Children Book Jobs in Nebraska (NOW HIRING)

NEBRASKA CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FOUNDATION:
Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF) is a nonprofit created to support children, young adults, and families with the overall goal of giving our state's children what they need to thrive. We do this by building strong communities that support families. Our mission is to create positive change for Nebraska's children through community engagement and we believe in a Nebraska where all children will have the resources and support to thrive.
SUMMARY
The Lead, Early Childhood for Early Literacy and Nebraska Growing Readers Plus serves as NCFF's primary relationship and recruitment lead for project partners, participating LEAs, preschool sites, and community partners. Working closely with the Senior Researcher, VP of Early Childhood, and the early childhood team, this role supports successful implementation of the EIR Mid-Phase grant by coordinating school and district recruitment, maintaining site relationships, supporting participation across RCT cohorts, and elevating field-level information that affects data collection, reporting, and continuous improvement.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Essential functions of this position focus on supporting the operational and field-level implementation of the NGR+ EIR Mid-Phase grant.
Organizational & Cross-Sector Partnership Management
• Serve as day-to-day relationship manager for NGR+ partners, including NDE, participating LEAs, preschool sites, and community partners.
• Coordinate with the Senior Researcher, VP of Early Childhood, and Nebraska Growing Readers team members to align partner activities with study timelines, data collection windows, reporting needs, and project deliverables.
• Track partner responsibilities and promptly flag coordination gaps, site concerns, or barriers that may affect implementation or data collection.
School & District Recruitment
• Lead outreach and recruitment for eligible districts, preschool sites, and 120 classrooms across the 8 pilot sites and Cohorts 1-3.
• Conduct informational meetings, site visits, and presentations to explain study participation expectations and requirements.
• Coordinate with the Senior Researcher, VP of Early Childhood, and Nebraska Growing Readers teammembers on eligibility criteria, randomization logistics, study assignments, and site readiness.
Site Relationship Management & Support
• Serve as NCFF's primary contact for participating LEAs, preschool sites, administrators, principals, and teachers throughout the grant period.
• Coordinate with site staff on professional development scheduling, data collection windows, book distribution logistics, and family engagement activities.
• Keep the Senior Researcher and VP of Early Childhood informed of field-level issues affecting study implementation or data quality.
Community & Family Engagement
• Coordinate with community collaboratives, NGR Community Book Gardens, early literacy networks, libraries, Head Start programs, and childcare providers to strengthen family and community engagement.
• Support outreach that connects participating families to NGR book distribution and Family Read home supports.
Sustainability & Dissemination Support
• Support partner relationships that contribute to long-term sustainability, dissemination, and continued use of NGR+ learning beyond the grant period.
• Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required Skills/Abilities:
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive relationships with school districts, state agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to track multiple partner relationships, timelines, and coordination tasks simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly across diverse audiences, including educators, administrators, families, and researchers.
• Experience with outreach, recruitment, or engagement in education, early childhood, or nonprofit settings.
• Ability to work independently and proactively identify and surface field-level issues to supervisors.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Strong interpersonal skills, particularly with community members and partners across rural and urban settings.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience with program evaluation and quality data collection.
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:
• Bachelor's degree in education, early childhood, literacy, coaching, nonprofit management, communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of five years of experience in partnership development, program coordination, community outreach, or related relationship management.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with school districts, state agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
Preferred :
• Master's degree in education, early childhood, literacy, nonprofit management or related field
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects and stakeholders.
• Experience with federally funded grants.
• Experience or strong knowledge of early literacy programs or evidence-based literacy practices.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• While performing duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to use hands.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Nebraska Residency required
• Omaha and Lincoln offices available for hybrid work arrangements
• Flexible scheduling including possible evenings and weekends.
• Willingness to travel, including overnight stays.