The Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist represents Nebraska Children’s interest in promoting comprehensive and quality early childhood care and education for children birth through age eight. Specifically, responsible for planning, organizing, providing oversight, and outcome accountability to community based cross-system planning and activities related to supporting positive social emotional development of young children and their families.

This role provides essential support for the administration of contracts and grants, with a primary focus on reviewing partner invoices and claims ensuring that expenditures comply with contract terms, deliverables, and approved budgets. The position works closely with accounting, initiative teams, subcontractors, and community partners to ensure timely, accurate processing of claims. Additional responsibilities include assisting with contract preparation, maintaining accurate records, and monitoring deliverables to ensure accountability for funds distributed through Nebraska Children programs.

The Principal Researcher serves as the Project Director for NCFF's U.S. Department of Education Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant to scale and rigorously evaluate Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) book-distribution program along with two evidence-based shared book reading components, FamilyRead (FR) and TeacherRead (TR). This work will support quality and rigor for a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing NGR alone, NGR+FamilyRead, and NGR+FamilyRead+TeacherRead, with a focus on data-informed learning.

This includes responsibility for working with the VP for R&E and NCFF's Project Leadership Team to oversee delivery of the RCT, which is contracted to an independent external evaluator. As Project Director on the grant, this position requires the development and management of a multi-year portfolio of contracts, budgets, and tasks across the grant. This position provides leadership to internal project staff and works to support collaboration among internal staff, contracted research and implementation partners, and NDE to co-design and implement NGR+.

The Senior Researcher, Education serves at the Assistant Project Director for NCFF's U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant. The EIR will scale and rigorously evaluate the existing Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) book-distribution program with two evidence-based shared book reading components, FamilyRead (FR) and TeacherRead (TR).

This position focuses on the day-to-day logistics, data coordination, partner communication, and reporting needed to keep the three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) running smoothly across the pilot and three implementation cohorts. The Senior Researcher, Education works closely with the Principal Researcher, internal project staff, the independent external evaluator, and NDE to ensure data is collected, interpreted, and reported accurately and on time to support data-informed continuous improvement.

The Senior Lead is part of a larger team, Advancement, which comprises Development and Communication resources.

The Senior Lead works in close partnership with the Senior Vice President of Advancement and colleagues across the Advancement team to foster a culture of philanthropy, collaboration, and donor-centered engagement. This role is responsible for strengthening and sustaining meaningful donor relationships, ensuring effective and timely donor communications, and advancing the organization's long-term financial sustainability.
The Senior Lead will excel in relationship building, results, inclusive leadership and management, setting and managing priorities and commitment to NCFF’s mission and strategy.

This position supports the Senior VP in executing Advancement’s vision, oversight, and direction for key fundraising initiatives and donor engagement strategies.