Senior Advisor

Summary

Join Foster America as a Senior Advisor for a three-year initiative in Washington state, partnering with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to reduce the need for foster care. This pivotal role will spearhead systemic change by expanding access to prevention services. You will serve as a key liaison among public and private sector entities, enhancing collaboration and strengthening relationships with external partners. Key responsibilities include program management, strategic leadership, interagency coordination, and community engagement. The position requires significant experience in public sector leadership and collective impact work. Foster America offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

• BA/BS; master’s degree preferred
• 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in public sector leadership, intergovernmental coordination, or collective impact work, preferably within a government or nonprofit setting
• Experience leading cross-departmental or multi-agency efforts, managing large-scale projects, and driving collective-impact initiatives
• Working expertise of applying change management and implementation science principles successfully in public systems and programs
• Proven track record of managing relationships with diverse collaborators, including government entities, community organizations, and private-sector partners

Responsibilities

• Align efforts and initiatives across DCYF departments, ensuring effective project management, resource allocation, and an accurate reflection of community needs
• Monitor and evaluate progress to ensure projects progress timely and remain within scope
• Lead teams in designing and scaling innovative solutions that seek to address root causes of child abuse and neglect
• Establish clear goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics to measure the success of initiatives
• Provide visionary leadership, modeling DCYF’s and Foster America’s values and fostering a culture that reflects them
• Identify capacity gaps and make recommendations for organizational changes and resource distribution
• Strengthen DCYF teams by providing training, mentorship, and support to foster a collaborative, innovative, and accountable culture that sustains long-term efforts
• Establish and maintain relationships with local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as external partners focused on prevention strategies
• Facilitate cross-departmental and intergovernmental steering committee meetings that promote productive communication and collaboration
• Represent the government in community and intergovernmental forums to advocate for collaborative approaches and collective-impact initiatives
• Support the development of a prevention framework oversight and policy alignment by gathering and analyzing input from key collaborators across the local child welfare ecosystem
• Ensure initiatives comply with relevant regulations, policies, and guidelines
• Guide partner organizations in aligning their work to the common agenda
• Ensure clear and consistent communication across government departments, external collaborators, and the public regarding progress, challenges, and successes
• Deliver regular reports, presentations, and updates to senior leadership, policymakers, and other key collaborators
• Determine success indicators with workgroups and the Steering Committee
• Design, coordinate, and communicate indicators for success with workgroups and Steering Committee
• Co-create and develop twice-annual outcome reports with DCYF detailing progress for the Steering Committee and external audiences
• Seek out and prioritize the perspectives of those who have been impacted by the child welfare system in decision-making processes
• Engage with the voice of communities and those served to understand and incorporate their needs. At times this may include use of secondary data, information and voice already collected for program purposes

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree

Benefits

• Salary is commensurate with experience in the range of $126,000 - $140,000
• Medical
• Paid vacation
• Paid parental leave
• Paid holidays
• Commuter benefits
• Participation in a retirement plan
• Paid sick time
• Professional development opportunities