Director of Aging-Out Excellence Lab

About CAFO

The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) unites more than 300 respected organizations and a global network of churches to inspire and equip Christians to effectively answer God’s call to care for vulnerable children and families. Since 2004, CAFO members have sought to “leave their logos and egos at the door” to join in shared initiatives to grow and guide effective responses for the world’s most vulnerable children, from foster care and adoption to family strengthening and care for vulnerable children worldwide.

Position Summary

The Director of the CAFO Aging-Out Excellence Lab will lead the newly established Lab to serve as the nation’s leading hub for knowledge, innovation and well-informed action to promote the whole-person success of youth transitioning from foster care into adulthood. This individual will provide executive-level leadership to oversee the creation of the Lab, focus its core strategies, build its team and operations, conduct joint endeavors with CAFO colleagues and other institutions and leaders, and, ultimately, lead the Lab forward in all that is essential to cultivating good in the lives of aging-out youth across America. The Director will work closely with CAFO’s President, COO, and other members of the CAFO leadership team (especially the More Than Enough initiative) to develop and execute the Lab’s strategic vision.

Location: Remote

Position Type: Full Time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Travel: Travel will likely average 1-2 trips per quarter. Travel will include the CAFO Summit, the annual staff retreat, and other events/activities hosted by CAFO and its partners.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an experienced, mission-driven leader with a deep commitment to the whole-person wellbeing of vulnerable youth. He/she possesses a strong blend of strategic vision and operational expertise, with a proven track record in program development and team leadership. He/she takes great pleasure in cultivating strength in organizations and leaders, and can skillfully turn information and insights into resources and processes that enable this growth. Grounded in deep Christian faith and practice, he/she desires to live out a sense of calling to foster innovation and excellence to improve outcomes for youth aging out of foster care.

Essential Responsibilities

The Director will serve as the executive leader for the creation and ongoing leadership of the Aging-Out Excellence Lab. Key elements of Lab’s work will include endeavors that:

• Identify best-in-class practices and program models nationwide.
• Distill knowledge into useful insights and actionable resources.
• Deliver resources, training, and coaching to help leaders start, grow, and improve effective aging-out programs.
• Advance research in the field, especially understanding of factors that make the biggest difference in outcomes for aging-out youth. (This will include the collection, review and promotion of existing research as well as new research engaged by the Lab, both in-house via the CAFO Research Center and via partnerships with other researchers and universities.)
• Provide competitive grants (paired with expert guidance and peer cohorts) to advance excellence -- likely including seed funding for new programs, compelling innovations, strategic expansions, research grants, and awards.

To advance and deepen this vision, the Director will:

• Lead the refining and development of these broad ideas into focused strategies and measurable objectives, in close collaboration with the CAFO leadership team.
• Design and steadily build the operational capacity necessary to achieve the Lab’s objectives, including hiring staff and contractors, establishing essential systems, and utilizing CAFO’s operational teams (i.e. marketing, film, web, accounting, etc.)
• Advance jointly-owned endeavors in tandem with CAFO teammates and programs, including the More Than Enough initiative, Research Center, Pure Religion Project, and Family Institute.
• Engage strategic partnerships with key allies across the field, including CAFO member organizations, universities, researchers, corporations, and other partners.
• If expansion beyond the current budget is deemed strategic, work in tandem with CAFO’s president and development director to raise additional funds.
• Establish systems for meaningful feedback and measurement—including both process metrics and, ultimately, true outcomes achieved by the organizations strengthened by the Lab and the young adults they serve.

Competency, Skills, and Character

• Committed follower of Jesus Christ who wholeheartedly shares in the mission, vision, deepest commitments, and guiding principles of the CAFO community.
• Sincere desire to grow more like Jesus together as part of a “community of Christian spiritual formation.”
• Strong leadership skills with experience in program development, research, and grant management.
• A team player willing to work collaboratively across multiple teams.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a distributed organization.
• Possession of the personal traits, habits, and local community essential to flourishing in a remote work environment.
• Demonstrates deep care and attentiveness to others, evidenced by strong, respectful relationships with colleagues and peers
• Excellent communication skills, with an ability to distill complex insights into accessible ideas and practices.
• Strong inclination to press beyond “processes” or “activities” alone to pursue, whenever possible, measurable results in organizations and leaders we work to strengthen, and in the lives of the children and families they serve.
• Passion to see “the people of God overflowing with the love of God,” including effective service and care for youth aging out of care.

Education and Experience

• At least 10+ years of highly relevant experience.
• Proven results in organizational leadership, fiscal management and program development.
• Strong track record in managing people and programs.
• Deep knowledge of the challenges faced by aging-out youth and a compelling vision for how to address them.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience preferred.

Originally posted on Himalayas