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Older Youth Specialist

Position Opening



Summary:

The National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.


The Older Youth Specialist will coordinate and guide Fostering Futures, a new initiative for National CASA funded by the Wal-Mart Foundation. Fostering Futures will engage CASA volunteers as advocates for and advisors to foster youth ages 16-21, and as young as 12, with the goal of helping them develop specific transition plans, identify positive adult connections and achieve positive outcomes following their transition out of care. The Older Youth Specialist will work with a wide array of expert collaborators, instructional and evaluation consultants, a Fostering Futures advisory committee and CASA programs across the country to develop pilot, implement and evaluate a specialized training curriculum. The curriculum will provide our volunteers with the unique skills and resources necessary to best serve older youth. Funding for this position, including salary and benefits, is guaranteed for two years. This position will work from our office in Seattle, or a home based office anywhere in the country. Travel required.


National CASA is committed to an inclusive and welcoming workplace environment and we are proud to be a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, the Puget Sound Business Journal Washington's Best Workplace and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace.



Reports to: Training Director



Duties and Responsibilities:

· Compile and evaluate information from member programs, partner agencies, research institutions and service providers.

· Recruit members for and effectively communicate with a Fostering Futures advisory committee, including coordinating, convening and leading advisory committee meetings, both online and in person.

· Assure that all necessary resources and permission to use and/or duplicate existing resources that would be useful in or applicable to the development of a curriculum to train CASA/GAL volunteers in working with older and aging out foster youth.

· Design=2 0and issue an RFP for the hiring of a consulting instructional designer; lead interview and selection process..

· Oversee design, production and piloting of the resulting Fostering Futures curriculum, including video and e-learning components, development of a training of facilitators, and oversight of consultants and contracted professionals as appropriate.

· Coordinate, with the input of the advisory committee and National CASA staff, the selection of pilot program sites.

· Work in group settings and one-on-one with pilot programs, by telephone, email and on-site, to provide technical assistance and support for project implementation.

· With National CASA's grants management team, monitor pilot programs by reviewing project elements and grant goals and activities.

· Work with evaluation specialist and evaluation contractor to create a feedback process and collect and organize feedback from pilot sites and others who use training curriculum.

· Work with evaluation specialist and evaluation contractor to design process for data collection and evaluation. Compile data and reports from participating programs; write quarterly and annual report.

· Monitor and track program budget.



Experience, Skills and Education:

· 5 years experience in curriculum design and delivery, adult education theory and training facilitation

· 3- 5 years exper ience in complex project management involving multiple stakeholders, data analysis and reporting

· Knowledge of the child welfare field, foster care, child advocacy and/or volunteer management

· Experience supervising contracted professionals

· Competence with Microsoft appli cations and familiarity with latest developments in learning technology such as e-learning, webcasts and podcasts

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills

· Experience working in collaborative teams

· Ability to work independently as appropriate

· Ability to establish rapport with diverse range of people

· Ability to travel

· Bachelor's degree



Other:

Successful National CASA staff bring energy and enthusiasm for our mission, strategic goals, and workplace values, including a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. This is a full time, exempt position


Salary and Benefits:

Starting salary DOE plus an additional 18% above salary to be used for benefits with whatever is not applied to benefit choices being added to take-home pay. Additional employer-provided benefits include Life/AD&D Insurance, Long Term Disability Insurance, Employee Assistance Program, and generous paid leave and work/life balance policies.

Visit our Website: National CASA

To Apply: Send resume and cover letter to employment@nationalcasa.org by July 10, 2009


Questions: Contact Human Resources Director, Jill Wiedenhoft, at jill@nationalcasa.org or 206/774-7204