The Opportunity

The Program Director is responsible for statewide program strategy, implementation, data, and analysis and continuously develops, implements, and improves processes and systems that ensure that clinics across the state have the support they need to operate high-quality programs with strong fidelity to the Reach Out and Read model. The Program Director manages the technical assistance and supportive services provided to Reach Out and Read clinics across Wisconsin. This position supervises program staff with a targeted focus on ensuring that the Reach Out and Read intervention is implemented to achieve impact with the families and children we serve.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Director works closely to develop strategy, set goals, and evaluate progress and efficacy, as well as develop staffing models and recruit staff over time.

Currently, about 304 participating sites touch the lives of 146,300 children and their families in 60 counties each year – or one in three of all infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in the state. As an evidence-based, highly scalable program, Reach Out and Read has the potential to significantly influence child and family outcomes in Wisconsin.

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include:

Program Support, Operations, and Quality (30%):

Lead all program support activities to ensure effective technical assistance and professional development services are delivered to participating clinics statewide.
Continuously evaluate and improve systems and processes to optimize efficiency.
Develop a health system “point person” for clinics with three or more Reach Out and Read participants, overseeing Program Specialists' annual review meetings to enhance engagement.
Implement continuous quality improvement systems to ensure high-quality programs and engage medical providers effectively.
Lead strategic goal setting for the program, aligning with the organization's long-term vision. Provide program-focused expertise in senior leadership team discussions and contribute to organizational development efforts.
Create and implement annual program goals, ensuring alignment with broader organizational strategies.
Develop and manage an annual program site visit plan, ensuring frequency of visits based on program needs and quality ratings.
Oversee new program growth strategies, applying an equity lens and aligning with organizational goals.
Supervise training and development for new programs, medical providers, and support staff. Ensure existing programs offer ongoing professional development opportunities.
Create resources, handouts, and training materials for program implementation and quality improvement.
Supervise program staff, overseeing recruitment, hiring, training, day-to-day supervision, and performance evaluation. Assess staffing models and provide recommendations to the Executive Director.
Serve as a national programmatic leader, representing Wisconsin on national task forces and contributing to program development.

Team Leadership (30%):

Represent the program team in senior leadership discussions, providing strategic input to help shape the organization's goals and decisions.
Lead, mentor, and supervise the Wisconsin Program Team, fostering a collaborative culture and guiding staff to achieve program goals.
Oversee recruitment, hiring, training, retention, and performance evaluations of team members. Provide feedback and coaching to drive individual and team development.
Regularly assess team structure and provide recommendations for staffing changes to the Executive Director.
Ensure program staff are well-supported to maintain performance and professional growth.

Program Data, Analysis, and Reporting (20%):

Develop and maintain programmatic tools and systems to measure progress, impact, and annual goals.
Lead data analysis to assess training needs and present data for reporting, planning, fundraising, and communications.
Oversee the submission of biannual progress reports from clinics, developing systems to address submission barriers.
Ensure the collection of qualitative data (testimonials, quotes, photos) from clinics for communications and fundraising. Provide resources to clinics for high-quality data collection.
Organize and distribute qualitative data to staff and other projects as needed.
Contribute to informational materials and reports that highlight program impact.
Provide direct program support to clinics, delegating tasks as needed based on staffing and program growth

Book Support and Funding (10%):

Lead the assessment of programs’ needs for book funding and oversee documenting programs’ Lead the assessment of programs' needs for book funding, ensuring equitable and timely distribution.
Coordinate book funding to meet grant requirements and ensure proper documentation.
Serve as Wisconsin’s liaison to book vendors and coordinate purchases with the National Center.

Partnership Development and Sustainability (10%):

Increase understanding of system-wide strategies among participating clinics and their impact on program quality and sustainability.
Cultivate relationships with health system leaders to encourage their support of Reach Out and Read.
Engage clinics in fundraising best practices, connecting them to the Development Manager when needed.
Support advocacy skill development in medical champions through mentorship and clinic visits by community leaders and legislators.
Represent Reach Out and Read in meetings, committees, and presentations to facilitate partnerships.

Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We’ll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

Commitment to increasing equity in opportunity and outcomes for children and to recognizing factors known to significantly impact differential outcomes for children, including race, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status.
7+ years of experience in program implementation, continuous quality improvement, or professional development support within healthcare, social work, parenting support, early education, or related fields
Demonstrated experience leading teams, projects, or initiatives, with the ability to support, mentor, and guide others in a collaborative environment
Strong leadership and management skills, including excellent communication, organization, project management, team leadership, facilitation, and time management, with superior attention to detail and follow-through
Ability to effectively supervise virtually distributed teams, support successful outcomes, create a positive and cohesive team environment, and coordinate professional development opportunities tailored to staff strengths and interests
Experience analyzing, synthesizing, and utilizing data to identify trends over time, develop quality improvement plans, and communicate findings to internal and external stakeholders
Demonstrated success in cultivating, sustaining, and managing partnerships with diverse organizations and external stakeholders
Demonstrated expertise in a specific knowledge area while actively seeking continual learning opportunities
Drive innovation in work processes, systems, and databases to improve outcomes
Proficient in using electronic communication systems and MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), with advanced Excel skills including pivot tables and data analysis for efficient reporting

Position Specifications:

Full-time (40 hours), remote working, exempt position, located in Wisconsin. Monthly or quarterly travel up to 20-25% for site visits throughout the assigned geography, to attend meetings for partner cultivation, plus availability to attend team retreats and one to two national meetings per year is required. Some overnight travel will be required to accommodate meetings (dependent on the assigned geography), and for team retreats and national meetings.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $80,000-$90,000, commensurate with experience. ROR offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid time off, and more.

Commitment to Diversity:

Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.

About Reach Out and Read:

Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.6 million children across the country – half of whom identify as BIPOC and two thirds of whom come from low-income families. The nonprofit recently set a strategic goal to double its impact by 2030, to serve 10 million young children — 50 percent of all U.S. children from birth to 5.

In deep partnership with a network of clinicians, Reach Out and Read leverages the near-universal reach of the pediatric well-child visit. It uses children’s books and shared reading to support parents and caregivers in strengthening healthy relationships with their infants and young children from birth through 5 years old.

Reach Out and Read works directly with pediatric care providers to share the lifelong benefits of parents reading aloud with their children daily. Nurturing, language-rich interactions like shared reading give young children a foundation for success — building early language and literacy skills; teaching curiosity, patience, and empathy; and creating deep bonds between parents and their children. By integrating our evidence-based model into pediatric care and providing the tools and encouragement families need to read aloud together, we can transform pediatric care practices, foster healthy families and communities, and give children of all backgrounds and means a better start to life.

The Impact:

Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,500 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Reach Out and Read serves 4.6 million children and their families annually.
More than 7.7 million new, developmentally appropriate books are integrated into well-child visits with families annually.
39,000 clinicians currently participate in Reach Out and Read
Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development.

To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org.

ROR is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please email HR @ reachoutandread.org and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.

Wisconsin Program Director