Implementation Director

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

HOURS AND WORK SCHEDULE: Full Time. Hours are typically Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.

REPORTS TO: Chief Implementation Officer

SALARY RANGE: $95,000 to $112,500. Compensation will be based on experience and education.

SUPERVISES: Routes to Ready Lead, Early Learning Strategies Lead, Neighborhood and Family Engagement Manager, Basics Lead, Basics Coordinator

BENEFITS: Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is a Family Forward Certified Workplace by North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) and meets the standards outlined by the Family Forward NC initiative by offering policies and practices that support the health and well-being of North Carolina's children and families. The benefits package includes health, dental, vision, group life insurance, a 401(k) contribution, paid parental leave, a generous holiday schedule, paid time off, a remote work stipend, and a flexible work schedule. A computer, monitor, docking station, keyboard, mouse, webcam, and printer will be provided. Ready Ready values professional development and offers opportunities for staff to strengthen and further develop their individual skill set.

ABOUT READY FOR SCHOOL, READY FOR LIFE

Ready Ready is committed to building a connected, innovative system of care that ensures every child in Guilford County is set up for lifelong learning and success. As a backbone organization, Ready Ready is not a direct service provider, but instead provides strategic and programmatic support to more than 300 community-based organizations, including educators, healthcare providers and social service agencies, serving our youngest children and their families—from prenatal through age 8.

Ready Ready was born in 2007 from a community effort focused on reducing poverty in Guilford County. In 2018, The Duke Endowment and Blue Meridian Partners joined this effort to promote economic and social mobility. Together, we are creating a long-term, comprehensive, evidence-based approach for systemic change that builds the capacity of community partners and fundamentally improves the lives of children in Guilford County.

Today, Ready Ready is entering a pivotal and exciting new chapter. Under new leadership, we are moving with renewed focus, innovation, and passion for the future of Guilford County and the state. We are building on strong momentum, expanding our reach, and deepening our impact. With clarity of vision and commitment, we are strengthening the collective system that connects families to the right services at the right time, using data to inform decisions, and measuring outcomes to ensure lasting impact.

We are excited to expand our team with mission-driven individuals who want to take this work to the next level and contribute to meaningful change for families and young children across Guilford County.

WHAT WE DO

Ready Ready works to ensure that all Guilford County children enter school with the skills, supports and opportunities they need to thrive in life. For parents, families and caregivers, we streamline the process for accessing support services so that their children have the foundation to start school strong and developmentally on track.

Specifically, we support partner organizations and public agencies providing direct service with the following:

• Expansion and integration of evidence-informed and evidence-based programs.
• Design and execution of an integrated data system.
• Design and execution of a family-friendly navigation system.
• Implementation of capacity building practices among service providers.
• Rigorous evaluation of implementation and impact.

Ready Ready enhances this direct service through its collective impact backbone (intermediary) role in guiding vision and strategy, supporting aligned activities, establishing shared measurement practices, building public will, advancing policy, and mobilizing funding.

Please note that while we are deeply committed to supporting young children and their families, our work does not involve direct interaction with children with the exception of a few roles. Instead, we focus on equipping our partners with the tools and resources they need to make a lasting impact in the community. That includes state agencies, medical home providers, education systems, and community-based organizations.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Implementation Director plays a critical role in translating Ready Ready's strategic vision into actionable results. Reporting to the Chief Implementation Officer, the Implementation Director serves as the operational lead for implementation, ensuring that the organization's strategies move from planning to on-the-ground execution. The Director provides direct supervision and guidance to the teams leading each of the organization's four focus areas: Routes to Ready, Early Learning Strategies, Neighborhood and Family Engagement, and The Basics.

This role partners closely with the CIO, who sets the overall vision and priorities for implementation. The Director is responsible for operationalizing that vision which includes developing timelines, managing day-to-day operations, overseeing project activities, and ensuring progress against milestones. The Implementation Director works closely with the CIO to identify and address challenges, streamline processes, and foster collaboration across teams to maximize impact. The Director also provides day-to-day direction and task management to the Implementation Coordinator, ensuring activities are well-organized, deadlines are met, and communication flows effectively across teams.

By combining hands-on project management with team leadership, the Implementation Director ensures that operations, program activities, and departmental performance align with organizational priorities, the CEO's vision, and Ready Ready's mission to ensure every child in Guilford County enters school developmentally on track.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented and proactive operational leader who thrives in managing complex projects and guiding teams to achieve results. They are skilled at translating strategic priorities into actionable project plans, managing workflows, and supporting workstream leads and coordinators to ensure initiatives stay on track. This person collaborates effectively across departments; tracks progress against milestones and identifies and resolves operational or programmatic challenges. They balance hands-on execution with team leadership and are committed to equity, continuous improvement, and measurable impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Alignment

• Oversee the execution of Ready Ready's implementation strategy across four focus areas: Routes to Ready, Early Learning Strategies, Neighborhood and Family Engagement, and The Basics.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Implementation Officer to ensure departmental activities align with organizational strategy, CEO vision, and reporting targets.
• Translate the CIO's strategic priorities into actionable project plans, clearly assigning deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities across the team.

Leadership & Team Oversight

• Provide direct supervision, guidance, and support to staff leading each the four bodies of work.
• Provide day-to-day task direction, prioritization, and workflow oversight to the Implementation Coordinator, ensuring seamless project tracking, partner follow-up, and internal communication.
• Monitor departmental performance, ensuring implementation goals and progress indicators are met on schedule.
• Identify operational or programmatic challenges and work with the CIO to develop solutions that keep implementation on track.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and professional development opportunities to build the team's capacity for effective implementation.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration & Integration

• Support cross-departmental collaboration to integrate implementation activities with other organizational initiatives.
• Assist in stakeholder engagement, providing updates on program progress and successes to partners and community members.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor, evaluate, and report on implementation progress, outcomes, and impact, using data to inform continuous improvement.
• Identify and address barriers to successful implementation and develop strategies to increase effectiveness and sustainability of programs.

General

• Document, synthesize, and analyze job-related data to use for learning and improvement, to track progress, and to report to funders and other stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the CEO and/or supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS

This is an outstanding opportunity to play a critical role in building a system of care for Guilford County's youngest children and their families. Therefore, first and foremost, the Implementation Director must be committed to the mission of Ready for School, Ready for Life. Additionally, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in education, public policy, social work, nonprofit management, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5–7 years of experience in program management, implementation, or operations, ideally in education, early childhood, or community-based initiatives.
• Proven experience leading teams, supervising staff, and managing departmental performance.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and ensure measurable results.
• Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience using data to monitor progress, inform decision-making, and improve program outcomes.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and comfort with digital collaboration tools (e.g., Teams, Zoom, shared drives).
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and Ready Ready's mission of improving outcomes for children and families.

Desired

• Master's degree in relevant field (e.g., education, public policy, early childhood development).
• Experience in early childhood education systems, school readiness initiatives, or family engagement programs.
• Familiarity with Guilford County or similar community networks and stakeholder landscapes.
• Experience with implementation science, collective impact models, or systems-level change initiatives.
• Experience representing an organization externally, including in public speaking, advocacy, or media contexts