Chattanooga 2.0 is seeking an early childhood program manager to implement and coordinate our early childhood initiatives. To apply, email your resume and a short introduction (one page or less) to Jennifer Andrews at info@chatt2.org by August 28, 2026. Tell us what excites you about supporting young children and families while bringing partners together to strengthen Hamilton County’s early childhood system.
Job Title: Early Childhood Program Manager
Hours: Full Time
Compensation: $60,000 to $70,000 + Full Benefits
Work Location: Hybrid, must be based in Chattanooga / Hamilton County, TN
Reports To: Chattanooga 2.0, Chief Operating Officer
About Chattanooga 2.0 and Early Matters: Chattanooga 2.0 is a changemaking agency in Hamilton County, TN. Our work involves the collaboration of dozens of organizational and community leaders across sectors, who began work in 2015 with the goal to transform education and workforce outcomes. We at the Chattanooga 2.0 backbone organization lead and support partners in proving the impact of innovative and evidence-based strategies, aligning policy and practice, and measuring results. We do this with the end goal of ensuring all children and youth in the county receive a quality education and career opportunities that help them realize their full potential.
Early Matters Chattanooga is Chattanooga 2.0’s early childhood action team made up of 45 local early organizations invested in positive early childhood outcomes. The group was formed in 2016 with the vision that Chattanooga-Hamilton County will be the best place in the nation for a child to be born and raised. To achieve this, the organizations are working together to build a coordinated early childhood system focused on equitable access to quality early care and learning resources.
Our early childhood work is grounded in the belief that every child should have the conditions needed for a healthy, happy childhood and a strong start in life—including nurturing relationships, healthy development, high-quality early learning, supported families, and communities equipped to help children thrive.
About the Early Childhood Program Manager Role:
The Early Childhood Program Manager supports the implementation and coordination of Chattanooga 2.0’s early childhood initiatives by managing partner engagement, coordinating collaborative meetings, and overseeing day-to-day program operations connected to early childhood systems-building efforts across Hamilton County. This role serves as a bridge between strategy and implementation, helping ensure that community partnerships, family engagement efforts, and workforce initiatives move from planning into coordinated action. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys turning ideas into action, managing details, following through on commitments, and keeping multiple initiatives moving at once.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer & Early Childhood Strategy Lead, the manager will support initiatives connected to early learning, family supports, and child care workforce development, including the Early Matters Action Team, the Ready, Set, Kindergarten campaign, Neighborhood Parent Councils, and the Quality Matters Fund. Responsibilities include coordinating logistics, communication, implementation tracking, partner engagement, and facilitation support across multiple collaborative initiatives.
Key responsibilities include:
- Coordinating and supporting facilitation of the Early Matters Action Team and related working groups
- Managing implementation and logistics for the Ready, Set, Kindergarten campaign
- Supporting Neighborhood Parent Council implementation, communication, and partner coordination
- Managing operational components of the Quality Matters Fund, including participant communication, documentation, and reporting
- Supporting meeting preparation, agendas, follow-up actions, and partner engagement
- Assisting with grant deliverables, reporting, and project coordination
- Build trusted relationships across child care providers, schools, nonprofits, government agencies, funders, families, and other community partners, recognizing that progress often depends on influence, trust, and shared ownership rather than formal authority.
- Develop and maintain clear systems for tracking timelines, responsibilities, partner commitments, budgets, grant deliverables, and outcomes.
- With support, use quantitative and qualitative data to monitor implementation, identify gaps, inform improvements, and help partners understand progress toward shared outcomes.
- Support the use of research and evidence-informed practices when developing, implementing, and refining early childhood initiatives.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, relationship-oriented, and comfortable facilitating collaborative groups with diverse stakeholders, including nonprofit leaders, educators, caregivers, and public sector partners. They should be eager to grow into systems leadership work over time while remaining comfortable managing detailed implementation tasks in the short term.
Preferred Qualifications
- Some postsecondary education in early childhood development, early childhood education, social work, public administration, community development, or a related field
- 3–5 years of experience in program coordination or management, community engagement, nonprofit work, or collaborative initiatives
- Experience facilitating meetings, trainings, or working groups
- Familiarity with early childhood systems, education, family support services, or collective impact work
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with demonstrated ability to manage multiple initiatives, deadlines, partners, budgets, and deliverables simultaneously.
- Ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholders and community sectors
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational implementation
- Comfortable using Google and Microsoft Workspace, Canva, spreadsheets, project management systems, and virtual meeting tools
- Ability to create and follow a budget
- Familiarity with Chattanooga and/or early childhood systems infrastructure
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a doer and a systems thinker. Someone who can manage the details required to execute excellent programs while keeping sight of the larger conditions those programs are intended to change. They are exceptionally organized, data-informed, relationship-driven, and energized by bringing people together around shared goals. They believe in evidence-informed approaches, are curious about what works and why, and are motivated by the opportunity to help build a community where every young child has the conditions needed for a healthy, happy childhood and a strong start in life.
Why Chattanooga 2.0?
At Chattanooga 2.0, you’ll join a small, collaborative team working on some of our community’s biggest challenges, and you’ll have the opportunity to see your work make a difference. We work alongside schools, nonprofits, businesses, government, families, and community leaders to turn good ideas into coordinated action. Our team values curiosity, collaboration, creativity, and people who are willing to roll up their sleeves to make things happen. If you’re energized by meaningful work, strong community partnerships, and the opportunity to help create lasting change for children and young people across Hamilton County, we’d love to hear from you.
