Care Navigator

Think of Us•Remote, California, CA

1d•$65,000 - $75,000•Remote

About The Position

Think of Us (TOU) is transforming the child welfare system into one where young people and families can heal, develop, and thrive. We drive purpose-driven work aligned with meaningful systems change, powered by data and the insights of lived experience. Our focus is on prevention, keeping families strong before crisis, and on building kinship-first systems so children grow up with people they know and trust. Through bold collaborations with leaders and innovators across the public and private sectors — from Presidential Administrations to local providers — we identify leverage points and co-create solutions that re-architect child welfare for the future. Think of Us is building a new kind of direct service practice — one that is human-centered, technology-enabled, and designed from the start to generate the intelligence needed to change systems at scale. The Care Navigator is a founding practitioner in that model. Where a Community Responder opens the door, the Care Navigator walks through it with you. This role is defined by sustained, relationship-based navigation — holding TAY and kinship families in California through the full arc of their journey, not just the first moment of contact. The Care Navigator carries complex, evolving caseloads, goes deep on individual circumstances, and stays present through transitions, setbacks, and progress over time. This is not traditional case management. The Care Navigator is a practitioner, a knowledge generator, and a co-designer — someone who delivers high-quality direct support while simultaneously helping codify what a 21st-century digital navigation practice actually looks like. Working within an emerging digital practice model, Care Navigators leverage technology-assisted intake, smart follow-up workflows, and real-time data tools — while keeping the lived experience and voice of the people they serve at the center of every interaction. We make it a priority to welcome those who have personal and/or professional experience with the child welfare system as a core value of Think of Us.

Requirements

3+ years of experience accessing and navigating child welfare systems and/or other social service systems, with ideally 2+ years of professional experience in a direct service, case management, or navigation role.
Trained or experienced in Motivational Interviewing (MI) — know how to meet ambivalence with curiosity, build intrinsic motivation, and support people in identifying their own goals.
Lead every interaction with Unconditional Positive Regard, cultural humility, and sensitivity to the lived experiences of those you serve.
Systems navigator at heart — understand how to move through complex, fragmented systems on behalf of others, and do not give up when the path forward isn't clear.
Find creative solutions, make connections others miss, and advocate fiercely for the people you serve.
Personal or professional experience with the child welfare system or other social impact work, or deeply committed to learning about these systems.
Approach this work with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to grow alongside the communities we serve.
Unwavering commitment to centering the voices and experiences of people with lived experience in every part of the work.
Passionate about driving systems change and bring a relentless, solutions-oriented mindset to your work.
Thrive in fast-growing, evolving organizations and adapt quickly to new challenges, using change as an opportunity to learn, innovate, and make a greater impact.
Persevere in the face of opposition or difficulty and show commitment despite obstacles.
Experience with data entry and documentation in case management, CRM, or tracking systems.
Understand accurate, timely data as a foundation for learning, improvement, and advocacy — not just compliance.
Active learning mindset when it comes to technology — open to exploring, applying, and adapting digital tools to improve efficiency, expand reach, and better serve families.
Balance technology with critical thinking and always center the human experience in how you use and evaluate these tools.
Familiarity with California's child welfare system, county structures, or specific state programs.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual ability in Spanish (both written and verbal) is preferred.
Motivational Interviewing training (foundational or advanced) is strongly preferred and expected within the first 90 days of employment.

Responsibilities

Serve as a consistent, trusted point of contact for TAY and kinship families — building ongoing relationships that extend well beyond a single interaction or referral cycle, and meeting people where they are through phone, text, email, and digital platforms.
Build and sustain relationships with California community partners to enable warm referrals and collaborative problem-solving on behalf of the families we serve.
Deploy micro-cash grants strategically as an engagement and stabilization tool — using these touchpoints to deepen trust, reduce barriers to participation, and capture structured data on family need.
Activate crisis support protocols when needed — leveraging ConnectMe to identify appropriate resources and coordinate with relevant partners to ensure timely, stabilizing care.
Conduct comprehensive, Motivational Interviewing-informed needs assessments using ConnectMe's smart intake tools — grounding every assessment in trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice and building a personalized picture of each person's situation, priorities, and goals.
Recognize and respond to change talk — reading where an individual is in their readiness to engage and adjusting navigation strategies in real time to meet them there, rather than moving faster than they are ready to go.
Identify gaps in the resource landscape through direct service interactions — flagging emerging needs and systemic barriers to the team to inform strategy, advocacy, and resource development.
Collect and document user feedback and satisfaction data — treating each interaction as an opportunity to understand what is and isn't working, both for the individual and for the platform.
Manage an active caseload across multiple stages of the care journey — proactively monitoring progress, identifying emerging needs, and adjusting navigation strategies as circumstances evolve over time.
Co-develop individualized action plans with each person served — using ConnectMe to track progress, flag pivots, and ensure plans evolve as circumstances change, treating planning as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time intake artifact.
Guide individuals through meaningful transitions to community partners, service providers, and government programs — confirming connections are made, troubleshooting barriers in real time, and ensuring no one falls through the cracks.
Empower individuals to navigate complex systems on their own terms — using ConnectMe to streamline applications, clarify eligibility, and break down bureaucratic processes that otherwise feel inaccessible.
Leverage ConnectMe's technology-assisted directory to match individuals with relevant, culturally responsive services — while continuously assessing whether those resources are accessible, accurate, and responsive to the people we serve.
Support individuals who face barriers to digital access or literacy — bridging the gap between technology-enabled tools and the humans who need them most, and flagging accessibility gaps to the innovation team.
Implement and scale ConnectMe's evolving suite of tools — including technology-assisted intake, automated follow-up, chatbots, and digital referral workflows — as an active participant in an ongoing practice model, not a passive end-user.
Document what works, what doesn't, and why — capturing real-time insights from direct interactions that drive continuous iteration of both the platform and the practice model it supports, and generating structured feedback on usability, accuracy, and user experience.
Contribute lived-experience and human-centered design perspectives to product and innovation work — participating in design reviews and usability sessions as a practitioner with direct proximity to the population, ensuring tools are built with and for the people they are meant to serve.
Contribute to codifying and formalizing technology-enabled practices that increase capacity, scale high-quality support, and generate intelligence that strengthens both service delivery and systems-change efforts.
Capture real-time lived-experience data through case notes on navigation interactions — documenting needs, barriers, outcomes, and opportunities in ways that inform both service improvement and policy recommendations.
Enter data accurately and on time in compliance with established protocols, maintaining privacy standards and adhering to defined ethical guidelines.
Participate in regular team debriefs, learning sessions, and case consultations — contributing frontline insights to the broader organizational learning cycle and to the development of deliverables such as a Theory of Change, Logic Model, and updated Program Manual.
Collaborate cross-functionally with the Innovation and Tech team to surface systemic barriers, generate policy-relevant insights, and contribute to a model for how VSS-generated data can inform state and national advocacy.

Benefits

100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.
Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.
Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.
Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.
Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.
401(k) Plan for pre-tax retirement contributions.
Work-from-home setup stipend to optimize your workspace.
Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.
8 company holidays, plus two organization-wide seasonal breaks.
Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.