Child Welfare Strategic Planning and Implementation Lead (Senior Consultant)

Project Overview: The selected consultant is expected to:

• assess current SFT processes, governance/advisory structure, and communication flows
• identify gaps (communication, implementation streamlining, accountability, stakeholder engagement)
• provide recommendations to improve execution and engagement
• develop a new 3-year strategic plan with goals and measurable outcomes
• support implementation with a roadmap, milestones, facilitation, and ongoing guidance

Experience

• 8+ years of overall consulting / program strategy / public-sector program support experience
• 5+ years of direct child welfare experience (CPS, foster care/adoption, family strengthening, or closely related services)
• 5+ years leading strategic planning efforts, including multi-year plans with measurable goals and outcomes
• 5+ years of stakeholder engagement and facilitation (steering/advisory groups, cross-functional/community partners)
• 3+ years supporting implementation planning and change enablement (roadmaps, milestones, rollout support)
• 3+ years defining outcomes/KPIs/performance measures for accountability and tracking

Skills

• Program/process assessment and governance/advisory structure review
• Gap analysis and improvement recommendations (communication gaps, accountability, implementation streamlining)
• Strategic plan development (3-year plan, goals, measurable outcomes/indicators, implementation strategies)
• Stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and consensus-building
• Implementation planning (milestone-based roadmap, rollout support, meeting cadence)
• Strong writing and presentation skills (executive-ready deliverables and briefings)

Education

• Minimum: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (Social Work, Human Services, Public Administration/Policy, Psychology, Sociology, Organizational Development, or similar)
• Preferred: MSW, MPA, MPH, or related advanced degree