Trying Together’s mission is to support high-quality care and education for young children.
Trying Together is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the adults who interact with them. A fast-paced organization, Trying Together looks for dedicated and passionate staff who bring positivity to their work and a solution-oriented sensibility.
Trying Together encourages its team, partners, and communities to interact compassionately and honor the range of cultures, ideas, and identities that root each person. Young children develop and learn by example; this means that children whose early learning environments reflect just actions, equitable opportunities, diverse representation, and inclusive approaches experience healthier interactions and build relationships that enable them to thrive.
Trying Together provides a competitive compensation and benefits package. Trying Together is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate and encourages qualified candidates of any gender, race, class, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or age to apply. All candidates will be evaluated on a merit basis.
Current Openings
Accountant
Full-Time (Exempt) | Hybrid | Salary Range: $69,500 – $81,000
The Accountant serves as a strategic financial partner to the Director of Administration, playing a vital role in the organizationʼs long-term sustainability. This position goes beyond traditional bookkeeping to focus on complex data analysis and the braiding of diverse funding streams—ensuring that federal, state, and private resources are seamlessly integrated and compliant. The ideal candidate will provide the financial clarity needed to drive decision-making while maintaining rigorous oversight of the organizationʼs fiscal health and statutory requirements.
Responsibilities:
- Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do the ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities.
- Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together.
- Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor childrenʼs, familiesʼ, educatorsʼ, and colleaguesʼ humanity.
- In collaboration with the Director of Administration and Executive Director, develop an annual operating budget.
- Design and oversee sophisticated cost-allocation methodologies to ensure shared costs are accurately distributed across multiple private and public funding streams.
- Manage and reconcile financial data across multiple software platforms, including time reporting, payroll, banking, and accounting systems, utilizing advanced Excel skills to integrate data, support accounting processes, and produce accurate monthly financial statements, management reports, board reports, and audit-ready documentation.
- Perform complex financial analysis; interpret financial results and flag trends and discrepancies.
- In partnership with the Director of Administration, complete braiding of funding streams to maximize the resources of Trying Together while also meeting all relevant compliance requirements.
- Perform rolling cash-flow forecasts and multi-year financial modeling to predict the impact of new grants or the sunsetting of current funding.
- Monitor changes in federal/state regulatory requirements and update internal policies to mitigate risk during the braiding of restricted funds.
- Manage the recurring account receivables cycle, including invoice processing.
- Manage the recurring account payables cycle, including weekly check processing.
- Manage and modernize monthly account reconciliations.
- Develop grant and contract budgets and reporting systems.
- Establish and ensure adherence to internal controls.
- Complete local tax documents.
- Manage year-end closing, including W2s and 1099s.
- Provide audit support.
- Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measures project performance, and to support continuous quality improvement in the organization’s resources and services.
- Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work.
- Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for continuous learning and expanding oneʼs professional knowledge base.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in Accounting required; four years of relevant experience may be substituted for the degree requirement.
- Five or more years of experience in accounting is required.
- Five or more years of experience in non-profit accounting is highly preferred.
- Sophisticated non-profit fund and state and federal grant accounting and management strongly preferred.
- Strong accounting software experience and proficiency required.
- Experience with AccuFund software is highly preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Good judgment and decision-making abilities.
- Must be able to work independently and as a team member.
- Attention to detail and advanced problem-solving techniques.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple activities.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
- Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends.
Working Conditions/Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to:
- Travel up to 20% off site as needed.
- Operate with indomitable work ethic and the willingness to work additional hours and atypical shifts as needed.
- Perform tasks typical of an office role in the non-profit space, including standing/walking for extended periods, moving through fast-paced environments, and carrying light items (up to 25 lbs).
- See, hear, talk and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity and visual acuity; kneel, sit, stand, walk, crouch, stoop, bend, stretch, twist, reach, pull, push and other similar, repetitive tasks requiring physical activity.
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid Driverʼs License and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
- NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
Benefits:
-
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.
Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator
Full-Time | Salary Range: $46,000-$50,000
The Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator is responsible for organizing and implementing a comprehensive strengths-based approach of providing strategies and supports for Allegheny County early learning programs to ensure that young children at risk of being suspended or expelled are retained in their program. The Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator will work with the ELRC Region 5 Local Leadership Council partners and Rapid Response Team to intentionally develop a team that is prepared to respond quickly to requests from early learning programs and families in Allegheny County when a child is at risk of being suspended or expelled.
Responsibilities:
- Practice equity in daily decisions. Apply an equity lens to goals, planning, materials, outreach/enrollment, communications, follow-through and partnerships and seek input from people most affected by decisions.
- Build a culture of belonging. Use inclusive meeting norms, invite under-represented perspectives, offer constructive feedback, and address harm respectfully.
- Improve practices that cause harm. Flag practices, processes, and/or policies that undermine the dignity, safety, or equitable treatment of children, families, educators; propose and help implement and evaluate improvements.
- Identify Allegheny County agencies familiar with the early childhood education system, early intervention behavioral health, and infant/early childhood mental health systems that have the capacity to provide support to early educators and program administrators.
