Strategy Consultant

Youth Villages is a nationally recognized non-profit organization helping youth, young adults, and families live successfully. With a high-performing and dedicated staff of over 4,000, services in 26 states and D.C., and an annual operating budget of over $400 million, the organization serves more than 40,000 individuals annually.  Our commitment to helping youth, young adults, and families find success spans 40 years and includes a comprehensive array of evidence-based programs and services implemented by Youth Villages and our partner organizations and complementary systems change efforts, including state and federal policy, national advocacy, and research. We seek individuals with a strong sense of purpose who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and families.  

For more information, please visit www.youthvillages.org

Position Overview

Strategy Consultants work closely with the Youth Villages leadership team to enhance the organization's impact and strategic vision.

Reporting to the Director of Strategy, they lead corporate and business unit strategy projects, aligning with Youth Villages' mission and goals. They also direct strategic planning with state teams and departments, helping leaders identify and analyze opportunities for impact and growth.

Strategy Consultants should be mission-driven critical thinkers capable of successfully leading projects and teams, building trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders, presenting to leaders, and conducting thorough analyses to uncover opportunities. Applicants with lived experience or a personal connection to foster care or other social service systems are strongly encouraged to apply.

This role is an extraordinary opportunity for mission- and results-driven individuals with business strategy and project management experience to make a national-scale impact on youth, families, and the organization as a whole.

**Please include cover letter when applying**

Responsibilities

Corporate & Business Unit Strategy Projects (50% of work)

• Lead Strategy Projects: Direct strategy projects targeting specific organizational improvements or opportunities, such as developing multi-year business plans for community-violence intervention initiatives, growth plans for foster care services, and multi-year roadmaps to scale case management services.
• Guide Implementation: Oversee cross-functional teams to ensure the successful implementation of new initiatives and strategic plans, using both project management and change management methodologies. This includes the successful execution of the four-year National Strategic Plan and various philanthropically funded business plans.
• Conduct Market Research and Operational Analysis: Manage and perform market research and operational analyses to identify future improvements and opportunities proactively. This may involve identifying staff experience pilots funded by philanthropic sources, researching service gaps in government agencies, and recommending value propositions for core programs. Research activities may include stakeholder interviews, internal staff interviews, surveys, market analysis, and organizational analysis.

Annual Strategic & Tactical Planning (50% of work)

• Lead Annual Planning: Spearhead the annual planning process for Youth Villages' state teams, including all 26 direct services and licensed partner states, and select administrative departments. Responsibilities include identifying strategic priorities, forecasting service and budget needs, and outlining key tactics and interim milestones.
• Support Planning Activities: Establish timelines and meeting schedules, create materials and agendas, facilitate in-person planning sessions across the US, assign task owners (e.g., for budget projections and market research), and develop tracking tools for leaders, including the CEO, COO, and Executive Directors.

Location & Travel

• Location: This position can be remote or based in any Youth Villages office.
• Travel: Domestic travel up to 20% of the time, primarily between February and May for the annual strategic planning process. Additional travel to Memphis or Nashville offices for key project meetings, team-building events, the annual team retreat, and annual Employee Conference.

Compensation

• Salary: $80000 – $90000, with flexibility based on experience.

Qualifications

• Education:
• Bachelor's degree (required)
• Master’s degree in business (MBA), healthcare administration (MHA/MHSA), public administration (MPA), public policy (MPP), or a related field (preferred)
• Experience:
• 5+ years of professional experience in strategy development, business and financial analysis, consensus and trust building, and project and change management
• Professional or significant personal experience in the social impact field, especially in child welfare, juvenile justice, homelessness, community-based human services, and anti-poverty services and programs
• Lived experience or a personal connection to the foster care or other social service systems (encouraged to apply)

Skills and Qualities

• Mission Alignment: Deep passion for Youth Villages’ mission and a drive to improve systems impacting children and families.
• Leadership: Ability to lead project teams, including consultants and contractors, with minimal oversight. Skilled at fostering team collaboration and professional development.
• Interpersonal Skills: Positive, customer service-oriented attitude with the capability to build trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including front-line staff, executives, peer and advocacy organization leaders, and philanthropic partners.
• Analytical Skills: Strong critical thinking abilities to distill analyses into key insights and actionable recommendations.
• Communication: Excellent communication and listening skills, comfortable engaging with and presenting to senior leaders, and adept at leading through influence with humility and flexibility.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in financial modeling, projections, and data analytics. Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. Experience with WorkDay is a plus.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug Coverage and Vision
• 401(k)
• 2 weeks paid vacation
• 12 paid sick days per year
• 11 paid holidays
• Mileage & Cell Phone Reimbursement (when applicable)
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement and licensure supervision
• Growth & development through continuous training
• Clinical and administrative advancement opportunities

Youth Villages is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Youth Villages is committed to not only advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace but also in our work with children and young adults. We know that children, families and young people of color can face inequity in child welfare and justice systems, and we train our employees to build the skills they need to work with the communities that we serve, as well as, other employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Youth Villages is opposed to racism in any of its forms and is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity. We believe that respect for each other is crucial in the work that we do each day.