Senior Advisor

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. To foster a future where all children and families 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 those who have experienced the foster care system firsthand to learn from our team and one another. 

Foster America cultivates a network and staff team that values and elevates diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise as we shape new ways forward for children and families. 

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

Foster America seeks a Senior Advisor for a three-year initiative to reduce the need for foster care by expanding access to prevention services that keep families safely together. This role is pivotal in spearheading systemic change through expertise in community co-design, collective impact, participatory governance, or a related field.

As a critical member of the Opt-In for Families team, the Senior Advisor will motivate and align diverse collaborators — including parents, advocates, youth, community groups, service providers, and inter-governmental agencies — on prevention-focused family supports. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong listening, project management, facilitation, trust-building, and problem-solving skills to harness data, foster collaboration, and advance equitable outcomes for children and families.

Requirements

The Senior Advisor-South Carolina will serve as a key liaison among public- and private-sector entities that administer programs to prevent child abuse and neglect. This involves enhancing collaboration between departments within state government as well as strengthening relationships with external partners that serve families — including community organizations, advocacy groups, and service providers — to ensure a coordinated approach to prevention efforts. The Senior Advisor will enhance cooperation among these key collaborators by establishing and supporting governance structures that aim to align statewide child abuse and neglect prevention efforts, including an overarching steering committee and a community-led advisory group. Key initiatives include coordinating efforts between fiscal and child welfare teams to secure additional funding for prevention programs; developing a prevention steering committee; collecting and analyzing available state data to drive decisions; and refining outcome measures in support of approaches that help families access support earlier, reducing the likelihood of child welfare involvement. The Senior Advisor will work in accordance with Foster America’s core values. 

The Senior Advisor-South Carolina will enhance local government capacity to engage communities disproportionately impacted by the child welfare system. This role ensures responsiveness to community feedback in shaping a future family and child well-being system. 

This includes: 

• Advisory Structures Development
• Establish and strengthen advisory groups of lived experts, community advocates, and system partners.
• Define membership, support leadership, facilitate meetings, and manage agendas and content.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Trust Building
• Partner with child and family well-being agencies, community coalitions, and advocacy groups to foster alignment and trust.
• Support coordination efforts for the prevention initiative and related programs.
• System Design and Continuous Improvement
• Work with governmental leaders and technical assistance providers to design and refine new approaches to child welfare that meet families’ needs before safety concerns escalate.
• Technical Assistance Coordination
• Serve as the primary contact for technical assistance requests, ensuring appropriate support and integration.
• Knowledge Sharing and Learning
• Facilitate collaboration within South Carolina and capture insights across other national Opt-In sites.
• Develop strategies to enhance community involvement and governance structures.
• Statewide Convening
• Plan and execute an annual statewide event to foster learning and collaboration.

The responsibilities outlined in this section are intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and are not exhaustive. Further details will be provided to candidates that are advanced in the recruitment process.

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS

A successful first year in this position will be evident by the following: 

• An active and diverse advisory committee is partnering with a statewide social services agency, building on existing structures, capacity, and vision. Advisory members are collaborating to co-create a child and family well-being system at their site. 
• Lived experts and community members – especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color – are meaningfully advising the design. 
• Intergovernmental and nonprofit partners are also meaningfully advising the design of new approaches to support families preventively, integrating resources and approaches in coordination with a statewide social services agency.
• Leaders – both in the public child welfare agency and the community – are strengthening their capacity to innovate and collaborate. 
• Core elements of the new pathways to connect families to voluntary community support are prototyped. 
• High-quality technical assistance identified by jurisdiction leaders and other technical assistance partners is available to the site.

EDUCATION & WORK EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of a BA/BS degree is required; master’s preferred.
• At least seven years of experience in program development, leadership growth, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Experience in communicating about social impact — particularly in areas such as family support, poverty alleviation, or related fields — is highly valued.
• Preferred candidates will have experience in the public sector or a multifaceted nonprofit organization that manages multiple programs.

REPORTING

This role will report to the Foster America Senior Director of Opt-In and collaborate closely with senior leaders within state government as well as community leaders. The role will provide joint oversight of advisory structures within the jurisdiction and offer indirect supervision to Foster America specialists — such as those focused on data, finance, co-design, system mapping, and improved outcomes and access for all — who are assigned to support initiatives within the region.

START DATE

This position will start in May 2025.

Benefits

Salary is commensurate with experience in the range of $126,000-$140,000. Foster America offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical insurance, paid vacation, paid parental leave, paid holidays, commuter benefits, participation in a retirement plan, paid sick time, and professional development opportunities. See our detailed benefits package here.

WORK LOCATION

This position will require frequent in-person/in-office work at a governmental or community nonprofit setting within South Carolina, with some time working remotely/from a home office. The position also includes travel responsibilities accounting for up to 40% of the time. The candidate will be expected to endure prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer.

Foster America is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in professional and lived experience. Frequently cited statistics show that underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Foster America encourages you to break that statistic and apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to reviewing your application.