- Identify key stakeholders and develop and maintain a Rapid Response Team for Allegheny County.
- Serve as a consultant to early learning program administrators and educators in collaboration with the ELRC 5 Quality Coach.
- Use observational tools, interviews, and data collection to determine the function of a child’s behavior.
- Create Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) in early care and education settings for children who have been referred to the Rapid Response Team.
- Coach educators on the implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments.
- Respond within 48 hours after a referral is received.
- Ensure that the Team works through a Pyramid Model in partnership with the early learning program administrator and educators, family, and child.
- Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, early intervention staff, Team, and Quality Coach to assess and develop strategies to support the family and child.
- Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, early intervention staff, Team, and Quality Coach to create a plan of action to support the child.
- Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, Team, and Quality Coach to support families by connecting them to resources and information throughout the process.
- Ensure that there is follow up with the early learning program director, Team, early intervention staff, and Quality Coach.
- Collect data from the beginning of the process to the conclusion of the intervention with the early learning program.
- Serve as an active member of the Quality Initiatives and ELRC teams to effectively respond to the needs of the field and the systems they work within.
- Meet regularly with the Quality Initiatives and ELRC teams to provide feedback and brainstorm new ideas.
- Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work.
- Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for the purposes of continuous learning and expanding one’s professional knowledge base.
- Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measure project performance, and support continuous quality improvement in the organization’s resources and services.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Early Intervention, Special Education or related field and five years of related experience working with young children and families in early intervention, special education, and/or behavioral health environments. Masters degree preferred.
- Direct training and/or course work in Applied Behavioral Analysis
- Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to work both independently as well as part of a team.
- Ability to maintain a project timeline and monitor progress toward goals.
- Must be able to interact with others in a positive and professional manner.
- Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Excellent data collection and analysis skills.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends.
- Must own a reliable vehicle as the nature of this job includes regularly visiting early learning programs in-person across Allegheny County.
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
- NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
- PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment for staff with a Bachelor’s Degree).
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.
Early Literacy Strategist
Full-Time | Salary Range: $48,000 – $52,000
The Early Literacy Strategist will create, manage, and provide equitable opportunities for early literacy development and learning for young children and their caregivers in Allegheny County. Through Buzzword Pittsburgh, the Early Literacy Strategist will manage the collaboration between community partners and Allegheny County Family Centers to provide engaging activities, content, and events that enable young children to learn new words. Additionally, the Early Literacy Strategist will look for existing and new opportunities for collaboration to assist young children with building their literacy skills, families with supporting these skills, and educators with introducing and reinforcing them. This individual will be an employee of Trying Together, work out of Homewood, and report to the Director of The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center.
Responsibilities:
- Practice equity in daily decisions. Apply an equity lens to goals, planning, materials, outreach/enrollment, communications, follow-through and partnerships and seek input from people most affected by decisions.
- Build a culture of belonging. Use inclusive meeting norms, invite under-represented perspectives, offer constructive feedback, and address harm respectfully.
- Improve practices that cause harm. Flag practices, processes, and/or policies that undermine the dignity, safety, or equitable treatment of children, families, educators; propose and help implement and evaluate improvements.
- Serve as the liaison between Buzzword Pittsburgh community partners and Allegheny County Family Centers to manage, create, and distribute word-themed early literacy content.
- Coordinate monthly in-person Buzzword Pittsburgh events that enable opportunities for early literacy development and learning, and positive parent-child interaction.
- Represent Trying Together on the Western Pennsylvania Early Literacy Team and similar early literacy projects that support children, families, and early learning programs.
- Build relationships with early learning programs and providers and work with the Trying Together Quality Initiatives team to coordinate and offer professional growth opportunities that meet the early literacy interests and needs of the children and families in the region.
- Build relationships with community partners who provide early literacy resources, programs, and services to co-create, manage, and promote these to all children, families, and educators in Allegheny County.
- Evaluate development and learning monthly by working with the Trying Together Data & Research team to document and track impact.
- Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measures project performance, and to support continuous quality improvement in the organization’s resources and services.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Early Childhood Education, or related field.
- Deep knowledge of reading, writing, and literacy development.
- Strong interpersonal skills such as communication, problem-solving, conflict management, and collaboration.
- Experience with building productive relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Teaching Certificate, Reading Certification, or License preferred.
- Experience within an early learning program setting is a plus.
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
- NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
- PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment).
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.
ELRC Quality Coach
Full-Time | Salary Range: $44,000 – $47,740
Coaching is inherently relationship-based work. The Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 Quality Coach supports program administrators, classroom staff, and home-based child care providers in Allegheny County to develop new skills and continuously improve their early care and education practices to achieve higher program quality. The ELRC Quality Coach engages program administration and staff that work with children in a collaborative process that involves observation, reflective communication, professional growth, role-modeling, and goal setting. Whenever possible, a mutual learning partnership is developed to share responsibility and accountability for project goals. Coaching is customized and every effort is made to establish trust and respect for educators and program leaders and a variety of coaching strategies and practices are employed to achieve goals.
