Assistant Chief of Programs

First 5 Alameda County | Hybrid | Alameda County, CA | Salary: $175,000 – $232,750 | Exempt, Full-Time

About First 5 Alameda County

First 5 Alameda County advances the healthy development of children from prenatal through age five. With the passage of Measure C, a landmark voter-approved initiative to fund childcare and preschool across the county, First 5 is in a transformational moment. As the administrator of these funds, the agency is executing one of the most ambitious early care and education investments in the country, positioning Alameda County as a national leader in early childhood equity.

The Opportunity

First 5 Alameda County is seeking an Assistant Chief of Programs — a senior leader who will help drive strategic execution, operational alignment, and cross-functional leadership across the agency’s programs division. Reporting directly to the Chief of Programs, and working in close collaboration with Agency and program leadership, this leader will drive alignment across programmatic areas, provide day-to-day leadership of the Early Care and Education (ECE) portfolio, and serve as a key thought partner to executive leadership.

This is a high-stakes, high-impact role for a leader who is comfortable leading from vision to execution. The incoming leader will step into a large, expert program team navigating a systems-change moment, building the coordinated, equity-driven ECE infrastructure that Alameda County's children and families deserve. They will provide stability and direction, earn the trust of a seasoned staff, and drive execution on significant Measure C implementation milestones.

What You'll Do

ECE Systems Leadership

• Partner with the Chief of Programs and agency leadership to integrate efforts across divisions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and cohesive service delivery.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for ECE programs, working in close partnership with agency and program leadership to strengthen coordination, drive system-building efforts from strategy through implementation, and ensure accountability for results aligned with broader agency priorities.
• Utilize an equity-centered, systems-building approach - leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to ensure responsiveness to community need and to identify where strategies must adapt to produce more equitable outcomes.
• Drive Measure C implementation, including expanding access to quality childcare, improving workforce development initiatives, and disbursing facilities improvement grants across Alameda County.
• Navigate a complex multi-stakeholder environment - county agencies, community partners, grantees, policymakers - with diplomatic credibility and institutional savvy.
• Understand fiscal policy and partner with agency leadership, finance, and policy staff to sustain current investments and identify opportunities to scale and increase resources in support of an evolving early childhood system.

Executive Partnership & Cross-Program Coordination

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the Chief of Programs, demonstrating strategic anticipation, advancing priorities, extending reach, and driving alignment across the division.
• Represent the Chief of Programs in internal and external meetings; facilitate cross-program leadership sessions to promote shared learning and coordinated action.
• Hold accountability and support agency alignment through clear oral communication and strong policy writing, ensuring decision-makers and teams are consistently informed and oriented toward shared goals.
• Manage up effectively: surface issues early, propose solutions, and keep leadership informed.

Team & Operational Leadership

• Provide direct supervision and support to senior-level staff and support other Directors; bring clarity, structure, and direction to a high-capacity team in a period of growth and change.
• Oversee complex, multi-layered teams with a demonstrated track record of leading complex public policy initiatives from design through delivery.
• Build cultures of accountability and collaboration simultaneously - a team player who is highly collaborative and willing to roll up their sleeves and step in where needed.
• Foster management practices that promote clear oral communication, strong policy writing, performance accountability, and team cohesion.

Analytics & Decision Support

• Use data and performance analysis, qualitative and quantitative, to drive executive decision-making, continuous improvement, and program accountability.
• Produce high-quality written work products - policy memos, briefings, and analytical reports - calibrated for commissioners, policymakers, and community partners.
• Lead and manage complex, cross-functional projects with precision, tracking multiple priorities and delivering under deadline.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in program development, policy and systems building, or grantmaking with at least 4 years of direct supervision.
• Deep substantive experience in ECE, public health, public policy, or community development systems, particularly at the county or regional level.
• Demonstrated track record of leading complex public policy initiatives and overseeing complex, multi-layered teams through change and performance challenges.
• Strong analytical and data skills; able to read program performance data, surface insights, and produce executive-ready recommendations.
• Clear oral communication and strong policy writing skills: concise, audience-calibrated, and analytically grounded.
• Experience as a senior leader; demonstrated ability to lead and develop program design.
• Demonstrated initiative and comfort operating in fast-paced environments where priorities shift and decisions must be made quickly.
• Bachelor's degree in public policy, public health, public or business administration, ECE, or a related field (may substitute for 4 years of required experience); Master's degree preferred (may substitute for 1 additional year).

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Alameda County's ECE landscape, political dynamics, and key stakeholders, or direct experience with analogous county-level ballot initiatives or public investment vehicles.
• Experience navigating subsidy systems, licensing, or comparable ECE financing and policy mechanisms.
• Background in management consulting, philanthropy, or state-level policy with strong ECE fluency.
• Proficiency with Smartsheet or comparable project management tools.

Beyond credentials, we are looking for someone who:

• Demonstrates initiative - eager to address challenges, solve problems, and contribute at every level of work.
• Brings strategic anticipation - sees around corners, plans ahead, and prepares the organization to act with confidence.
• Designs programs with equity intentionally embedded, centering the communities First 5 Alameda serves.
• Is a team player and highly collaborative, able to facilitate alignment across competing priorities without forcing false consensus.
• Can navigate institutional dynamics and competing agendas with diplomatic intelligence and cultural fluency.
• Brings a genuine "why" - a clear and abiding sense of purpose tied to early childhood equity and community.

Compensation & Location

Salary range: $175,000 – $232,750 annually, commensurate with experience. This position is based in Alameda County, CA, with travel within the county required. Some out-of-county travel may be necessary. Hybrid work schedule.

F5AC is an equal opportunity employer. F5AC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion (including religious dress or grooming), creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions) or gender, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disabilities, color, marital status, registered domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, genetic information, medical condition, military or veteran status, exercise of rights under the Pregnancy Disability Leave Law or the California Family Rights Act, or any other basis protected by applicable

About Brightmode Talent

This search is supported by Brightmode. Brightmode is part of Orchestra, the first communications company built for today’s media landscape. Since 2022, it’s acquired nine firms, including: BerlinRosen, Civitas Public Affairs Group, Derris, Glen Echo Group, Inkhouse, M18, Message Lab, Onward and Small Girls PR. Learn more at: www.orchestraco.com.

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