Head Start Program Director

Position

The Head Start Program Director reports to the Director of Human Services, or their designee, leads a team of professionals, and is responsible for the direction, management, and implementation of the Head Start/Early Head Start Birth-to-Five program. The Head Start Program Director continuously monitors the progress on meeting child outcomes and school readiness goals with the deliberate intent of meeting or exceeding the national average for child outcomes. The position oversees 6 direct reports, a department budget of $25 million, and staff of 100.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the division, establishing priorities, goals, policies, performance standards, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.
• Build and sustain collaborative relationships with the Head Start Policy Council, Advisory Board, Mayor’s Office, City leadership, County, State and Federal partners, regulatory agencies, delegate partners, and community stakeholders.
• Ensure high-quality, culturally responsive child development services aligned with Head Start Performance Standards and California early childhood education standards and Community Care licensing.
• Oversee fiscal management, including budget development, financial oversight, contract administration, invoice processing, payments and pursuit of grants and alternative funding sources.
• Review budgets, checking that expenditures align with allowable uses, and watching for early signs of risk – whether in financial reports, staffing patterns or enrollment data.
• Direct and coordinate division operations, ensuring consistency in policy implementation and effective collaboration with external agencies, consultants, and vendors.
• Recruit, supervise, and develop staff; address public inquiries and eligibility determinations; and provide technical assistance to community partners.
• Establish community engagement, education and training programs for clients, partners and members of the public. This could be townhalls or listening sessions.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be an experienced program administrator with strong business acumen, staff management, problem-solving skills, crisis management abilities, fiscal stewardship, change management and a demonstrated track record of fostering a culture of collaboration, high performance, service excellence, and accountability in a transparent manner. This individual should bring deep expertise in systematically collecting, analyzing, presenting and using data, including Head Start Performance Standards to drive programmatic and operational decisions that improve outcomes for children.

Key Attributes

• Mission-driven, community-centered leadership with a clear commitment to equity and positive outcomes for children and families.
• Deep Head Start/Early Childhood expertise, with a strong command of compliance, monitoring, and performance standards (comfortable navigating multiple funding streams and regulations).
• Politically astute and publicly accountable; able to operate effectively in a transparent environment with public meetings, community advocates, and multiple oversight bodies.
• Relationship builder with presence; able to partner with Policy Council, Advisory Board/ City leadership, unions, providers, and cross-department stakeholders.
• Operational strength and systems mindset; able to stabilize and improve systems, staffing structures, and service delivery across multiple sites and program models.
• Talent and culture leader who deploys a strong strategy in hiring, retaining, developing, coaching, and building healthy team dynamics. The following qualifications are guidelines, as the appointing authority has broad discretion in filling exempt positions.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in public or business administration, human services, education, health services, sociology, psychology, or closely related field. Master’s degree in a related field is desirable.

Experience: Five (5) years of responsible supervisory or managerial experience in human services program administration. Experience in federally funded programs is desirable.

License: Individuals who are appointed to this position will be required to maintain a valid California Driver’s License throughout the tenure of employment OR demonstrate the ability to travel to various locations in a timely manner as required in the performance of duties.

The Process

The process for the Program Director position will begin with the screening of applications, resumes, and cover letters by The Hawkins Company. The most qualified candidates will be contacted to arrange a screening interview, which will determine who advances to the interview phase. Interviews will be conducted likely with a panel of technical experts and other stakeholders familiar with the position and with internal representatives. Final candidates will be interviewed by the Human Services Director and the program’s governing bodies.

Compensation and Benefits

This comprehensive package reflects the City’s commitment to attracting and retaining top talent in public service. The salary range for this position is $164,730.84 - $202,265.88 annually. Salary is negotiable within the defined range depending on qualifications. Benefits include generous medical insurance, life insurance, automobile allowance, paid holidays, vacation, sick leave, management leave, public sector retirement (CalPERS 2.5% @ 55 classic member; 2% @ 62 new PEPRA member), and voluntary deferred compensation.

How to Apply

To be considered, please submit your resume and cover letter outlining the background and experience that make you the ideal candidate, electronically, to by April 10, 2026. Applicants who apply by the deadline will receive first consideration. The position remains open until filled. For additional information or questions, please contact Yonnine Hawkins Garr at , or Will Hawkins at , or Tisa Jones, at ,

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