Senior Consultant, Child Welfare Subject Matter Expert

Guidehouse Inc.; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Guidehouse is seeking a Strategy & Transformation Consulting professional to support federal initiatives focused on child welfare technology modernization, program improvement, and systems transformation. You will collaborate with federal staff, state agencies, technology partners, and project teams to advance CCWIS planning, implementation, operations, and modernization efforts.

Responsibilities include providing subject matter expertise on modernization, translating program needs into

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in human services or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in child welfare or related field.
• Experience with CCWIS modernization or large-scale child welfare technology projects.
• Knowledge of federal child welfare regulations and program guidance.
• Experience with procurement, vendor management, governance, project management, IV&V oversight, or organizational change management.
• Experience conducting stakeholder interviews, facilitating workshops, listening sessions, or requirements-gathering activities.
• Experience developing executive-level communications, reports, presentations, briefing materials, and decision-support products.

Responsibilities

• Provide subject matter expertise on child welfare technology modernization initiatives.
• Provide expertise on child welfare ecosystem from business processes, federal reporting requirements, interoperability, data governance, user adoption, and system operations to program and policy.
• Translate child welfare program needs into actionable business and technology recommendations with technology partners.
• Support states and federal partners in planning, implementing, and operating CCWIS projects and related modernization efforts.
• Analyze modernization strategies, project risks, governance structures, procurement approaches, and implementation outcomes to identify leading practices and lessons learned.
• Review and assess planning documents, APDs, implementation plans, project artifacts, waiver requests, and other modernization-related deliverables.
• Conduct interviews, facilitate workshops, listening sessions, and stakeholder meetings with federal and state partners.
• Develop reports, executive briefings, presentations, research summaries, technical assistance materials, and strategic recommendations.

Skills

Stakeholder interviews

Executive-level communication

Requirements gathering

Vendor management

Project management

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's degree in social work or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Job Family : Strategy & Transformation Consulting

Travel Required : Up to 10%

Clearance Required : Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do:

As part of a multidisciplinary team, support federal initiatives focused on child welfare technology modernization, program improvement, and systems transformation. Collaborate with federal staff, state agencies, technology partners, and project teams to advance Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) planning, implementation, operations, and modernization efforts.

Responsibilities may include:

• Provide subject matter expertise on child welfare technology modernization initiatives.
• Provide expertise on child welfare ecosystem from business processes, federal reporting requirements, interoperability, data governance, user adoption, and system operations to program and policy.
• Collaborate with technology, data, and program teams to translate child welfare program needs into actionable business and technology recommendations.
• Support states and federal partners in planning, implementing, and operating CCWIS projects and related technology transformation efforts.
• Analyze modernization strategies, project risks, governance structures, procurement approaches, and implementation outcomes to identify leading practices and lessons learned.
• Support the review and assessment of planning documents, Advanced Planning Documents (APDs), implementation plans, project artifacts, waiver requests, and other modernization-related deliverables.
• Conduct interviews, facilitate workshops, listening sessions, and stakeholder meetings with federal and state partners.
• Support development of reports, executive briefings, presentations, research summaries, technical assistance materials, and strategic recommendations.
• Support research, data collection, and analysis activities related to child welfare system modernization, project performance, operational effectiveness, and implementation challenges.
• Assist with the development of modernization guidance, technical assistance resources, playbooks, toolkits, and knowledge-sharing products to support state agencies.

What You Will Need:

Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DoD "PUBLIC TRUST"; candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred.

Bachelors Degree

EIGHT (8) or more years of professional experience in child welfare or a related field, with demonstrated qualifications that support the responsibilities above in two or more of the following areas:

• Direct experience supporting child welfare programs, child welfare agencies, or federal child welfare initiatives.
• Experience with Comprehensive Child Welfare Information Systems (CCWIS) modernization efforts, or large-scale child welfare technology implementation projects.
• Experience developing, reviewing, or supporting APDs, implementation advance planning activities, waiver requests, project artifacts, or federal funding requests.
• Knowledge of federal child welfare regulations, Children's Bureau guidance, and technology modernization requirements.
• Experience supporting system modernization efforts involving procurement, vendor management, governance, project management, Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) oversight, or organizational change management.
• Experience conducting stakeholder interviews, facilitating workshops, listening sessions, or requirements-gathering activities.
• Experience developing executive-level communications, reports, presentations, briefing materials, and decision-support products.

What Would Be Nice To Have:

• Bachelor's degree in human services or related field
• Master's degree in social work or related field
• Familiarity with data quality, federal reporting, interoperability, business process improvement, data governance, and system operations best practices.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with federal leaders, state child welfare agencies, technology partners, and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Teams.
• Experience supporting the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children's Bureau (CB), state child welfare agencies, or related human services programs.
• Exposure to federal oversight, approval, or funding processes that shape CCWIS modernization strategy.
• Knowledge of modular system development, agile delivery methods, and digital service modernization approaches.
• Familiarity with data analysis, data visualization, and reporting tools.

The annual salary range for this position is $98,000.00-$163,000.00. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

What We Offer :

Guidehouse offers