Senior Child Welfare Strategy Consultant

Role- Senior Child Welfare Strategy Consultant
Duration: 12-Month
Location: Remote with potential onsite collaboration in Pierre South Dakota

Client is seeking an experienced Senior Child Welfare Strategy Consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment and lead the development and implementation of a new three-year strategic plan for the Stronger Families Together (SFT) initiative. The consultant will evaluate current advisory structures foster/adoption recruitment processes training systems and stakeholder engagement strategies and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen program impact and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Initiative Assessment & Evaluation

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the SFT initiative governance structure and advisory processes.
• Assess foster care and adoption recruitment training and ongoing support programs.
• Identify strengths operational gaps communication breakdowns and opportunities for improvement.
• Review strategic documents including recruitment plans prior strategic plans committee reports and subgroup materials.
• Solicit and synthesize stakeholder input including steering committee members and aligned ministries.

2. Strategic Planning

• Develop a comprehensive 3-year strategic plan for the SFT initiative.
• Define vision strategic priorities and measurable objectives.
• Establish performance indicators and accountability mechanisms.
• Align strategic recommendations with child welfare best practices.

3. Implementation & Change Management

• Develop a structured implementation roadmap with timelines and measurable milestones.
• Identify resources required to operationalize the strategy.
• Facilitate strategic planning and rollout meetings.
• Provide technical assistance and advisory support to agency leadership.
• Support stakeholder engagement and promote sustained accountability.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 8 10 years of experience in child welfare foster care adoption systems or related public sector human services.
• Demonstrated experience conducting organizational assessments.
• Proven track record developing multi-year strategic plans.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation experience.
• Experience working with state or government agencies preferred.
• Excellent written analytical and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Title IV-E IV-B or APSR planning processes.
• Experience advising steering committees or governance bodies.
• Background in public sector transformation or systems improvement.
• Knowledge of foster care recruitment and permanency planning best practices.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking and systems analysis
• Data-driven decision making
• Change management and implementation planning
• Executive-level communication
• Collaborative leadership and facilitation