Senior Associate - External Engagement

About Think of Us

Think of Us (TOU) is transforming the child welfare system into one where young people and families can heal, develop, and thrive. We drive purpose-driven work aligned with meaningful systems change, powered by data and the insights of lived experience. Our focus is on prevention, keeping families strong before crisis, and on building kinship-first systems so children grow up with people they know and trust. Through bold collaborations with leaders and innovators across the public and private sectors — from Presidential Administrations to local providers — we identify leverage points and co-create solutions that re-architect child welfare for the future.

Here’s what this looks like:

• Built the Lived Experience Engine into the largest dataset of its kind (51,000+ voices), powering AI tools and shaping reforms
• Partnered with California to launch the Kinship Accelerator in 8 counties, backed by $150M and a budget increase from $317M → $896M
• Drove a national kin-first shift: 39 states (plus 5 tribes) adopting kinship standards, unlocking $3B for families
• Operate one of the largest direct resource networks, connecting 1,827 families to $28M+ in support 

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. 

Position Overview

Department: External Engagement 

Reports to: Senior Director, Federal Lead

Direct Reports: N/A

Location: Hybrid; Washington, DC (min. 3 days in the office)

Category: Full Time / Exempt

The Senior Associate, External Engagement supports the External Engagement Team with developing and implementing advocacy strategies that engage policymakers and key partners, and building coalitions around Think of Us' mission that lead to systems change. This role goes beyond policy analysis: it requires someone who can lead lived-experience engagement, coordinate logistics, and support convenings. The Senior Associate will directly support the Senior Director of Policy and provide cross-functional support across the entire External Engagement team on advancing TOU priorities.

We're looking for someone with strong attention to detail who is comfortable with an all-hands-on-deck approach to the work — moving fluidly across projects, contributing creative thinking, and partnering closely with the team. This is a key support role on a collaborative, fast-paced team united by TOU's common throughline: transforming the foster care system into a child and family well-being system.

Driven by a commitment to centering lived experience, the Senior Associate provides critical support across a range of responsibilities: tracking, developing, and analyzing policy proposals, legislative activities, and relationships; preparing timely and compelling advocacy materials; leading logistics and ethical engagement for people with lived experience; project managing work plans and convenings; and using AI tools responsibly to strengthen the team's policy and knowledge work.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Analysis and Advocacy (30%)

• Support External Engagement staff by providing timely, accurate, and relevant research on issues relating to child and family well-being, flagging unexpected barriers or opportunities as they arise.
• Write and disseminate briefing documents to educate internal team members and community members.
• Monitor state and federal child welfare policy and proactively keep TOU staff abreast of emerging issues, partnership opportunities, and potential projects.
• Contribute to and develop content for external TOU policy communications, including public comments, web content, issue briefs, social media content, reports, fact sheets, policy memos, and white papers.
• Build and maintain a bench of relationships with congressional staffers to support consistent, well-prepared engagement on Capitol Hill.

Lived-Experience Engagement (25%)

• Support meaningful and ethical participation of people with lived experience in policy development and advocacy.
• Coordinate participant outreach, preparation, scheduling, materials, compensation, and follow-up.
• Develop accessible materials that help participants understand the purpose, audience, and potential use of their contributions.
• Apply trauma-responsive, culturally responsive, and inclusive practices, helping create environments where people can participate safely and meaningfully.
• Ensure lived-experience insights are represented accurately and are not removed from their original context; track how that input influenced recommendations, materials, strategies, or decisions.
• Communicate back to participants about how their input was used, and help prevent tokenization and extractive engagement.
• Coordinate closely with Think of Us staff responsible for lived-experience engagement and data stewardship.

External Engagement Operations & Project Management (15%)

• Project manage policy-related communications, campaigns, and advocacy activities.
• Keep the External Engagement team organized and moving forward: manage calendars, meetings, travel, events, agendas, materials, files, and contact lists.
• Maintain work plans, deadlines, meeting notes, decisions, commitments, and action items, and follow up with the right people so important work does not get lost.
• Manage logistics and prepare materials for internal and external meetings; represent TOU at meetings and briefings and report back key takeaways.

Strategic Convenings & Events (10%)

• Prepare agendas, facilitation guides, briefing materials, presentations, background documents, and participant communications.
• Coordinate event logistics, scheduling, travel, technology, registration, and materials.
• Maintain records of participants, engagement, feedback, and outcomes.
• Support virtual and in-person events in Washington, DC, and other locations as needed.

Coalition Support & Engagement (10%)

• Assist in supporting or facilitating coalition and workgroup logistics, including sharing agendas, taking detailed notes, communicating next steps, and coordinating coalition activities.
• Support the development and maintenance of policymaker, coalition, and stakeholder relationships.

AI-Enabled Policy Work & Knowledge Management (10%)

• Use AI and digital tools to strengthen policy monitoring, research synthesis, drafting, stakeholder preparation, project management, and institutional knowledge.
• Apply human review and independent judgment to all AI-generated work.
• Verify sources, facts, citations, quotations, and policy interpretations produced with AI assistance.
• Demonstrate a willingness to learn how to build simple AI tools that support the team's workflows.

About You

We recognize that candidates may not meet every listed qualification. Research shows 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 meet many of the criteria and can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply — we want to learn about your unique strengths and experiences.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to engage with humility and self-awareness across differences in identity, background, and lived experience; experience applying an inclusive lens to policy analysis, systems-change, or community engagement work.
• At least 2 years of demonstrated experience in public policy, political science, and/or advocacy, ideally including exposure to Capitol Hill or congressional staff relationships.
• Lived expertise in foster care is beneficial.
• Knowledge of policy and issues related to children, youth, and families, child welfare, positive youth development, and systems change.
• Experience working with or alongside systems that impact youth and families — or deep commitment to learning about these systems with humility, curiosity, and care.
• Motivated by impact and systems change; thrives in a fast-growing, evolving organization and sees change as an opportunity to innovate, learn, and make things better.
• Actively explores and applies AI tools to make work more effective, and is willing to learn how to build simple AI tools to support team workflows. 

Desired Competencies:

• Excellent research, writing, and policy analysis skills, including the ability to accurately and concisely summarize complex information for a broad range of audiences.
• Strong project management, with demonstrated ability to see a project through and hold themselves and others accountable to timelines and deliverables.
• Resourcefulness — showing initiative to solve problems, being solution-oriented, and following through to ensure tasks are completed.
• Ability to facilitate discussions and actively listen, including with people sharing lived experience.
• Demonstrated history of handling multiple projects at a time, prioritizing duties, and working independently while functioning as a member of a team.
• Excellent writing, proofreading, and oral communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with Asana helpful.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate within a diverse community of partners, including policymakers, congressional staff, coalition members, and people with lived experience.

Compensation & Benefits

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–$80,000. 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.

Health & Insurance

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.
• Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.
• Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.
• Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.
• Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.

Financial Benefits

• 401(k) Plan for pre-tax retirement contributions.
• Work-from-home setup stipend to optimize your workspace.

Paid Time Off

• Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.
• 8 company holidays, plus two organization-wide seasonal breaks.

Learning & Development

• TOU values continuous learning and invests in the professional development of its employees in alignment with organizational needs based on role, performance, business needs, and Company policies.
• Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.

Application Instructions 

As part of your application, please submit a resume outlining your skills and experiences relevant to this role.

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.