Program Area Manager--Workforce and Child Protection (CHILD WELFARE) - REMOTE

This position is part of the federal Capacity Building Center for States (Center) contract in support of and in partnership with the Children’s Bureau (CB), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The Center helps advance the Children’s Bureau’s priorities around shared decision-making with lived experience experts, racial equity, and providing prevention-oriented services to prevent child maltreatment and help all families thrive. The Program Area Manager (PAM) will be responsible for leading and managing technical assistance support to child welfare agencies on behalf of the CB in the area of workforce and front-end child welfare systems. The successful candidate will have broad knowledge of the public child welfare service continuum and of child welfare policy and practice issues related to workforce, prevention, child welfare/child protection, as well as collaboration and project management skills.

This role is responsible for conceptualizing and managing work plan deliverables related to the workforce and other areas across multiple tasks – ensuring timeliness and quality of work. The PAM will engage directly with the CB and establish and sustain a collaborative and trusting relationship, representing the Center in all client communications and meetings.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsibilities include:

• Establishing and leading a “shoulder-to-shoulder” working relationship with CB staff.

• Communicating with CB program leads about the Center services to help achieve the CB priorities.

• Developing relationships with other partners providing services to child welfare agencies.

• Providing leadership in Center Meetings representing jurisdictional needs and CB priorities related to workforce and child protection.

• Collaborating as part of a team to ensure that the expertise, skills, and relationships of Center consultants and staff are leveraged to provide effective services to meet outcomes for children and families. Work in close collaboration with national expert consultants in all facets of workforce/child protection.

• Engaging people with diverse lived and professional experience provide and deliver culturally responsive, equity and diversity-centered services.

• Providing or identifying expertise in workforce and child protection to develop products, events, and services that help child welfare agencies improve outcomes.

• Helping develop, inform and coordinate events and conferences for the child welfare sector.

• Gathering, curating, and synthesizing information about workforce and child protection and share with other Center staff, CB or the child welfare sector in written or verbal form.

• Maintaining expert knowledge about workforce and child protection practice areas.

• Contributing to regular Center reporting and supporting all activities related to the Center’s evaluation including data collection and continuous quality improvement efforts.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, public administration, or related area of focus

• 8-10 years professional work experience with at least 7+ years of experience training, quality assurance or improvement and technical assistance provision in human services, preferably in the area of child welfare (workforce and child protection).

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work, public administration, or related area of focus.

• Experience in a state child welfare system related to workforce.

• Experience in front-end child welfare systems, including prevention and child protection.

• Understanding of recruitment strategies used to attract and onboard qualified workforce staff. 

• Skill in addressing organizational culture and climate issues to enhance employee satisfaction and reduce turnover. Understands the impact of physical and mental health on job performance and is familiar with trauma-informed care. 

• Lived and/or professional experience working across various differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, language, gender, income, education, power) and/or lived experience in the child welfare system.

• Experience working in a federal contracting environment and on cross-functional teams including state and federal agency members.

• Understanding of the impact of physical and mental health on job performance and familiarity with trauma-informed care. 

• Familiarity with Title IV-E stipend programs supporting students pursuing careers in public child welfare and understanding of partnerships between universities and state and county agencies. 

• Experience implementing a broad scale project in a public service system.

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