Public Agency Consultant: New Allies

YOUTH VILLAGES, INC.

1d•$70,000 - $90,000•Remote

About The Position

For over 35 years, Youth Villages has transformed the lives of children and families nationwide through innovative, research-based programs focused on preserving and restoring families. As a national leader in children’s mental and behavioral health, we serve more than 47,000 youth, young people, and their families annually across 29 states and Washington, D.C. Our proven treatment models drive long-term success in child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health systems. At Youth Villages, we do what works — partnering with others to expand our impact and advocate for meaningful, lasting change. We're seeking purpose-driven individuals who are passionate about making a difference. With a dedicated team of more than 5,000 staff, Youth Villages is committed to investing in and supporting our employees by offering opportunities to build a fulfilling career through professional growth, personal development, and a mission that matters— helping children and families live successfully. For more information, please visit www.youthvillages.org Program Overview: The New Allies team works directly with public child welfare agencies and their system partners to develop policies and practices that contribute to improved outcomes for children and families. We are seeking individuals with a strong sense of purpose who have a passion to make a positive impact of individuals interacting with child welfare systems. Public Agency Consultants work directly with leaders at all levels of public child welfare systems to provide coaching and support; develop resources and policy/practice guides; and coordinate efforts among a variety of players to streamline collective impact. They will lead practice improvement efforts in 1-2 sites while supporting efforts in an additional 2-3 sites as needed. Public Agency Consultants should be mission-driven, critical thinkers who can successfully lead projects and project teams, build trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders, present to and engage leaders, and conduct analyses and distill their findings into opportunities. Applicants with lived experience or a personal connection to the foster care or other social service systems are strongly encouraged to apply. This is an extraordinary opportunity for mission- and results-driven individuals with public child welfare leadership experience to have significant and national-scale impact on youth and families.

Requirements

15+ years working for a public child welfare agency (all relevant experience will be considered, including internships)
Bachelor’s degree (required)
Experience supervising child welfare professionals
Passion for Youth Villages’ mission, motivation to improve the systems that touch the lives of children and families, and eagerness to work in an environment that prizes continuous learning, growth, and inclusiveness
Ability to lead project teams with minimal oversight, helping both the team collaborate effectively and individual team members develop professionally
Positive, customer service-oriented attitude and ability to develop trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Youth Villages front-line staff and executives, peer organization leaders)
Skilled communicator and listener who is comfortable presenting to and engaging senior leaders and can lead through influence with humility and flexibility
Critical thinking skills, including ability to distill analyses into key insights
Ability to view child welfare agency through a system’s lens
Understanding of state and federal government funding streams that support child welfare and adjacent agency supports and services
Strong Microsoft Office skills, specifically Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), healthcare administration (MHA/MHSA), public administration (MPA), psychology (MP), or related field (preferred)
Applicants with lived experience or a personal connection to the foster care or other social service systems are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Independently lead projects focused on specific areas of improvement or opportunity for public agency sites (E.g., implementation of new service lines or policies to increase family preservation; policy revisions that expedite permanency; individual case review and staffing)
Conduct and manage research and operational analysis to proactively identify improvement opportunities unique to each agency site; research may include stakeholder interviews, agency staff interviews, case reviews, surveys, assessment of nationwide and site-specific performance data, and organizational analysis
Use statewide performance data and other relevant indicators to identify future sites well-suited for New Allies engagement.
Identify strengths and improvement opportunities within key areas of state agency practice.
Communicate findings and recommendations appropriately and effectively to internal Youth Villages leaders, site leaders, stakeholders, and local child welfare professionals.
Develop and maintain relationships with child welfare leaders and ensure strong understanding of current developments, trends, and innovations in child welfare practice.
Other duties may be assigned