Director of Resource Care

Amara is committed to positive long-term outcomes for children and families. We drive systemic change, promote healing, and advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity by offering programs and services to families engaged in the child welfare system.

At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted, and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

We are seeking to hire a Director of Resource Care. The Director of Resource Care reports to the Chief Innovation and Program Officer as the leader of Resource Care programming at Amara, which includes Foster Care, Kinship Care, and Caregiver Support. The Director is a key member of Amara’s leadership team and plays a key role in the development and ongoing promotion of Amara’s mission, vision, philosophy and culture.

Position summary

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Staff Supervision and Management (25%)

• Provide a warm, caring, and confident leadership style that supports a team providing supervision to direct care staff as well as staff that provide direct care and support to children and families
• Oversee, support, and develop program management staff such that each program area has a strong team, including recruitment and retention, hiring, orientation, supervision, evaluation, and promotion of staff
• Support program management staff in ensuring that services provided are high quality, consistent, and responsive to child and family needs across resource care teams
• Provide clinical supervision (utilizing reflective supervision skills) and ensure best practice across all program areas as needed.
• Partners with resource care teams as needed to ensure proper investigation and handling of licensing investigations, be readily available for ad-hoc staffing, and ensure team meetings meet program needs
• Review documentation and materials, as needed, produced by supervisees who are doing direct service work.
• Implement policies, priorities, and procedures consistent with best practice models for effective program implementation
• Support staff in contributing to programmatic continuous quality improvement and evaluation
• Work with staff and build from the work of Amara’s DEI council to develop objective performance measures across the program, to ensure consistent, high-quality evaluation and goal setting for all employees

Operational Management (50%)

• Budgeting

o Project, develop, and monitor revenue and expense budgets for all resource care programming with the assistance of the Chief Innovation and Program Officer

o Review, allocate, and approve program-related expenses

• Reporting

o Collaborate with Chief Innovation and Program Officer and in collaboration with other key personnel to ensure resource care programmatic reporting is aligned with Agency vision, mission, and strategic plan

o Work with internal and external partners to ensure Amara is meeting all monitoring, reporting, and contract requirements for resource care programming. This includes guiding internal and external audits to ensure regulatory compliance regarding service delivery

o Maintain effective contracts between Amara and pertinent program partners (e.g. DCYF, Children’s Bureau, etc.) for all resource care programming

• Program Development/Refinement

o Support the implementation and iteration of protocols, procedures, and program structure that are consistent with best practice models for effective program implementation across all resource care programming

o Support Managers in ensuring effective management of the day-to-day operations of their respective program areas – including identifying, recommending, and implementing program and process improvement in concert with team feedback/guidance

o Collaborate with Amara’s leadership team to advance program impact and Amara’s overall mission and vision

o Collaborate with Amara’s other Directors to ensure cross-program alignment

• Outcomes/Evaluation

o In partnership with Associate Director of Program Impact and Evaluation, ensure appropriate data collection and reporting to evaluate resource care programming impact and efficacy given contract constraints and the established programmatic goals

o Keep Amara staff and key personnel up to date as to program outcomes and performance

• Work collaboratively with leadership to ensure impactful, efficient, and complementary services across Amara’s service array

Strategic Leadership (25%)

• In collaboration with the Chief Innovation and Program Officer, create and implement a strategic workplan for Resource Care programming annually to ensure clear team-wide direction setting, work assignment, and accountability.
• Remain apprised of current trends, practices, and legislation in child welfare through networking and publications to improve current programming and/or develop new programs to either meet changing needs in our community or to diversify Amara’s services
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with other service providers, agencies and partners to ensure that children and families have excellent access to all needed services
• As a member of the leadership team, this position plays a key role in the development and ongoing promotion of Amara’s mission, vision, philosophy, and culture
• At the direction of the Chief Innovation and Program Officer, participate in select internal and external collaborative efforts with key stakeholders/partners (e.g. DCYF, WACF, other CPAs, etc.) to advance systemic child welfare change
• Build collaborative relationships with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) including behavioral health organizations, foster care organizations, DCYF, etc. to ensure effective referrals and community support across resource care programming
• In collaboration with programming teams and Amara’s communication team, ensure key successes and challenges are transparently shared with our community partners
• Attend required and recommended County and State providers and community meetings in key identified partner Areas serviced by Amara programming
• Support the organizational efforts in creating narrative and practice changes across Washington state’s child welfare system
• Coordinate with Communications team on media content regarding issues related to all resource care programming
• Outreach and Communication – newsletters, marketing, advertisement, etc.

o Support program managers in leading programmatic outreach efforts by creating a clear strategy, collaborating across the organization (e.g Communications team, other program areas, etc.), and effectively assigning tasks to self and team members as appropriate (e.g. newsletter content creation, email marketing to key community partners, etc.).

Qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 5+ years of clinical experience providing trauma informed care
• 5+ years of experience in foster care, child welfare, or social services
• 4+ years of experience in supervision or administration of social services
• Strong clinical skills and experience providing clinical consultation
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to lead group meetings
• Ability to lead with initiative, discretion, maturity, flexibility and independent judgment
• Demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to the various cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and staff
• Demonstrated leadership in promoting the advancement and development of diversity, equity, and inclusion in oneself, staff, and within program development
• Strong decision-making skills, including critical thinking skills. Demonstrated ability to think globally
• Experience writing home studies and licensing families through Washington State Foster Care Systems
• Knowledge of foster home licensing and home studies a plus
• Successful experience in program development and implementation preferred

Education: MSW or an MA/MS in an allied field.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct supervision of Program Managers and other staff based on programmatic needs in the Resource Care department, providing support in recruitment, retention, hiring, orientation, evaluation and promotion.

Criminal Background Check:

Amara conducts background checks appropriate to the contractual requirements of the position. A previous conviction will not necessarily bar individuals from employment at Amara. Specific clearance requirements can be discussed with the Hiring Manager or Human Resources.

Vaccination Requirement:

Amara requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This requirement is designed to prioritize the safety of the children and families we serve. Exemptions may be sought only for documented medical or religious accommodation.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time position with a rate of pay between $103,000-$128,748.97, depending on experience. Generous personal leave and benefits package, including paid time off, paid sabbatical, health, vision and dental insurance, 401k with a company match, life, and disability insurance. Amara supports a hybrid work schedule with some flexibility to work from home. Occasional travel between our King and Pierce County offices may be required.

To Apply

To express your interest in this position, please send your resume and a one-page cover letter indicating why this position is the right opportunity for you through Smart Recruiters. https://smrtr.io/tNM4X

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

The anticipated start date for this role is January 5, 2026.

Generous personal leave and benefits package, including paid time off, paid sabbatical, health, vision and dental insurance, 401k with a company match, life, and disability insurance. Amara supports a hybrid work schedule with some flexibility to work from home. Occasional travel between our King and Pierce County offices will be required.