Head Start Program Lead & Grants Oversight Specialist

BCT Partners; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

BCT Partners seeks a Lead Program Specialist to support Head Start and Early Head Start grant activities, including application review, award processing, and ongoing monitoring. The role blends program oversight with staff supervision, requiring collaboration with the Regional Office and COR to ensure compliance and strong program outcomes.

The position emphasizes onsite coordination at the Regional Office, working with cross-functional teams to manage budgets, performance data, and monitoring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, human services, public administration, business administration, management, or a related field from an accredited college or university required.
• Master’s degree in a related field is preferred but not required.
• At least 5 years of progressive professional experience directly related to early childhood programs, with a strong preference for Head Start/Early Head Start experience.
• At least 3 years of supervisory experience, including leading, mentoring, or coordinating staff in a hybrid-working team environment.
• Experience with federal discretionary grants management, including program oversight, funding processes, and regulatory compliance monitoring.
• Experience managing projects or programs involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and complex deliverables.
• Experience developing, implementing, and improving systems, processes, and workflows to support program operations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading monitoring, oversight, or quality assurance activities for grant-funded programs.
• Experience in non-profit or for-profit program operations and/or financial management is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervise staff onsite and remote, providing direction.
• Lead Regional Office activities with timelines and deliverables.
• Interface with COR and client as primary contact for the support contract.
• Ensure timely execution of project deliverables and results.
• Coordinate with Regional Office, leadership, and partners for program delivery.
• Conduct onsite monitoring visits and desk reviews per monitoring processes.
• Maintain official grant files and use GrantSolutions to track activities.
• Identify risks and guide program improvement and compliance.

Skills

Grant analysis

Program oversight

Data management

Stakeholder collaboration

Supervisory leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

GrantSolutions

MS Office

SharePoint/Teams

Smartsheet

Job description

BCT Partners seeks a Lead Program Specialist to support Head Start and Early Head Start grant activities, including application review, award processing, and ongoing monitoring. The role blends program oversight with staff supervision, requiring collaboration with the Regional Office and COR to ensure compliance and strong program outcomes.

The position emphasizes onsite coordination at the Regional Office, working with cross-functional teams to manage budgets, performance data, and monitoring