Director of Quality Assessment-State of IL

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and asks how do we become more "student ready" so that we may better serve our students. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our community works hard in the service of students and supports one another like a family.

What We Offer:

At National Louis University we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Benefits.

Job Summary:

The Director of Quality Assessment for the State of Illinois is a key leadership position within the Center for Early Childhood Leadership (CECL), housed within the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood (MIEC) at National Louis University (NLU). This role is responsible for directing the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) assessment system and associated teams within CECL. The Director leads the team and ensures that all contract deliverables, reports, schedules, and budget metrics are met with fidelity and in a timely manner. The Director represents the Center for Early Childhood Leadership and the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood professionally and responsibly at all times, promoting a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) that enables all team members and constituents to thrive in their work and lives.

Leadership for ISBE and IDHS Assessment Teams.

Provides oversight and leadership for the ExceleRate ISBE and IDHS assessment teams.
• Directly supervises the Manager of Quality Assessment to ensure equitable management of staff and resources to meet scopes of work and all pertinent deliverables.
• Supervises Report Specialists, to ensure timely submission of reports and documentation as required by funders and stakeholders. Oversees workflow of IDHS and ISBE report review, quarterly reports, and special projects as required and requested by funders.
• Serves as a partner, as needed, with the Director of Quality Assessment to the City of Chicago regarding issues relating to the assessment system across CECL, to ensure alignment, cross-training, and sharing of resources as necessary.
• Serves as liaison to ISBE and IDHS, with the Quality Assessment Manager and Report Specialists, regarding issues, opportunities, and communications relating to the assessment system across the state.
• Represents CECL and MIEC at state and national levels, demonstrating high levels of professionalism, an understanding of DEIB and its importance within quality rating improvement systems (QRIS) and team leadership, as well as ethical decision making, related to QRIS and team leadership at CECL/MIEC.
• Keeps the Managing Director apprised of ongoing work with ISBE and IDHS contracts, ensuring that the Managing Director is fully engaged in all aspects of the partnership(s).
• Works with the CECL/MIEC team to recruit and hire staff; oversees and ensures timely compliance with NLU HR, payroll, and performance management systems.

Contract and Fiscal Management.

• Is responsible for all aspects of the ISBE and IDHS contracts related to assessment work.
• Works closely with ISBE and IDHS to ensure scopes of work and contract deliverables are met with fidelity and on time.
• Assists with completion of quarterly and annual reports, as required by each contract.
• Leads team in being responsive to meeting the expectations of the contracts.
• Ensures fiscal responsibilities are met with fidelity - assists the Managing Director of CECL and Director of Finance and Operations for MIEC to monitor and judiciously expend the ISBE and IDHS budgets.
• Identify and streamline operations to maximize efficiencies and resources, i.e. utilizing tools such as team work logs to examine best possible, equitable distribution of work across teams and employees.

Thought Leadership.

• Represents MIEC, CECL and NLU in forums within the state and nationally - at conferences, meetings, and through written communicate:
• Serves as a subject matter expert, particularly as related to environmental rating scales used for quality rating systems across the country.
• Is able to easily answer questions related to environment rating scales, assessment protocols, and implementation impacts through a listserve and other venues.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to DEIB when representing MIEC/CECL/NLU internally and externally both as a thought leader and team leader.

Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

• Participates as a member of the Leadership Team and with Managing Director of CECL, explores new funding opportunities and reviews grants.
• Assists in hiring decisions, strategic planning, and marketing strategies development.
• Provides insight into project decisions to leverage resources and promotes the financial stability of the Center for Early Childhood Leadership.
• Reviews and edits CECL materials, as needed.
• Acts as a role model within the organization, promoting a healthy organizational culture, particularly related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Other duties as assigned

• Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Leadership, or related field OR Bachelor's Degree with considerable (10+yrs or longer experience) + Master's Degree in progress.
• Five plus (5+) years administrative experience providing direct supervision and evaluation of staff
• Three plus (3+) years experience working in an early childhood program, either as a teacher, administrator, home visitor, early interventionist or related.
• Three plus (3+) years experience working with data, quality assessment, grant deliverables, and related research. This work experience is directly related to environmental rating scales (one or more of the following: PAS, BAS, CLASS, ECERS, ITERS and/or ITERS) and/or quality rating improvement systems (QRIS) using such tools.
• Three plus (3+) years demonstrated proficiency at budget management and fiscal responsibility related to grants, grant contracts, grant deliverables, and team/resource management.
• Two plus (2+) years demonstrated evidence at being highly skilled in technology, writing, and editing.
• One plus (1+) years experience presenting in local, state, or national forums.

• Leadership Management: Ability to articulate a clear vision for QRIS and inspire staff, stakeholders, and partners; Competence in long-term planning to drive QRIS objectives, ensuring alignment with state and national early childhood standards; Experience managing teams, providing mentorship, and fostering professional growth within the QRIS team; Proficiency in overseeing complex projects, managing timelines, and ensuring deliverables are met; Ability to lead and manage organizational change, particularly in response to evolving standards and policies in early childhood education.

• Early Childhood Education Expertise: In-depth understanding of early learning standards, child development, and best practices in ECE; Experience with assessment tools and methods used in rating early childhood programs, such as CLASS, ECERS, and other quality metrics; Knowledge of services and programs for children from birth to five years, including early intervention, preschool, and home visiting programs.

• Policy and Regulatory Competencies: Strong understanding of federal, state, and local policies impacting early childhood education, such as licensing regulations, accreditation, and child care subsidies; deep understanding of policies that promote high-quality early childhood programs and ability to work with policymakers and stakeholders; Ability to analyze data from QRIS systems to guide program improvement and make evidence-based recommendations.

• Communication/Interpersonal: Communicates effectively and appropriately. Uses good judgment as to what to communicate to whom as well as the best way to get that accomplished. Speaks in a clear and credible manner, selecting the right tone for the situation and audience. Listens to others and allows them to make their point.

• Managing Employee Performance: Takes action to ensure that employees fully understand their roles, responsibilities, and performance standards/expectations and provides ongoing feedback and support as employees strive to achieve expectations. Engages in two-way conversations throughout the year that ensure an up-to-date understanding of expectations, performance gaps and actions required to close any gaps

Work environment/Physical Demands/Travel Requirements:

Constant computer work/data entry in an office environment, long periods of sitting and heavy phone and computer usage. This position is based in Chicago or Lisle with travel between the two campuses required. Some statewide travel is also required.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.