Program Director, Compass Children’s Center

About the organization: Compass Family Services is a 100+ year old nonprofit working on the front lines of San Francisco’s homeless crisis. We provide families experiencing or at risk of homelessness with comprehensive support to address immediate needs and ensure long-term success.

About the team: Compass Children’s Center is a nationally accredited enriched early childhood education center with a curriculum tailored to meet the specific needs of children living in extreme poverty and homelessness. The Center serves 70 children, ages 0-5, and their families each day, and addresses the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of the children as well as the well-being of the families.

Salary: $110,000 – 120,000 annually

Schedule: Monday – Friday, standard business hours

Location: 144 Leavenworth Street, San Francisco

Organizational Core Competencies: Accountable / Adaptable / Client-centered / Collaborative / Committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging / Resourceful

Description: The Program Director provides full center operational oversight and is responsible for ensuring the health, safety, quality, and compliance of all early childhood education and family support services within the center.

The Director is ultimately responsible for all program operations, staffing, curriculum implementation, family engagement, fiscal management, and regulatory compliance.

The Director establishes a clear vision for quality, maintains high standards of practice, and ensures that the needs of children and families are met in alignment with organizational mission, funding requirements, and regulatory standards.

Program Development and Oversight

• Provide comprehensive leadership and management of all center operations.
• Establish and maintain a vision for high-quality early childhood education and family services.
• Promote best practices in early childhood development based on California Curriculum Frameworks.
• Prepare and submit reports and documentation for government and community funders.
• Ensure implementation of recognized quality frameworks and assessment systems, including but not limited to DRDP, QRIS, CLASS, ASQ, and ASQ-SE.
• Maintain up-to-date and compliant staff files.
• Oversee daily program operations to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Develop educational curricula and collaborate with staff to develop positive learning activities. Collaborate with the Senior Director on long-range planning and program development.
• Represent the center in internal leadership meetings and cross-program collaboration efforts.
• Establish positive and productive relationships with families. Coordinate and lead regular Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings.
• Liaise with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Public Health Nurse, including but not limited to planning dental, vision, and hearing screenings, annual facilities check, and relevant reporting of outbreak of contagious illness.
• Establish a vision for quality for the center. Engage in vigilant pursuit of the highest quality program and practices.
• Ensure that the program adheres to NAEYC accreditation requirements and all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
• Liaise with Facilities Technician and Facilities Manager to ensure that all facilities-related concerns are reported and addressed in a timely manner. Oversee the mandatory lead water testing every 5 years.
• Prepare and submit reports and documentation for government and community funders.

Staff Supervision

• Directly supervise the Assistant Program Director, Site Supervisors, Speech and Language Pathologist, Family Service Coordinator, and Early Intervention Specialist including hiring, training, professional development, and ongoing supervision and support.
• Develop and implement professional development opportunities for teaching staff, including 2-4 in-service days each school year.
• Support integration of inclusive practices, individualized learning plans (IEP/IFSP), and social-emotional frameworks such as the Pyramid Model.
• Ensure curriculum and teaching practices reflect anti-bias, anti-racist, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed principles.
• Create an atmosphere of teamwork and continual learning that facilitates cooperation and communication between staff members.

Intra-Agency Participation

• Represent Compass Children’s Center as a member of the Compass Family Services Management Team.
• Work collaboratively within the Compass Early Childhood Education Programs portfolio.
• Attend program director meetings and other related meetings as appropriate.
• Engage in cross-program and cross-portfolio collaboration.

Community Outreach/Program and Agency Representation

• Represent the agency and program in the early childhood education community.
• Represent the agency and program to regulatory agencies, social service agencies and funding sources.
• Represent the agency and program in advocacy efforts within the childcare field on a city and state-wide level.

Fiscal and Budget Management

• Develop, manage, and monitor the center’s annual operating budget.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of public and private funds.
• Oversee expenditures, staffing allocations, and resource planning to ensure fiscal sustainability.
• Collaborate with finance staff to ensure accurate reporting and compliance with funding requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• BA or MA in Early Childhood Education/Special Education or related field required.
• Program Director Permit and 6 units of infant-toddler ECE (or eligible for program director permit) required.
• Five or more years of experience supervising staff.
• Spanish fluency strongly desired.
• Knowledge of requirements for Title 5 and Title 22 regulations; knowledge of NAEYC requirements a plus.
• Strong understanding of the dynamics of family homelessness and the needs of families living in poverty and crisis.
• Deep commitment to and demonstrated success discussing, integrating, and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging throughout a complex and dynamic organization.
• CPR and First Aid Certificate and Infectious Disease Prevention-trained.
• Health screening, TB and fingerprint clearance (Department of Justice, FBI, Child Abuse Index) required before start date.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Salary range: $110,000 - $120,000 annually. Full time exempt.
• Paid time off: 4 weeks of vacation your first year, 5 in your second. Also paid holidays, sick time, family leave.
• Insurance: health, dental and vision insurance are fully covered by Compass for employees and dependent children. We also provide long term disability and life insurance.
• Retirement: after one year of work, Compass contributes an amount equal to 5% of your salary into a retirement account; this vests during years 2-6.

To Apply:

Please apply through our online application. No phone calls, please.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively seek to recruit a diverse workforce. Compass embraces the idea that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging contribute to the success of our underserved communities, and therefore to shared prosperity in our city and region. Compass Family Services is committed to the continuous work of implementing specific actions that will disrupt systemic prejudice and improve equity across programs and departments, to become an example to partners who also believe in a culture of inclusion that leverages diversity.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California civil rights law, Compass Family Services will provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or candidate with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship for the agency. Requests for reasonable accommodation apply to all aspects of the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please use the answer box for the final question of the job application to let us know.