Current Openings
Family Support and Education Specialist
AMPERSAND FAMILIES IS AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE
Agency Culture
Ampersand Families provides permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and champions systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope. We are seeking experienced professionals who understand the profound impact that child welfare intervention has on the lives of children, youth and families. A successful candidate for this position will be curious about the many ways permanency work can restore belonging, dignity and hope.
Ampersand Families is proud to be an employer of choice with an organizational culture of excellence that embraces humor, learning and collegial support. We employ professionals who are accountable for learning the skills, building the relationships and investing the time required to achieve and support real outcomes for youth, families and excellence in the programs designed to support them.
Ampersand Families is committed to doing our part to create a more equitable child welfare system. To that end, Ampersand Families provides equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, nationality, ethnic background, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ability, marital status, socio-economic status, status with regard to public assistance, political affiliation, veteran status, other non-visible differences and other protected attributes.
Child Welfare IV-E Scholars, please note that Ampersand Families is a Tier 2 Agency. Please consider us as you search for a great agency to begin or to continue your child welfare career.
Benefits
Ampersand Families has a very competitive benefit package, including Health, Dental, Vision, Life and Long-term Disability Insurance, Retirement Plan, 20 Days of PTO (accrued per year; increases with each year of employment), 10 floating holidays plus Juneteenth and Election Day paid holidays, Paid Parental Leave, and Short-term Disability Bank (accrue 5 days/year of service).
Our employees in direct service positions will be provided with a work laptop and work phone. They are also provided with a company credit card to manage expenses in the field. Mileage is reimbursed for local travel, and rental cars are available for longer trips. All staff are provided a budget of $400 yearly for ongoing training and education.
There is a 3% pay increase after successful completion of initial 6-month probationary period.
OVERVIEW OF OUR INTERVIEW AND HIRING PROCESS
Resume and Pre-Interview Questions
To apply, we ask that you complete the Pre-Interview Questions and submit your resume. We do not require a cover letter. To complete the pre-interview questions and submit your resume, use this form link: Pre-Interview Questions
Once we receive all materials, Program Directors will review and decide whether to extend first interview offers. You should expect to hear back from us within two weeks.
First Interview
Our timeline for scheduling first interviews will vary depending on schedule availability. We usually aim to have these scheduled within 30 days of application.
A few days prior to your first interview, you’ll receive a selection of some of our interview questions to help you prepare.
Your first interview will typically be with the supervisor for the role you’ve applied for. It will mostly focus on general work skills and abilities. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview. It should take about an hour.
After first interviews, you will typically hear back within two weeks.
Second Interview
Our timeline for scheduling second interviews will vary significantly, since we include more interviewers and have to coordinate more schedules. We aim to have these scheduled within two weeks of your first interview.
A few days prior to your second interview, you’ll receive a selection of some of our interview questions to help you prepare. You’ll also be provided an application to fill out where we’ll ask
for your references (though we won’t call them yet), and ask some HR questions about driving history (for roles that require travel) and criminal background (for roles that require client contact).
Your second interview will typically be with the supervisor for the role you’ve applied for, and will also include some of our staff who are currently working within that department. Questions will be more focused on job-specific skills, and how you’d approach job-specific scenarios.
At the end of the interview, the supervisor will exit, and you and the current staff will be able to have a candid conversation about the role and the agency. This conversation will be confidential; supervisors will not ask staff to share what was discussed.
The second interview will take about an hour and a half.
After second interviews, you should hear back within 1-2 weeks.
Job Offer
After second interviews, if we decide to move forward, we will contact your references. After we’ve heard back from them, we will let you know whether we have decided to offer you the job. We will discuss salary and start date with you at this time.
As part of our commitment to equitable hiring practices, we offer the highest starting salary based on an applicant’s qualifications that the agency is able to pay. Therefore, we do not engage in salary negotiations at hiring. There is a 3% pay increase after successful completion of initial 6-month probationary period.
Before accepting an offer, candidate is given an opportunity to meet with current staff to get a further sense of the Agency culture and to ask any questions they may have.
