Prevention Initiative Director

PREVENTION INITIATIVE DIRECTOR

WHO WE ARE

Foster America is transforming the way our nation supports families. Together with communities and local governments, we’re creating a just, equitable alternative to today’s child welfare system – so parents and children stay together with access to the resources they need to thrive. We:

Drive Innovation: We are designing solutions alongside our nation’s boldest governments and communities. Together, we demonstrate that bolstering support for families is an effective alternative to referring them for a child welfare investigation that may lead to the separation of families.

Develop Changemakers: We’re building a network of people with the imagination – and determination – to transform the child welfare system. We nurture and connect leaders, growing their skills and amplifying our collective impact.

Disseminate Knowledge: We share what works, so more families and more organizations in more places have the support they need. Our workshops and training allow child welfare practitioners, community leaders, and anyone who has experienced the foster care system firsthand to learn from our team and one another.

To learn more about Foster America, please visit https://www.foster-america.org/

THE OPPORTUNITY

Foster America partners with local jurisdictions – states, counties, and cities – to design ways to prevent formal child welfare system involvement. In 2024, at least three jurisdiction partners will join a multi-year initiative to design community-based, equity-centered alternatives to traditional child welfare system approaches.

New approaches to be tested include:

• Building a “warmline” that ultimately becomes a known and trusted alternative to calling the child protection hotline.
• Implementing an approach to working with families that is engaging, respectful, strengths-based and empowering to families.
• Supporting families in navigating voluntary community-based services.
• Meeting the needs of families through cash and material assistance.

Foster America is seeking a dynamic and highly organized Prevention Initiative Director to join our Programs team. The Prevention Initiative Director will be Foster America’s day-to-day lead for this work, collaborating internally with other national philanthropy and technical assistance partners, and with leaders in each of the participating sites to drive the success of this ground-breaking effort. A major part of this role will be serving as supervisor and team lead to three or more jurisdiction-based directors, referred to as Foster America Senior Advisors, each embedded in one of the selected jurisdictions. The Senior Advisors will bring experience in community co-design, collective impact, management of diverse stakeholder networks, and political astuteness, to members of a stakeholder-led advisory body.

The Prevention Initiative Director will demonstrate strong project management, listening, coaching and people management, facilitation, trust-building, and problem-solving capabilities. They will help others to share their perspectives, use data to bolster collaboration, unite diverse contributors, and innovate to build a more just and equitable future for children and families.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Prevention Initiative Leadership, Collaboration and Management (50%)

• Serve as the primary Foster America liaison with national philanthropic and other technical assistance partners who are collaborating on this work, ensuring effective project implementation, day-to-day collaboration, alignment, and effectiveness.
• Work to align vision, values, timelines, and activities of participating partners, to support effective strategy, timely decision making, and quality implementation — ultimately building an impactful approach to family and child wellbeing.
• Supervise three or more Foster America Senior Advisors who are embedded in the selected jurisdictions. Coach and supervise this team’s work to build alignment, trust, and coordination among the advocates, intergovernmental partners, community organizations, and lived-experience leaders contributing to the prevention initiative and related efforts. This includes work to:
  • Develop or strengthen advisory structures composed of lived experts, community advocates, and system partners who are working alongside governmental leaders.
  • Equip public sector and community leaders to support systems change and co-design innovative approaches.
  • Build trust among the advocates, intergovernmental partners, community organizations, and lived-experience leaders contributing to the prevention initiative.
  • Work alongside governmental leaders and other technical