Strategy & Transformation Senior Consultant – State Policy and Finance

Job Family : Strategy & Transformation Consulting
Travel Required : None
Clearance Required : Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do

In this fast-paced environment, our team will be working through complex issues using organizational assessment, strategy and implementation leading practices to improve knowledge, resources, and sustainable decision-making and shared learning across states, territories, and tribes. The ideal candidate for this role will leverage technical assistance, change management, organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, data analysis, and critical thinking experience to support high-priority projects with a broad impact across the agency. This role demands expertise in prioritizing conflicting needs, the ability to handle matters expeditiously and proactively, often with tight deadline pressures and minimal direct/supervisory guidance. Candidates should be able to handle and thrive in an ambiguous environment, with the ability to shift focus to meet the changing needs of the client. It is expected that a candidate will be able to utilize and build upon minimal instruction to be able to identify and promote positive outcomes and solutions for the client, truly owning their own product.

1. Create meeting agendas and presentations, facilitate client meetings, and document and distribute meeting agendas, minutes, and notes
2. Identify and proactively address client needs by presenting potential solutions to challenges or issues
3. Develop high-quality presentations which effectively communicate key objectives and facilitate discussion across multiple stakeholders
4. Manage stakeholder engagement, feedback, decisions, project risks, and mitigation strategies
5. Develop and ensure quality deliverables such as work plans, project timelines, and status reports
6. General project/task management
7. Leverage human-centered design experience through discovery, design, and implementation phases
8. Collect data through various mechanisms including interviews, work groups, and surveys
9. Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of data
10. Co-facilitate interviews, work groups, and other meetings in an effort to generate consensus around process or program matters
11. Develop current state and future state process analysis
12. Develop executive presentations with future state recommendations
13. Develop and lead implementation strategy across various states and local public, private, and non-profit organizations

Specific State Policy/Finance/Grants Duties

1. Coordinate with state, local, and tribal agencies to assess current state of disability inclusion and explore desired future state through existing CCDF Policy Decision Authority
2. Analyze State Medicaid data and provide technical assistance to the states, tribes, and territories
3. Communicate State Medicaid best practices and peer collaboration principles with high degree of detail and precision to technical and non-technical audiences
4. Provide leadership to the team in State technical assistance and State engagement conversations
5. Define the framework that will be used to provide external-facing technical assistance to states, tribes and territories
6. Maintain, track, and collaborate on multiple distinct user community issues simultaneously; keeping all conversations well documented and ensuring appropriate internal/intra team communications to remediate issues or questions

What You Will Need

1. Ability to develop strong team and client relationships, facilitation and consensus building
2. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to write and edit reports, create briefings for senior executives, research and review market insights, and customize content for various stakeholders
3. Understanding unique challenges and barriers faced by families, individual students or populations of students and ability to provide insight into the systems required to ensure equity in child care
4. Ability to investigate, synthesize, and break down complex challenges into clear, digestible approaches and solutions that manage the needs for various stakeholders
5. Strong analytical, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication skills required, including a thorough understanding of how to interpret customer and stakeholder needs and translate them into tangible documents and/or deliverables
6. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of executives, managers, and subject matter experts
7. Ability to identify and address client needs: Leading client discussions and meetings
8. Advanced proficiency in the full Microsoft Suite, including MS Teams, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
9. Ability to organize, perform, and track multiple tasks accurately in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment
10. Proven ability to work independently and collaborate with others
11. Minimum Bachelor’s degree
12. Minimum 3 years’ experience in the special education/state education career field

What Would Be Nice To Have

1. Masters in Special Education, Social Work, Disability Studies, Rehabilitation, Psychology, Education Law, Policy
2. Diversity Equity and Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Certification or with the intent to obtain certification (specific to special education req)
3. Grants Management Specialist Certification or Certified Medicaid Planner, or with the intent to obtain certification (specific to financial req)
4. Knowledge of federal and state laws and policies that govern how states and agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities, to include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
5. Experience ensuring compliance with administrative, financial policy, procedures and business practices
6. Experience analyzing and managing discretionary and mandatory grants.
7. Experience drafting and/or contributing to the development of grants policy and procedure
8. Knowledge of current principles of inclusion and services available to children with disabilities and their families
9. Experience with educational and/or child care programs for children with disabilities at the Federal, State, County, Territorial or Tribal level
10. Experience analyzing a variety of conditions, problems, or questions that affect child care and/or special education programs county-, state-, or nation-wide
11. Experience planning, implementing and/or advising on child care and/or special education program issues
12. Knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices and skills, as it relates to disabilities (e.g., autism, intellectual, physical, multiple disabilities, etc.)

What We Offer

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits Include

1. Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
2. Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
3. Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus
4. Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
5. 401(k) Retirement Plan
6. Basic Life & Supplemental Life
7. Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
8. Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
9. Student Loan PayDown
10. Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
11. Skills Development & Certifications
12. Employee Referral Program
13. Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
14. Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program
15. Mobility Stipend

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation. Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1-571-633-1711 or via email at All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.