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We are seeking a mission-driven Senior Associate (Generalist) to join our Programs & Services team. In this role, you will apply systems design methods to help public child welfare agencies, states, and communities tackle complex problems—ranging from prevention and family support to permanency, transition-age youth outcomes, and workforce well-being. You will deliver technical assistance (TA), facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration, translate research into action, and support implementation to produce measurable improvements for children, youth, and families.
This is a hands-on, cross-functional role ideal for a practitioner who can move fluidly between discovery, strategy, design, facilitation, analysis, and implementation support.
Department: Programs & Services
Reports to: Senior Director, Center for Lived Experience
Direct Reports: N/A
Location: Hybrid, Washington DC (Candidates must be based in the Washington, DC metro area and the role requires a minimum of 3 days per week in our Washington, DC office)
Travel: Approximately 20–35% (varies by project and partner needs).
Work Style: Collaborative, fast-paced, learning-oriented environment with cross-functional teams
Category: Full-time; Exempt
Systems Discovery and Problem Framing
Service and Systems Design
Technical Assistance and Implementation Support
Stakeholder Facilitation and Partnership Management
Analysis, Measurement, and Learning
Project Delivery and Collaboration
Equity, Lived Expertise, and Trauma-Informed Practice
Example Projects You May Support
Success in This Role
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.
Qualifications
Preferred
Core Competencies
At TOU, we believe that taking care of our people is foundational to the impact we aim to make. Our compensation philosophy is rooted in transparency and a holistic understanding of people’s needs. We believe fair, market-competitive pay is essential to attracting and retaining the exceptional talent needed to achieve our ambitious goals. As a not-for-profit organization, we design our compensation packages—including both salary and benefits—with care and in alignment with our financial sustainability.
The annual salary for this role is $70,000–$75,000. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.
TOU’S benefits go beyond the basics. They’re designed to support your well-being, growth, and sense of purpose at work and beyond. From comprehensive health coverage to professional development support and meaningful time off, our benefits reflect our commitment to nurturing a workplace where people can thrive, both personally and professionally.
Hiring Process
Application Instructions
Please submit a resume highlighting relevant skills and experience, a cover letter describing your systems design/TA experience and interest in this role, and one relevant work sample (e.g., facilitation agenda, synthesis brief, playbook excerpt; please remove or redact any sensitive information).
Please note: We do not accept phone inquiries about this position in order to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process for all applicants.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Think of Us is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and value applicants of all backgrounds, knowing that diverse perspectives strengthen our work with children, youth, and families. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and for applicants’ religious practices as required by law.
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Apply to Think of Us
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Think of Us is a systems change organization helping accelerate the transformation of the child welfare system into a Child and Family Well-Being System — one that helps youth and families heal, develop, and thrive. We focus on driving structural change and cultural transformation across the ecosystem — shifting how government systems operate, make decisions, and define success. This work builds on a series of national and state laws, regulations, and policy directions that have created the opportunity for child welfare systems to operate in drastically different, more family-centered ways.
Our work spans innovation, collaboration, and implementation to strengthen reform efforts that help children, youth, and families build stability, connection, and well-being. We partner with government, philanthropy, and communities nationwide to accelerate reform — grounding every effort in lived experience, guided by data, and strengthened by technology.
We translate lived experience into actionable insights, embed those with firsthand experience in the work of change, and co-design strategies that bridge practice and policy. When gaps appear in the ecosystem, we develop — or help others develop — proof points that show how the system can work differently. And when we learn what works (or what doesn’t), we bring those lessons to policymakers and leaders to shape new laws, regulations, and practices that make lasting change possible. We tackle the most challenging problems and innovation risks that others can’t - working to make child and family well-being the organizing goal of the nation’s child welfare system.
Here’s what this looks like:
Our team members share a commitment to driving systems change through creative problem-solving, obsessive curiosity, and a love of quickly driving innovative, measurable, and impactful results.
At TOU, we believe that taking care of our people is foundational to the impact we aim to make. Our compensation philosophy is rooted in transparency and a holistic understanding of people’s needs. We believe fair, market-competitive pay is essential to attracting and retaining the exceptional talent needed to achieve our ambitious goals. As a not-for-profit organization, we design our compensation packages—including both salary and benefits—with care and in alignment with our financial sustainability.
Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.
TOU’S benefits go beyond the basics. They’re designed to support your well-being, growth, and sense of purpose at work and beyond. From comprehensive health coverage to professional development support and meaningful time off, our benefits reflect our commitment to nurturing a workplace where people can thrive, both personally and professionally.
Think of Us is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and value applicants of all backgrounds, knowing that diverse perspectives strengthen our work with children, youth, and families. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and for applicants’ religious practices as required by law.
Please submit your resume and answer a few simple questions to ensure we have the most accurate information about you on file. Due to the volume of submissions, we will only reach out if we have an open role that may be a good fit for you. We encourage you to follow Think of Us' careers page in case we have a role that you are interested in.
Ready to apply?
Apply to Think of Us
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