Senior Director of Four Directions and Early Childhood

Who We Are

For more than 140 years, The Family Partnership has built strong families, vital communities, and better futures for children. We fulfill our mission through counseling, education, and advocacy, primarily in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul area. The Family Partnership was founded in 1878 as the Minneapolis Humane Society to protect and serve children that were being abused or exploited. Along with a few name changes, our work has continually transformed to anticipate and address the evolving needs of families and individuals, many of whom are the most vulnerable in our community.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At The Family Partnership, we partner with you and in turn, we partner with those we serve. Our programs holistically address the needs of people in our community. Through our two-generation (2Gen) or whole family approach, we work with people so they can heal from trauma and adversity and move towards greater health and well-being. Our shared values establish a common purpose across our array of programs and services. You can bring your authentic self to the workplace, while practicing both cultural competence and inclusivity. We're known for developing future leaders in the non-profit space and we expect employees to share their views. Our culture is one of open communication and transparency regardless of job level.

Wages and Benefits

$85,000 - $92,000 annual salary range; $1,000 hiring bonus after 3 months of employment; Generous paid time off, plus 10 paid holidays; competitive health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account (HSA), and options for flexible spending accounts (FSA). There is employer paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee. The employer pays for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and short and long-term disability insurance. TFP sponsors a retirement plan with a tiered vesting schedule based on years of service, plus a 2% employer contribution after one year of service.

Job Summary

The Family Partnership, a legacy nonprofit serving families in Minneapolis since 1878, is seeking a transformational, deeply experienced early education leader to serve as Senior Director of Four Directions and Early Childhood. This role will lead efforts to expand community relationships and grow enrollment while maintaining high standards of educational achievement and staff excellence.

Four Directions provides infant, toddler, preschool and Ojibwe Immersion experiences for children and families and our kindergarten readiness is 100%, far exceeding state standards. Our therapeutic, multicultural programming is unique, research-based, Parent Aware-approved, and built upon Empowering Generational Greatness (EGG) a nationally distributed executive-functioning, brain science curriculum developed, written, tested and brought to market by The Family Partnership.

This is an important and dynamic time to join Four Directions and The Family Partnership. Located in the heart of the Lake Street neighborhood, The Family Partnership is both an anchor institution and a community promise of what's possible when we support, nurture, heal, grow, engage, learn and achieve.

While Four Directions serves all families in our therapeutic multicultural environment, a significant portion of our families identify as Indigenous. The position will report directly to a member of the Executive Team at The Family Partnership, with considerable access to its' new President and CEO.

This leadership role is responsible for recruitment of children and families, setting and reaching enrollment and other financial targets, establishing and managing relationships with scholarship sources and partnering organizations, educational outcomes, supervision of staff, compliance with DHS licensing requirements, maintenance of accreditations, and all day-to-day operations at the center. This position is 100% on-site at the preschool.

Responsibilities

• Developing enrollment goals in collaboration with organizational leaders to help the center thrive.
• Implementing creative strategies to grow enrollment and strengthen the center's financial health.
• Guiding families through an efficient, welcoming enrollment process.
• Overseeing program budgets to ensure resources are used wisely and financial targets are met.
• Creating and nurturing a therapeutic multicultural early learning environment.
• Ensuring the center consistently meets DCYF licensing standards and all regulatory requirements.
• Upholding top-tier quality by maintaining NAEYC accreditation and a 4-Star Parent Aware rating.
• Sharing insight and progress through quarterly Program Quality Improvement reports.
• Observing classrooms and offering supportive, developmental feedback to educators.
• Driving strong educational outcomes for children and families through data-informed decision-making.
• Building meaningful, trust-based relationships with parents and ensuring that services reflect family needs.
• Collaborating closely with internal TFP teams to provide holistic support for children and families.
• Partnering with the Data and Impact Manager to track impact and guide program improvement.
• Working with Advancement staff to support fundraising efforts and showcase the center's success.
• Growing and strengthening partnerships with Indigenous and community organizations.
• Maintaining trusted relationships with scholarship and funding partners.
• Leading and inspiring a dedicated team of early childhood professionals.

Who You Are

• You are at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or equivalent; A Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Human Services, or a related field is preferred.
• You have at least 9 quarter credits or 90 hours in staff supervision, human relations, or child development.
• You bring 1,040 hours of paid or unpaid staff supervision experience.
• You have a minimum of 5 years of experience in human services, child development, or a related field.
• You have experience partnering with American Indian communities and organizations.
• You demonstrate strong knowledge of child development, family services, program management, and community partnerships.
• You understand American Indian communities, cultural norms, and traditions.
• You demonstrate the ability to identify, plan, and implement program improvements that elevate service quality.
• You have the ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures, including families experiencing intergenerational adversity and trauma.
• You demonstrate the ability to follow through on initiatives.
• You have the ability to provide consistent, constructive feedback to support and strengthen staff performance.
• You meet Lead Teacher qualifications under Minnesota Child Care Center Licensing requirements.
• You are trained in CPR and First Aid.
• You successfully pass a NetStudy 2.0 background check.
• You have a valid driver's license, access to reliable transportation, and the ability to meet TFP's driving record requirements. Please note that if the license was not issued in the state of Minnesota, you have 60 days after becoming a Minnesota resident in which to apply for your Minnesota driver's license or permit (not applicable for new hires living out of state).

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of The Family Partnership. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We value the contributions of a diverse workforce, and we welcome and encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

The Family Partnership participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf. See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.