Executive Project Director

ICF

16d•$131,256 - $223,134•Remote

About The Position

ICF is seeking an accomplished Executive Project Director to lead the Child Welfare Information Gateway (CWIG), the public-facing information service of the U.S. Children’s Bureau (CB), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). This senior leadership role provides strategic vision, executive oversight, and full contract accountability for a large, complex, multi-million-dollar federal initiative that supports child welfare professionals, policymakers, researchers, and communities nationwide. Reporting to the Portfolio Lead, Child Welfare and Education within ICF’s Child and Family Well-Being Line of Business, the Executive Projector Director is a seasoned leader with deep child welfare expertise, strong federal client management experience, and a proven track record leading large-scale programs, modernizing technology platforms, and managing multidisciplinary teams. This is a remote position.

Requirements

Master’s degree in social work, public administration, communications, information science, information technology, or related field.
15+ years of progressive leadership experience in child welfare or closely related human services fields.
10+ years of experience managing large, complex, multi-million-dollar federal projects.
10+ years of professional experience in child welfare or closely related human services fields, including demonstrated knowledge of federal child welfare programs, policies, and legislation.
10+ years leading multidisciplinary teams of at least 50 people.
Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex federal contracts with multiple workstreams, ensuring strong fiscal stewardship, performance oversight, risk management, and alignment with contractual requirements.
Deep knowledge of Children’s Bureau programs, policies, and legislation, with expertise in prevention, permanency, well-being, and evidence-based approaches, including the ability to translate research into actionable guidance.
Proven ability to serve as a trusted advisor to senior federal officials, manage high-level client relationships, and align diverse stakeholders toward shared strategic objectives.
Exceptional executive briefing, presentation, and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and represent the program with credibility.
Ability to balance client needs, technical innovation, timelines, and financial constraints while maintaining mission alignment and high-quality outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Executive leadership experience on large federal child welfare contracts.
Experience supporting ACF and/or the Children’s Bureau in a senior advisory capacity.
Experience overseeing national clearinghouse or information dissemination initiatives.
Strong background in training and technical assistance (T&TA), implementation science, and capacity building.
Experience with strategic communications and knowledge management
Experience leading multidisciplinary, geographically dispersed teams, fostering inclusive, high-performing cultures, and driving strategic decision-making across complex initiatives.
Experience overseeing IT modernization, digital platforms, and large-scale knowledge management systems, including familiarity with AI-enabled tools and cloud-based environments (e.g., AWS) within regulated federal settings.
Experience implementing AI tools and strategies.
Demonstrated experience managing annual budgets of greater than $10M.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for all CWIG program activities, grounded in a strong understanding of child welfare policy, practice, and systems.
Serve as the senior-level interface with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Children’s Bureau, acting as a trusted advisor on child welfare content, strategy, and implementation.
Lead and oversee large, complex, multi-million-dollar projects involving multiple workstreams and geographically distributed teams.
Ensure all work meets contractual, technical, financial, and schedule requirements.
Lead and guide IT modernization efforts, including cloud-based platforms and digital transformation initiatives.
Provide executive oversight of solutions leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance knowledge management, content delivery, analytics, and user experience for child welfare stakeholders.
Oversee and collaborate on technology environments utilizing Amazon Web Services (AWS) or similar cloud infrastructure.
Guide teams delivering child welfare knowledge management, website and database development, learning management systems, research translation, and technical assistance.
Partner with federal clients and other technical assistance providers to align goals and deliver high-quality, field-responsive outcomes.
Support business development and growth efforts related to CWIG and similar child welfare–focused federal work.
Respond to urgent requests in a fast paced, high-pressure environment.