Research Scholar/Sr. Research Scholar

Child Trends is seeking a senior child welfare leader to help grow and lead our federal child welfare portfolio. We are looking for someone with deep child welfare expertise and a strong track record leading federal grants and contracts who will be compelling to partners and clients and highly competitive in federal proposals. We are especially interested in candidates who want to help build a growing federal child welfare portfolio.

This role is especially well suited for a senior leader who is excited by the opportunity to help build. Initially, this is an hourly position, with workload tied to proposal activity and project needs. This role is structured as a fellowship to allow senior leaders who are affiliated with other institutions or organizations to formally partner with Child Trends. Outside employment and professional affiliations are expected and welcomed. As part of our process, we review outside affiliations for potential conflicts of interest and will reach out to candidates to discuss any concerns before proceeding.

We envision this role transitioning to a full-time position as new work is secured, with the expectation that the individual in this role will play a central role in shaping, winning, and leading that work. The person in this role will help shape what Child Trends pursues, how we partner, and how we deliver high-quality work in child welfare. We expect this role to play a visible leadership role in both winning and leading work.

The ideal candidate brings both strong subject-matter expertise and senior federal leadership experience. They understand the child welfare field deeply, know how to lead in competitive federal environments, and are excited to help expand Child Trends’ impact.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead or co-lead federal child welfare business development and proposal efforts, including opportunity shaping, technical approach development, partner strategy, staffing, and proposal writing. 
• Serve in senior leadership roles on awarded projects, such as principal investigator, project director, senior advisor, or subject matter expert. 
• Provide deep child welfare expertise to strengthen project design, implementation, deliverables, and client engagement. 
• Build and maintain strong relationships with federal clients, partners, and leaders in the child welfare field. 
• Help identify and pursue new opportunities aligned with Child Trends’ mission and strengths. 
• Provide quality assurance for written products, presentations, and other client-facing materials. 
• Mentor and support staff contributing to child welfare projects and proposals. 
• Contribute to thought leadership through presentations, publications, briefs, and other dissemination activities. 

Must-Have Qualifications

• Deep expertise in child welfare, with at least 10 years of relevant experience in policy, research, evaluation, technical assistance, implementation, systems improvement, or program leadership. 
• Demonstrated success leading federal child welfare projects, including serving as PI or PD on contracts, task orders, cooperative agreements, or other major federally funded initiatives. 
• Strong track record helping win competitive federal work through proposal leadership, technical writing, capture strategy, oral presentations, partnership development, or related activities. 
• Strong understanding of federal contracting and what it takes to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget. 
• Recognized national standing in the child welfare field, including a track record of being sought out by state and federal clients, field leaders, or media for expertise, and ability to represent Child Trends effectively with clients, partners, and collaborators. 
• Excellent writing, presentation, and collaboration skills. 
• Advanced degree in a relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and substantial senior-level experience. 

Candidates will be considered for placement at the Research Scholar (Level 8) or Senior Research Scholar (Level 9) level depending on qualifications. 

• Candidates with a strong national reputation in child welfare, a demonstrated track record winning multiple large federal awards across funding cycles, and existing federal client relationships where clients have proactively brought work will generally be considered for placement at Level 8. 
• Candidates who are recognized as among the leading national experts in child welfare, including those who have shaped federal research or funding priorities, created new lines of work that others have joined, or won very large or innovative awards that built an entirely new area, will be considered for placement at Level 9.

We encourage candidates across this range to apply and will discuss level placement during the interview process, salary range reflects both roles.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Expertise in Plans of Safe Care. 
• Expertise in child welfare data system integration, interoperability, or cross-system data use. 
• Expertise in adoption, permanency, or related policy and practice. 
• Experience with federal child welfare technical assistance, implementation support, or systems change efforts.
• Experience partnering with state, local, tribal, and community-based child welfare stakeholders. 
• Experience mentoring multidisciplinary teams. 

Work Arrangement

This is an hourly position, and hours will vary based on proposal activity and project needs. Initial schedule is not expected to exceed 10-15 hours a week but workload is expected to be higher during peak proposal periods and early project startup, with opportunities to take on a sustained increased workload as work is awarded. Child Trends anticipates that this role will convert to a full-time position contingent on successful project wins and organizational need, with this individual well positioned to step into a senior leadership role on awarded projects.

Candidates should meet the must-have qualifications even if they do not bring expertise in every nice-to-have topic area.

Note: All applicants with a current academic appointment or full-time organizational affiliation are expected to seek approval from their institution/organization if seeking dual employment with Child Trends while working in an hourly capacity.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to help shape and lead the next phase of Child Trends’ child welfare work. The person in this role will have meaningful influence on business development, project leadership, partnerships, and thought leadership, and will be positioned to transition into a full-time senior role as the portfolio expands.

Location

Flexible remote; in most states. Child Trends does not yet operate everywhere in the US and may require additional start up time in certain states. We currently do not support fellows living primarily overseas.

Background Investigation

Jobs that involve interactions with children and positions that rely on high levels of trust to perform duties are subject to a background check at the time of hire. Employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. We will always conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check and never inquire into an applicant's criminal history until interviews have been conducted and offer decisions are being made. Current employees may also be subject to future background checks depending on the nature of their duties. A criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate or current employee from employment; however, any convictions related to the responsibilities and requirements of the position may do so.

How to Apply

Please follow the “apply” link to submit your application. Please upload your resume/CV and cover letter as well as a brief writing sample, and three professional references.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.