Director of Program Strategy

Equal Opportunity Employer

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services.  Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.  This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

JOB SUMMARY

Home Grown, a fiscally sponsored project of the Health Federation of Philadelphia, is a national collaborative dedicated to creating a more inclusive child care system that values and supports home-based child care (HBCC), including care provided by family, friends, and neighbors (FFN). The organization envisions a future where all children have access to quality care that fosters their growth, learning, and well-being. By addressing systemic barriers and amplifying the unique value of HBCC, Home Grown advocates for sustainable change that positions HBCC as a viable and high-quality child care option for families. Guided by core values such as community-centered approaches, collective action, and innovation, the organization prioritizes uplifting care providers and families, fostering provider-led networks, and building scalable solutions.

The Director of Program Strategy leads the vision, strategy, development, and delivery of Home Grown’s programmatic portfolio. A key member of the Management Team, the Director provides vision and direction across multiple initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, values, partner needs, and field trends.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Director oversees program direction and implementation, partner strategy, and resource planning. Their expertise will be applied across program design, evaluation, and delivery. They are responsible for identifying and developing new initiatives, applying data-driven insights to continuously improve programs, and supervising program staff, thereby driving innovation and impact. 

This role requires the ability to work both independently and collaboratively across teams, with the ability to thrive in a predominantly remote environment. The Director must have the ability to both zoom in on details and drive progress on the big picture. The Director holds responsibility for budgets, timelines, reporting, and external partnerships.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties

Team Supervision

• Create a supportive team environment that motivates innovation, embraces challenges, and encourages new approaches to complex problems.
• Supervise and develop a team of program staff, fostering an equity-centered culture that embraces feedback, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Support independent and self-motivated professionals who collaborate and share learning to advance collective goals. 
• Provide tailored support to team members from diverse backgrounds, recognizing and valuing the unique perspectives and lived experiences they bring to the work. 

Program Oversight

• Set strategic direction for Home Grown’s programs.
• Design and manage systems to ensure quality, track progress, measure success, and integrate learning to continuously enhance program effectiveness.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for new programs, program growth, replication, or redesign in response to field trends, organizational capacity, data insights, and funding landscapes.
• Maintain oversight of multiple projects to ensure effective resource utilization.
• Confidently navigate ambiguity and transform inputs into a clear, strategic direction.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Cultivate trusting relationships with partner organizations, providers, and other key stakeholders.
• Connect meaningfully with diverse stakeholders and navigate complex partnership dynamics.
• Support and, when needed, step in to manage consultant and partner relationships. 
• Serve as the senior point of contact for program partners and ensure effective dissemination of program-related information.
• Represent Home Grown in national and regional networks.

Data-Driven Program Improvement

• Use data, evaluation, and field insights to inform strategic pivots, assess impact, shape strategy and lead continuous program improvement.
• Establish and maintain reporting metrics and systems to track program performance, outcomes, and operational needs.
• Draw upon best practices to evolve Home Grown’s programmatic direction.

Collaboration

• Guide cross-functional program planning to ensure integration and alignment of efforts with policy, communications, and operations teams.
• Provide input on program sustainability, including assessing whether initiatives should be adapted, replicated, or sunsetted.
• Participate in grant and report development to ensure program impact is well-documented and aligned with funding requirements.
• Uphold Home Grown’s values in all aspects of the role, promoting integrity, equity, and trust across the organization and field.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage program budgets, monitor performance, and recommend resource adjustments to align with strategy and operational needs.
• Assess capacity and resource gaps and advocate for adjustments to meet evolving priorities.

Education:  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in public policy, early childhood education, social work, human services, measurement and evaluation, or related field

Skills/Experience

Required:

• Minimum 8 years of management experience, including staff supervision.
• Demonstrated success directing complex initiatives or program portfolios. 
• Demonstrated success managing external partnerships, consultants, and cross-sector collaborations.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking with detail-oriented execution.
• Strong background in program implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Direct service experience in early childhood education, social work, or a related field.
• Fluency using data to drive decision-making, including experience with caseload management, program evaluation, or performance measurement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Demonstrated success building meaningful, trusting relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including providers, funders, and policymakers.
• Comfort working mostly remotely with a high level of independence and the ability to operate effectively in a low to moderate structure environment.

Preferred:

• Bilingual (Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese preferred).
• Experience working in or familiarity with home-based child care settings.
• Previous experience in policy coordination or advocacy.
• Background in designing and implementing technical assistance or capacity-building programs.

First Six Months Priorities

• Build trust, relationships, and alignment across internal staff and key partners.
• Begin developing a strategic and accountable approach to program delivery.
• Assess the landscape of Home Grown’s programs and identify areas for improvement, growth, focus, redesign, or efficiency.
• In collaboration with the management team, begin shaping a strategy for Home Grown’s programs.
• Lead transition planning for initiatives and responsibilities moving from senior leadership to the program team’s portfolio. 
• Develop systems for tracking program effectiveness and reporting key insights to leadership.
• Establish a clear process for managing external consultants.

Work Environment:  Fully remote position working with a national team. We have a preference for candidates residing in Central states or the Southeast. This position offers the opportunity for hybrid work in downtown Philadelphia.

Position Type and Work Schedule:  Full-time position. Typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm to the candidates local time. Flexible office schedule options are available with supervisor approval.

Travel:  Ability to travel up to 15% of the time annually to conferences, to meet with members of the community  and for internal gatherings.

Physical Demands:  n/a

Salary and Benefits:  Our employees are our most valuable resource, so we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, which can include:

• Medical with vision benefits
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance 
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
• Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal, and holiday
• Employee Assistance Program

Eligibility and participation are handled consistently with the plan documents and HFP policy.  

For applicants living outside the Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey tri-state area, full-time employment through an Employer of Record with a comparable benefits package may be considered.

DISCLAIMER

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.