Vice President of Foster Care

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are

With over 150 years of experience, Lawrence Hall provides a wide range of therapeutic, wellness, and skill development services to Chicagoland youth, families, and communities affected by lasting trauma. We foster healing and growth through empowerment, respect, safety, and teamwork.

About the Role

Lawrence Hall is seeking an experienced, strategic, and mission-driven leader to serve as our Vice President of Foster Care . In this senior leadership role, you will oversee one of the agency's largest service areas, providing vision, leadership, and operational oversight for our Foster Care continuum, including Traditional Foster Care, Home of Relative Care, Specialized Mental Health Foster Care, Adolescent Foster Care, Licensing, Intake and Assessment, Educational Liaison Services, and foster parent recruitment and support.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will shape the future of Foster Care Services by driving program quality, strengthening partnerships, ensuring regulatory excellence, and leading multidisciplinary teams dedicated to improving outcomes for youth and families. This is an opportunity to influence agency-wide strategy while advancing Lawrence Hall's mission to provide healing-centered, trauma-informed care.

Lawrence Hall fosters a culture built upon the principles of Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) and the core values of Respect, Empowerment, Safety, and Teamwork. Together, these principles are embedded throughout our trauma-informed philosophy and guide how we serve youth and families, support one another as colleagues, and partner with our community.

What You'll Do: The Impact

Lead Foster Care Strategy: Provide leadership and strategic direction for Lawrence Hall's Foster Care continuum, ensuring programs are aligned with organizational priorities, contractual requirements, and best practices in child welfare.

Inspire and Develop Leaders: Lead, mentor, and support a multidisciplinary leadership team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and professional growth.

Drive Program Excellence: Monitor performance outcomes, regulatory compliance, permanency goals, placement stability, quality improvement initiatives, and operational effectiveness using data to strengthen services and improve outcomes for youth and families.

Strengthen Foster Parent Partnerships: Champion innovative strategies to recruit, retain, engage, and support foster parents and caregivers while ensuring high-quality placement resources for children and adolescents.

Build Community Partnerships: Represent Lawrence Hall with DCFS, community organizations, schools, accrediting bodies, foster parent associations, and other key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and advance child welfare initiatives.

Steward Resources: Provide oversight of departmental budgets, staffing, operational planning, and resource allocation while ensuring effective and sustainable program operations.

Who We're Looking For

• Master's Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Human Services Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive child welfare experience, including at least three (3) years of senior leadership experience overseeing multiple programs, departments, or service areas.
• Demonstrated experience leading program operations, quality improvement initiatives, strategic planning, budget management, organizational performance, and regulatory compliance.
• Extensive knowledge of child welfare practice, permanency planning, foster care licensing standards, accreditation requirements, Medicaid regulations, DCFS requirements, and Performance-Based Contracting.
• Demonstrated commitment to Lawrence Hall's CARE philosophy (Children and Residential Experiences) and the ability to foster an inclusive, collaborative, and respectful workplace culture.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with employees, youth, families, caregivers, foster parents, community partners, funding agencies, and regulatory organizations.
• Strong leadership, strategic planning, organizational, interpersonal, written, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze operational data, interpret performance metrics, develop corrective action plans, and lead continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Child Welfare Licensure and CERAP Certification required.
• Valid Illinois Driver's License required.
• Personal vehicle or reliable access to a vehicle with proof of insurance required.
• No history of child abuse or neglect.
• Ability to successfully pass all required background checks, fingerprinting, and drug screening.

Position Requirements & Work Environment

This senior leadership position requires a flexible schedule, including participation in an agency-wide on-call rotation to support operations twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week.

The position is based at the Stewart Campus. Regular travel between Lawrence Hall locations and community partner sites throughout the Chicagoland area is required.

The position requires the ability to effectively utilize verbal de-escalation and crisis intervention skills when interacting with youth and young people, as well as the ability to safely perform Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) techniques, including moving between kneeling and standing positions, when necessary to ensure youth safety.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $87,000 - $93,000/year, based on experience.
• Average of 17-25 days PTO + 9 holidays
• Medical insurance - HMO and PPO options
• Dental insurance - HMO and PPO options
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) with up to 5% employer match and auto-vesting
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) - Medical and Dependent Care
• Pre-tax Commuter benefits - Parking and Transit
• 100% employer-paid Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance for Employees, Spouses, and Children
• Accident and Critical Illness Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• 100% employer- paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for free counseling and life resources
• Wellness Reimbursement Program
• Employee Referral Bonus up to $1,500
• Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for licensed employees
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness

How to Apply

Submit your resume here. We look forward to learning more about you!

Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the necessary skills and abilities. Lawrence Hall encourages you to apply even if you do not have experience in all areas of essential functions. We look forward to your application.

This position meets the FLSA requirements for Exempt

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V