Current open positions:

Resumes for all positions should be sent to resumes@childfocusnj.org with a cover letter addressed to the Executive Director discussing your interest in the specific role.

Benefits for all positions are as follows:

  • Retirement Plan with 3% organization-funded match (SIRA)

  • Paid Time Off (First year: 10 Vacation, 10 Sick & 15 Public Holidays, plus additional week in holiday season, and birthday)

  • Paid family leave (Maternity, Paternity)

  • Training & Development

  • QSEHRA Health Care Plan

  • Flexible schedule

  • Professional development assistance

  • Eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness program

  • Employer-paid life insurance

Our Values

We are Resourceful: We think outside the box to support and create solutions for all children served. We recognize that staff, volunteers, donors, and community members play an integral role in the success of the organization and the children we serve.

We are Respectful: CASA recognizes the vital role that the organization and its advocates play in the child welfare system and in the life of a child and their family. We appreciate individual differences and lifestyle choices, and how both enhance the organization.

We are Resilient: We strive to operate at the highest efficiency, even amid significantly complex situations. We seek opportunities for support that build a stronger community.

We are Responsive: We prioritize the value of active listening, both as an organization and as advocates. Timely communication is a priority in all aspects of the organization.

We value Relationships: Positive working relationships are necessary for overall success. We develop relationships that encourage open and honest communication, while showing maturity in managing conflict and trauma.

Now Hiring For:

  • Advocacy Supervisor

  • Adolescent Specialist

Advocacy Supervisor

Summary:
The Advocacy Supervisor will work with a team of up to 30 volunteers and their cases to deliver high-quality court-appointed advocacy to children in foster care. The successful applicant will be experienced in the family court and/or child welfare system, highly detail-oriented, tech-savvy, and able to think quickly on their feet.

The full-time position requires regular attendance at court hearings, drafting and editing court reports, accompanying volunteers on home visits as needed, and supporting volunteers during office hours. Regular, detailed case documentation is required to maintain compliance with standards. The Advocacy Supervisor is a point of contact for all child welfare stakeholders and the main support for the volunteer advocate. Successful candidates must be flexible to attend occasional evening and weekend trainings and organizational events.

Minimum Education Preferred:
Master's/JD or related higher level of education

Compensation and Benefits:
$55,000-$62,000 annually; generous PTO, monthly QSEHRA health insurance stipend, life insurance, matching IRA, cell phone/internet stipend, and paid winter holiday week and birthday off.

Hybrid Schedule:
This is primarily an in-person role. After 6 months of successful employment, employees are eligible to participate in the flexible work program that includes one remote day weekly.

Assignment:
Union County-based caseload; split hours in both Elizabeth and Wayne offices.

Adolescent Specialist

The Adolescent Specialist supports youth ages 14-21 in the child welfare system, with a focus on those from Passaic and Union counties who have residential placements outside their counties of origin and those whose permanency plans may involve independent living.

This full-time role strengthens the agency’s capacity to serve one of the most vulnerable populations in child welfare  — older youth preparing for adulthood — while ensuring those placed at a distance receive consistent, high-quality advocacy. The Adolescent Specialist serves as the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for youth in distant placements, ensuring consistent court and community advocacy, connection, and compliance with CASA standards. The position combines agency-wide subject matter expertise on older youth and aging-out populations with 1) direct case support and 2) direct courtroom advocacy, before judges and stakeholders, for each youth’s best interests.

The Adolescent Specialist elevates best practices across the organization and helps drive improved permanency and life outcomes for youth, serving as the agency’s lead resource on adolescent development, independent living, transition planning, and permanency, and provides guidance, training, and consultation to staff and volunteers.

Key Responsibilities:

Direct Advocacy & Case Support

  • Provide direct advocacy on 12-14 adolescent cases as assigned, with emphasis on youth aged 14+ in placements outside the local service area.

  • Represent the best interests of each assigned youth in court, from preparing court reports to articulation of needs, progress, challenges, and goals during court hearings.

  • Maintain regular contact, including monthly in-person visits, with each assigned youth. 

  • Coordinate with caseworkers, caregivers, service providers, and legal stakeholders for the specific needs of each youth served.

  • Assist in identifying and addressing barriers to permanency and successful transition to adulthood.

  • Ensure all court reports, documentation, and case updates are timely and reflect accurate and current information regarding adolescent needs.

Adolescent & Aging-Out Specialization

  • Serve as agency’s subject-matter expert on resources, policy, and procedure regarding youth ages 14+ and transition-age youth.

  • Build relationships with community organizations that serve older youth, including housing, transitional living, vocational programs, workforce development, and post-secondary supports.

  • Monitor and promote compliance with state and federal requirements related to older youth (e.g., transition plans, credit checks, life skills assessments).

Training & Capacity Building

  • Design and deliver training for staff and volunteers on adolescent development, resources and aging-out issues. Develop tools, guides, and best practices to improve advocacy in partnership with the Training Coordinator.

  • Support onboarding and continued coaching of volunteers working with teens and young adults on engagement, information-gathering, and resources.

  • Organize semi-annual Child Focus-sponsored youth events that broaden awareness of available resources by CASA youth.

Data, Compliance & Quality Assurance

  • Track outcomes and trends related to older youth served.

  • Support quality assurance and program evaluation efforts related to adolescent cases and distant placements through detailed case documentation.

Minimum Education Preferred: Master’s/JD or related higher level of education

Experience:

  • Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in child welfare, legal advocacy, adolescent services, or related fields. Previous experience as a CASA, Law Guardian, Law Guardian investigator or within the Department of Child Protection and Permanency strongly preferred.

  • Demonstrated experience with older youth (ages 14-21) and transition planning.

  • Demonstrated court and legal advocacy required.

  • Experience coordinating across systems and/or geographic regions strongly preferred.

Knowledge & Skills:

  • Strong understanding of adolescent development and the unique needs of youth in foster care.

  • Knowledge of independent living services, housing resources, and workforce/education pathways.

  • Ability to build relationships with youth, caregivers, and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

  • Strong organizational and communication skills.

  • Ability to travel reliably to youth in distant placements, throughout NJ.

  • Commitment to equity and culturally responsive practice.

  • Bilingual Spanish-speaking preferred.

Working Conditions:

  • Travel required, including 12-14 out-of-county visits monthly, and occasional out-of-state visits

  • Reliable personal vehicle required

  • Flexible schedule to meet youth and case needs

Salary and Benefits: Starting salary is $65,000-$70,000; generous PTO, monthly QSEHRA health insurance stipend, life insurance, matching IRA, cell phone/internet stipend, and paid winter holiday week and birthday off.

Child Focus, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a merit-based hiring and employment process. We do not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

All employment decisions — including recruitment, hiring, promotions, compensation, benefits, training, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment — are made based on individual qualifications, merit, performance, and business needs.

Child Focus, Inc. complies with all relevant federal statutes enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and all other applicable equal employment laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact the Operations Manager at Pam@childfocusnj.org so we can work with you to meet your needs.