Responsibilities:
- Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do the ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities.
- Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together.
- Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor children’s, families’, educators’ and colleagues’ humanity.
- Recognize and build on the existing knowledge and skills of program staff through observation, reflective practice, goal setting, and planning.
- Collaborate with classroom staff and program administration for the purpose of creating a cohesive approach to continuous quality improvement with the program team.
- Provide one-on-one and small group coaching to classroom staff to help strengthen child development practices and ensure quality programming.
- Facilitate face-to-face and virtual professional development sessions for providers.
- Complete on-site face-to-face program visits offering support and strategies for continuous quality improvement.
- Provide regular time and space to foster a learning community among program administrators and teaching staff that includes opportunities for reflection and learning about cultural respect and responsiveness.
- Review STARS scores with the program leadership team and staff to help identify areas of strength and develop goals for improvement.
- Using a strengths-based approach; provide constructive feedback and support for the purpose of increasing program administrator and educator confidence and competence.
- Develop and support the implementation of an individualized plan that identifies strengths, needs, and goals for each program staff.
- Strive for excellence in work by consistently incorporating cultural competencies and employing relationship-based coaching and consultation practices.
- Work collaboratively with ELRC and Trying Together Quality Initiatives team members to ensure the needs of Allegheny County early care and education programs are being met.
- Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work.
- Follow the procedure for reporting suspected child abuse.
- Complete monthly monitoring reports or coaching logs for assigned visits and submit them according to timelines for the purpose of tracking and monitoring.
- Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for the purposes of continuous learning and expanding one’s professional knowledge base.
- Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measure project performance, and support continuous quality improvement in the organization’s resources and services.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education; advanced degree preferred. Specialized certifications welcome. Related bachelor degrees and ECE experience considered.
- Two or more years of early childhood classroom experience and two years of experience at an administrative level in an early care and education setting.
- Ability to employ a variety of consultation and coaching strategies that are based on appropriate and culturally competent practices and the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
- Capacity to align consultation with professional development content.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Knowledge of state assessment tools.
- Experience working with adult learners.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Intermediate to advanced computer, internet, and email skills.
- Knowledge of local, state, and national systems for early care and education.
- Willing and able to engage in honest self-reflection about coaching progress and personal contribution to the process.
- Ability to foster a program’s capacity building and assume a strengths-based approach.
- Ability to establish credibility as a resource worthy of the program’s respect and trust.
- Ability to facilitate a program’s own problem-solving process.
- Ability to maintain a project timeline and monitor progress toward goals.
- Must be able to interact with others in a positive and professional manner.
- Acceptance of diversity and ability to work comfortably in a variety of settings.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Good judgment and decision-making abilities.
- Must demonstrate enthusiasm and flexibility.
- Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends.
- Must own a reliable vehicle as the nature of this job includes regularly visiting early learning programs in-person across Allegheny County.
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
- NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
- PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment for staff with a Bachelor’s Degree).
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.
Teacher Certification Evaluator
Full-Time/Part-Time/Contractor | Hourly Pay/Salary Range: $1,100/month
Purpose:
Trying Together wishes to retain a Part-Time Teacher Certification Evaluator to provide PA Act 13 of 2020 Educator Effectiveness evaluations for assigned teachers that are going through or have completed the Induction process and wish to obtain or maintain a Level II Teacher certification. This position is travel-based with a flexible, self-determined schedule to locations throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania (but primarily Lawrence, Beaver, Butler, and Mercer Counties).
Responsibilities:
- Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do the ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities.
- Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together.
- Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor children’s, families’, educators’, and colleagues’ humanity.
- Complete a minimum of two evaluations per year as requested for each assigned teacher with Level I certification until the teacher has attained the required six successful evaluations.
- Complete one evaluation per year as requested for each assigned teacher with Level II teacher certification.
- Work collaboratively with the Teacher Certification Program Manager to discuss concerns and identify solutions.
- Coordinate with each teacher and program director/administrator to schedule and complete all requested evaluations on a satisfactory timeline.
- Work collaboratively with each assigned teacher’s mentor to discuss concerns and assess teacher’s strengths and areas for growth.
- Follow the evaluation protocol set forth by Trying Together and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
- Attend scheduled meetings hosted by Trying Together.
- Follow prescribed timelines for submitting documentation to the Teacher Certification Program Manager.
- Participate in regular touchbases with the Teacher Certification Program Manager.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- EITHER an active certificate in one of the fields listed below:
- Principal or Assistant Principal
- Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent
- IU Executive Director or Assistant Executive Director
- Supervisor of Special Education (with early intervention experience)
OR
- A supervisory certificate and a minimum of three years of early childhood education experience in a 0-5 and/or PK-3 setting.
- Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Knowledge of Google Workspace
- Must have great organizational skills
- Ability to work both independently as well as part of a team
- Must own a reliable vehicle
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
Interested Applicants:
Applicants must apply at tryingtogether.applytojob.com/apply and upload their cover letter, resume, and three work-related references. Phone calls will not be accepted. Posting will remain open until filled.
