Current Job Opportunities at The Harris Foundation.

The Harris Foundation seeks candidates for the position of Deputy Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Community Health Leaders (CHL) Award program. Each year 10 individuals receive the CHL Award for their work in their neighborhoods and communities to address some of the nation's most intractable health care problems. With courage, creativity, and commitment, they overcome incredible odds to pursue strategies that improve the health and quality of life for men, women, and children in communities across the United States. There are currently 173 CHL in 45 states and Puerto Rico.
 

The RWJF CHL Award is administered by the Harris Foundation (THF), a 501 (c) (3), non‐profit organization based in Houston, TX, whose mission is to invest in community-based initiatives to support education, health and wealth.
 

Send resumes and written inquiries only.

Janice Ford Griffin
National Program Director
RWJF Community Health Leaders
The Harris Foundation
1330 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 2550
Houston, TX 77056
Janice@chl-thf.org
    
www.communityhealthleaders.org



Position:
 Deputy Director – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders Award

Position Description:

The Deputy Director plays a significant role in the management of the Community Health Leaders National Program Office, working closely with the National Program Director to develop and implement a multi-year national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Deputy Director participates in developing the program strategy, policies, budgets, work and communications plans, while managing day-to-day operations.

Key elements of the position include: administering and managing all financial, technical assistance, and other features of the award; maintaining communication with all leaders named in prior years, coordinating National Advisory Committee activities and Annual Meetings, troubleshooting for the Community Health Leaders, and overseeing product development.

The Program Coordinator serves as the primary liaison between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the award recipients.

Supervisor:
National Program Director

Supervises:
Administrative Assistant

Job Responsibilities: 

General Duties

  • Creates strategic plan with National Program Director to include the development and management of policy, program activities, and budget;

  • Keeps current about the state of the field in order to serve as a conduit of information to the NPO, Foundation, and grantees; and to ascertain areas within the field appropriate for program support;

  • Works with National Program Director to advance the field by networking, coordinating, and promoting NPO activities with other national organizations, interested parties, and partners;

  • Represents the program and promotes the work of the NPO and grantees at select national forums, conferences and meetings;

  • Creates and oversees program operating structure;

  • Hires and supervises program staff and consultants;

  • Serves as key liaison and maintains consistent contact with RWJF:

    • provides input to the Foundation on the state of the field;

    • works strategically with Foundation staff to plan for the advancement of the field;

    • develops and negotiates final budgets for RWJF review;

    • ensures timely delivery of proposals, budgets, and all other reports requested by RWJF;

    • ensures timely reporting to RWJF by award recipients;

 

  • Develops and oversees administration of awards including:

  • creation of Call for Proposals and outreach lists;

  • coordination of and participation in review of brief nominations and subsequent full nominations, site visits and final recommendations for the CHL Awards;

  • management and oversight of multiple mailings and communications to identify, recruit and select the Community Health Leaders each year

  • assisting with the reviews of brief nominations, full nominations, and directing the communications efforts around each activity;

  • screening the brief nominations for appropriateness and recommending candidates for turn down;

  • organization and participation in the review process to winnow 200-300 full proposal candidates to 60 semi-finalists. Assists in the notification of the candidates to be moved to the next level of review and those not accepted;

  • coordinating the mailing of the semi-finalists full nomination packets to the NAC members and synthesizing the return comments of each NAC member for presentation and discussion at the selection meeting. Categorizes candidates by geographic representation, populations served, gender and geographic diversity;

  • Oversees the background checks on all new leaders.

  • Provides and/or oversees technical assistance and support in programmatic, fiscal, and evaluation areas to award recipients; works with recipients to ensure effective program implementation and fulfillment of project goals; and conducts site visits for diagnostic and monitoring purposes;

  • Develops and coordinates National Advisory Committee (NAC) membership and activities;

    • Plans and schedules the annual NAC meeting and works closely with the national program director to organize and prepare materials for the two-day meeting.

