Position Summary:

The Manager of Strategic Program Initiatives is responsible for driving program effectiveness, strategic growth, and continuous improvement across the AzCA's child welfare programs and services. This position works collaboratively with program leadership, frontline teams, and executive leadership to evaluate program performance, identify opportunities for improvement, develop strategies for program expansion, and support the implementation of initiatives that advance the AzCA's mission.

The Manager will lead strategic projects designed to strengthen service delivery, improve outcomes for children and families, increase organizational capacity, and ensure programs remain responsive to evolving community needs and child welfare priorities. Through data-informed decision-making, cross-functional collaboration, and effective project management, this role will help position the organization for sustainable growth, operational excellence, and greater impact in the communities it serves.

Annual Salary:  $71,000-$73,000

Essential Job Functions:

1. Program Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement

• Assess the effectiveness of existing programs and services to identify strengths, gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve program quality, service delivery, operational efficiency, and outcomes for children, youth, and families.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), program benchmarks, and outcome measures to evaluate program performance and progress toward organizational goals.
• Analyze program data, trends, stakeholder feedback, and outcome reports to inform recommendations and strategic decisions.
• Collaborate with program leaders to develop and implement improvement plans, monitor results, and promote accountability for achieving desired outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to standardize effective practices, streamline processes, and strengthen consistency across programs and service locations.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and evidence-informed practice.

2. Strategic Program Development and Expansion

• Lead the development of strategies to expand existing programs and identify opportunities to introduce new programs and services aligned with AzCA's mission and strategic priorities.
• Conduct community needs assessments, environmental scans, and service gap analyses to identify unmet needs and opportunities to expand the organization's impact.
• Evaluate the feasibility of proposed program expansions, including staffing requirements, operational capacity, financial sustainability, regulatory considerations, and potential community impact.
• Develop program expansion proposals, implementation plans, business cases, and strategic recommendations for executive leadership.
• Collaborate with leadership and external stakeholders to identify opportunities for new service partnerships, geographic expansion, and enhanced service delivery models.
• Support the design and launch of new initiatives, including defining program objectives, resource requirements, implementation timelines, performance measures, and evaluation plans.
• Monitor emerging trends, policy changes, funding opportunities, and best practices in child welfare to inform strategic planning and program development.
• Develop recommendations for scaling successful initiatives and replicating effective program models across the organization.

3. Strategic Initiative and Project Management

• Lead cross-functional strategic initiatives from concept development through implementation, evaluation, and sustainability planning.
• Translate organizational strategic priorities into actionable work plans, deliverables, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Coordinate project teams and facilitate collaboration among program services, quality assurance, finance, human resources, development, compliance, and other relevant departments.
• Monitor project timelines, budgets, deliverables, risks, and performance outcomes to ensure initiatives remain on track.
• Identify barriers to implementation and develop practical solutions to support successful execution.
• Provide regular progress updates, performance reports, and recommendations to executive leadership and other key stakeholders.
• Support organizational change management efforts associated with new programs, revised processes, and strategic priorities.

4. Data Analysis, Outcomes Measurement, and Reporting

• Develop and maintain systems for monitoring program performance, service utilization, quality, and outcomes.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to identify trends, measure impact, and inform programmatic and operational decisions.
• Partner with program and quality assurance teams to strengthen data collection, reporting practices, and performance management processes.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of new and existing initiatives and recommend adjustments based on results and lessons learned.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, presentations, and strategic recommendations for leadership, boards, funders, and other stakeholders, as appropriate.
• Support the use of evidence-informed and trauma-informed practices, with a focus on improving outcomes for children and families.

5. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong working relationships with program directors, managers, frontline staff, and cross-functional departments to advance organizational priorities.
• Facilitate strategic planning sessions, program review meetings, and cross-departmental workgroups.
• Engage community partners, public agencies, funders, and other stakeholders to identify service gaps, strengthen partnerships, and support program expansion.
• Incorporate feedback from children, youth, families, staff, and community stakeholders, as appropriate, into program improvement and development efforts.
• Communicate strategic priorities, implementation progress, and program improvement recommendations clearly and effectively across the organization.

6. Compliance, Quality, and Organizational Sustainability

• Ensure strategic initiatives and program development efforts align with applicable child welfare regulations, licensing requirements, contractual obligations, funding requirements, and organizational policies.
• Collaborate with compliance, quality assurance, and program leadership to identify and mitigate risks associated with program operations and expansion.
• Incorporate safety, permanency, well-being, family engagement, cultural responsiveness, and trauma-informed care principles into program improvement and development strategies.
• Consider financial sustainability, workforce capacity, infrastructure, and long-term resource requirements when evaluating program growth opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, community partnerships, and innovative service models to improve efficiency and expand access to services.

Minimum Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, public administration, nonprofit management, business administration, organizational development, or a related field required.
• Master's degree in social work, public administration, nonprofit management, business administration, or a related discipline preferred.

• Demonstrated experience evaluating program effectiveness and developing or implementing strategies to improve performance and outcomes.
• Experience developing, launching, expanding, or scaling programs within a nonprofit, human services, child welfare, behavioral health, or related organization.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects, managing competing priorities, and coordinating multiple stakeholders.
• Experience using data, performance indicators, and outcome measures to inform programmatic or strategic decisions.
• Experience developing project plans, strategic recommendations, presentations, and reports for leadership.

• Experience in child welfare, foster care, family preservation, permanency services, prevention, or related human services strongly preferred.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the essential functions of the position may be considered.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to translate organizational goals into actionable plans and measurable results.
• Demonstrated ability to assess program effectiveness, identify service gaps, and develop practical strategies for program improvement and expansion.
• Strong project management skills, including planning, execution, risk identification, resource coordination, and performance monitoring.
• Proficiency in data analysis, performance measurement, outcome evaluation, and report development.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence stakeholders across multiple levels of an organization.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and accountability for results.
• Knowledge of child welfare systems, trauma-informed care, family-centered services, and evidence-informed practices.
• Understanding of nonprofit operations, grant-funded programs, community partnerships, and program sustainability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office or comparable productivity and data reporting tools.

Minimum Qualification & Requirements

·Must be 21 years of age (licensing requirement).

·Possess a valid Arizona driver's license and be insurable under the agency's automobile policy.

·Must be able to provide own transportation for business related purposes

• Must be able to provide DPS fingerprint clearance.
• Must be able to meet training and agency compliance requirements for the position.

An individual may qualify for this position if the individual is able to "perform safely" the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. Perform safely means to perform without causing a direct threat to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodations, as defined by 42 U.S.C. #1211 (b) and the Commission's regulations found at 29 C.F.R #1630.2 (r).