| GENERAL SUMMARY Chapin Hall is an independent policy research center at the University of Chicago that provides public and private decision-makers with rigorous research and achievable solutions to support them in improving the lives of children, families, and communities. Chapin Hall partners with policymakers, practitioners, and philanthropists at the forefront of research and policy development by applying a unique blend of scientific research, real-world experience, and policy expertise to construct actionable information, practical tools, and, ultimately, positive change for children, youth, and families. Established in 1985, Chapin Hall's areas of research include child welfare systems, community capacity to support children and families, and youth homelessness. For more information about Chapin Hall, visit www.chapinhall.org or @Chapin_Hall. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago is seeking a Senior Policy Analyst to work with jurisdictions across the country to successfully implement child welfare transformation efforts and embed evidence-based practices as the field moves towards a greater emphasis on prevention and promoting child and family well-being. The Senior Policy Analyst will work with public and private child welfare leaders integrating the best available knowledge, scientific research and policy expertise, designing and implementing policies, strategies and programs that achieve the agency’s goals, and, ultimately, creating positive change and improving child and family outcomes. The successful candidate will bring real world experience and a deep understanding of how jurisdictions can improve child outcomes through strategic levers like the federal Family First Prevention Services Act. The Senior Policy Analyst will contribute the iteration, deployment and testing of Chapin Hall’s suite of implementation tools and frameworks. The individual will have a track record of successfully implementing empirically-supported practices, programs and policies that promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children in foster care or at risk of entering foster care. The Senior Policy Analyst will be charged with leading substantial tasks within broader scopes of work, and overseeing the work of junior staff towards the completion of project goals and deliverables. This is a remote position based in California. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS The primary responsibilities of the position are as follows: - Supports jurisdictions in their efforts to leverage opportunities like the Family First Prevention Services Act towards child welfare system transformation.
- Conducts policy, fiscal and evidence reviews to develop innovative approaches to system transformation efforts.
- Leverages the existing knowledge to its fullest and identifies opportunities to build evidence within jurisdictional contexts.
- Facilitates making connections between child welfare and the larger human and social services context in support of leveraging shared values and achieving collective impact.
- Identifies targeted opportunities, and creates and leads strategies and analytical support for the effective implementation of evidence-informed best practices.
- Together with colleagues, applies a synthesis of research findings and implementation experiences to the development and execution of plans for effective, tailored implementation.
- Collaborates with colleagues to articulate and validate essential elements of capacity-building and effective engagement toward systems change and integration.
- Develops, deploys, tests, and refines capacity building and implementation tools frameworks, tools and resources.
- Through results-based organizational development, coaching, education, and facilitation of meetings and change processes, builds capacity of jurisdictions to:
- use data and evidence in decision making;
- build and sustain structures that support large scale systems improvement;
- further effective and sustainable implementation of practices and programs that lead to intended outcomes;
- understand and leverage policy and financing as tools for progress; and
- use continuous quality improvement to promote progress- monitoring and mid course improvements.
- Manages and, as appropriate, leads the implementation of projects of varying size and complexity, including planning, organizing and managing resources to achieve specific project goals and objective
- Leads or supports the translation of data and research findings into practical decisions, continuous quality improvement, and, ultimately, policy change.
- Manages and contributes substantively to teams working to effectively write and present relevant findings and reports, issue briefs, materials, memoranda, and other communications related to team efforts.
- Writes major sections or full reports for projects.
- Identifies opportunities and initiates ideas for communications to external stakeholders.
- Edits and reviews the written work of other professionals.
- Leads and/or contributes significantly to meetings with key external stakeholder
- Represents Chapin Hall, engaging stakeholders in discussions related to current or potential work, accurately assessing each situation to determine the approach and discussion topics appropriate for one’s rol
- May begin cultivating relationships with key funding and policy stakeholders necessary to develop and carry out one’s own policy work.
- Understand the complex relationships between key funding and policy stakeholders relevant to work and navigate those relationships effectivel
- Performs additional duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS Education Master’s degree in public policy, social work, developmental or clinical psychology or other relevant field required. Experience and Other Qualifications - A minimum of seven years of experience facilitating the implementation of child welfare processes, practices, and policymaking that improves outcomes for children, youth, and families required.
- Experience partnering with key community, funding, and policy stakeholders in the development and carrying out of changes in public policies required.
- Significant project management experience required.
- Demonstrated facility with quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis required.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills required.
- Ability to collaborate successfully with external and internal parties in designing and implementing state-level policy reforms required.
- Ability to understand and translate research findings, autonomously and/or in collaboration with colleagues, and translate them by embedding implications into action steps required.
- Ability to translate and convey complex concepts and study findings in oral and written communications required.
- Demonstrated capacity for working in a collaborative policy environment required.
- Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative required.
- Excellent problem-solving skills required.
- Ability to manage and prioritize the work on multiple projects required.
- Proficiency with project management software strongly preferred.
MINIMUM PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. - Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time.
- Must be able to operate a computer extensively for four (4) or more hours per day.
- Must be able to travel.
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Pre-employment background checks are required for all Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago positions. To express interest in this opening, please visit https://csschcc.sentrichr.com. Formal expressions of interest are accepted online only. A cover letter, resume, writing sample, and reference contact information are required to be considered for this position. Individuals in need of reasonable accommodations to complete the application process should contact Human Resources by calling (773) 256-5157, or by sending an email to humanresources@chapinhall.org. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that values and actively seeks diversity in its workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, status as an individual with disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law. |