    • Prepares logistics correspondence for National Advisory Committee Selection meeting

    • Obtains and processes contracts with hotels for National Advisory Committee meeting, prepares requisite materials to be sent in advance of meeting

    • Composes and processes travel reimbursement forms for attendees of National Advisory Committee Selection meeting

    • Ensures steady flow of communication about the project among CHL and the NAC,

    • Provides relevant program information to communications consultants, mass and/or professional media;

    • Works with RWJF communication staff and consultants to develop logo, stationary, and Website content;
          

  • Plans and coordinates Annual Grantee Meeting and Celebration Meeting

  • Works on agenda for the meeting with national program director and RWJF program officer, coordinates logistics with meeting sites (meals, rooms for breakout sessions, etc.);

  • Organizes binder material for meeting, including bios, evaluation, etc.;

  • Facilitates payments and honoraria for speakers, reimbursements for

  • NAC members, troubleshoots for those with questions, concerns about travel and hotel arrangements;

  • Assures sufficient notice for selection of location of meetings, that appropriate RWJF staff are scheduled to present and attend the award ceremony;

  • Liaison between hotel contact and RWJF meeting planning consultants in making arrangements required to host a meeting. Oversees the travel arrangements for each CHL who will require transport and hotel accommodations.

  • Monitors program impact by tracking and reporting on leaders’ project performance measures, program achievements, and setbacks; develops efficient methods for organizing, updating, and generating pertinent statistical and other program reports;

  • Tracks submission of required financial and narrative reports, reviews budget requests (initial budgets and revisions) and award extensions for accuracy and programmatic fit.

  • (May) conduct public policy analysis and write articles that advance the state of the field;

  • Ensures appropriate closure for award recipients as their fiscal involvement with the NPO comes to an end

  • Keeps current about opportunities within the RWJF where CHL might be able to inform and advise Foundation work.

  • Works closely with the nominated, selected Community Health Leaders (10) and former (173) Community Health Leaders

    • Coordinates the distribution of the four-part Full Nomination Package Instructions (Call for Nomination, three letters of reference, Guidelines and Checklist). Forms will be moved to an on-line process over the course of the year.

    • Oversees the data entry for all nominees.

    • Helps to develop final budgets with current leaders. Explains budgeting procedures to new award recipients, reviews budget for clarity and reasonableness.

    • Reviews grantee fiscal and narrative reports and advises Foundation of significant issues, reviews grantee budget revisions and provides input to Foundation staff on appropriateness of requests and advises grantees on necessary adjustments.

    • Processes personal and project awards, special stipends, and technical assistance payments

    • Provides technical assistance to leaders and/or refers or brokers technical assistance with other resources, as appropriate.

  • Assists with business planning, capacity building, special learning opportunities, or other activities, including work groups or peer exchange meetings

  • Maintains on-going communication mechanisms for Community Health Leaders from all years.

  • Performs other duties related to position, as assigned

Qualifications

  • An Advanced Degree or comparable experience in public health, public policy administration, or a related field with a minimum of 5-8 years of experience in program management, preferably in the health field;

  • Content expertise in area of community health and or public policy;

  • Good working knowledge of health care field and health policy;

  • Proven management, organizational, fiscal, and analytic skills, including administration of grant and contract-funded programs, budgeting and scheduling; decision-making;

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated public speaking and presentation skills;

  • Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to problem-solve and resolve conflicts effectively;

  • Demonstrated ability to take initiative and plan ahead;

  • Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations and staff; ability to interact with a wide range of people from policy makers to practitioners to consumers;

  • Proven supervisory experience;

  • Ability to work within a fast-paced environment with competing demands while ensuring high-quality work by self and staff;

  • Ability to track and measure project performance for program evaluation purposes;

  • Computer literacy;

  • Ability to travel.
     

Send resumes and written inquiries only.

 

Janice Ford Griffin
National Program Director
RWJF Community Health Leaders
The Harris Foundation
1330 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 2550
Houston, TX 77056
Janice@chl-thf.org

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