Senior Associate, Technical Assistance

Provide TA to state/county/tribal agencies and community partners on policy translation, program design, change management, and implementation planning.

Develop tools, guides, protocols, and training materials (e.g., playbooks, facilitation decks, standard work, dashboards) to build local capacity.

Support pilots and scale-up through learning cycles, rapid feedback loops, and continuous improvement practices.

Support partners in understanding and adopting technology-enabled tools and approaches, including AI-powered platforms, as part of how they deliver services and make decisions.

Work with agency teams to define what success looks like, set up ways to track progress, and build learning and improvement into the day-to-day — not as a separate activity, but as part of how the work gets done.

Maintain and curate TA tools, playbooks, and a central learning repository so partner materials are discoverable and reusable.

Plan and facilitate meetings and workshops across agency leadership, frontline staff, youth and family partners, providers, and advocates.

Build trust-based relationships that center lived expertise and foster shared ownership of outcomes.

Synthesize qualitative and quantitative data; convert insights into practical recommendations and decision-ready briefs.

Define outcomes, indicators, and measurement plans; support data-informed learning agendas and progress reviews.

Manage workplans, timelines, and deliverables with strong attention to detail and quality.

Collaborate with policy, research, product/technology, and communications teammates to deliver integrated solutions.

Bring what you're learning in the field — what's working, what's stuck, what's emerging, back to the broader Think of Us team so it can shape our strategy, policy positions, and product development.

Contribute to proposal development, donor reporting, and the preparation of deliverables required by grants, contracts, and funders.

Operationalize equity, cultural humility, and trauma-informed principles throughout the work.

Ensure youth, parents, kin, and community leaders are meaningfully engaged as co-designers and decision-makers.

Designing and implementing kinship support models aligned to FFPSA and community needs.

Redesigning hotline/intake processes to strengthen family support and reduce unnecessary removals.

Improving placement stability through service redesign, decision-support, and workforce supports.

Co-developing youth-centered transition services for older youth and young adults.

Building agency capacity for continuous quality improvement and data-informed decision-making.

3 months: You have scoped workstreams, built strong partner relationships, and delivered early discovery insights and facilitation plans.

12 months: Your projects show measurable progress on agreed outcomes; partners report increased capacity and sustained practice changes.

We recognize that candidates may not meet every listed qualification. Studies show that individuals from underrepresented groups are more likely to opt out of applying if they don’t meet 100% of the criteria. If you believe you can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply so we can learn about your unique strengths.

Direct experience working within a state/county/tribal child welfare agency or community-based provider.

Familiarity with child welfare policy and funding (e.g., FFPSA, Title IV-E/IV-B, CQI practices, licensing/placement policy, prevention services, kinship support).

Experience supporting youth and young adults with lived experience in foster care or related systems.

Analytical tools (e.g., Excel/Sheets, basic data visualization); comfort collaborating with data teams.

Bilingual or multilingual skills.

Systems thinking and pattern recognition

Design mindset and iterative problem-solving

Inclusive facilitation and coalition building

Strategic communication and storytelling

Learning orientation and adaptability

Outcome and impact focus

Sound judgment, discretion, and ethical practice

100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.

Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.

Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.

Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.

Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.

Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.

8 company holidays, plus three organization-wide seasonal breaks.

TOU values continuous learning and invests in the professional development of its employees in alignment with organizational needs based on role, performance, business needs, and Company policies.

Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.

Application review (resume + brief responses).

Introductory conversation with Talent/Programs team.

Structured interviews and a practical exercise (e.g., facilitation plan, brief synthesis, or design artifact).

Final interview with leadership and reference checks.