this work, the specialist helps Child Care Answers strengthen the early care and education workforce and improve the quality of care for children and families.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Child Care Answers will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Builds and leads the plan for Child Care Answers' professional development services
  • Develops a written plan for our professional development services, including their purpose, offerings, audiences, partners, timeline, budget needs, and measures of success
  • Gathers input from child care professionals, Child Care Answers staff, Alliance members, and community partners to shape professional development services around real needs
  • Presents the plan and regular progress updates to the executive director and Leadership team, and adjusts the plan as the hub grows
  • Sets annual goals for professional development services and tracks progress toward them
• Leads professional development opportunities for child care professionals
  • Plans, schedules, and delivers trainings, workshops, learning series, and communities of practice, both in person and virtually
  • Ensures content reflects best practices in early childhood education, adult learning, and Indiana licensing and quality requirements
  • Coordinates logistics, registration, materials, and follow-up for each opportunity
  • Collects participant feedback and uses it to determine and improve future offerings
• Identifies and organizes experts in the field
  • Seeks out qualified trainers, coaches, and subject-matter experts to meet identified needs
  • Builds and maintains a roster of experts, including their areas of expertise, credentials, and availability
  • Coordinates agreements, scheduling, and expectations with experts, and reviews the quality of their sessions
• Develops a system for child care professionals to request professional development
  • Designs a clear, easy-to-use process for professionals to request training, coaching, or resources
  • Works with colleagues to select or build the tools that support the system, such as online forms, databases, or scheduling software
  • Responds to requests in a timely manner and matches professionals with the right opportunity or expert
  • Tracks requests to identify trends and unmet needs that inform Child Care Answers' professional development services plan
• Partners with other professional development providers
  • Builds relationships with professional development providers, higher education personnel, state and local agencies, and community organizations across central Indiana
  • Shares what…