Associate Director - Community & Systems Initiatives

Description

Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, a fund of the Tulsa Community Foundation, is a nonpartisan team of policy and mental health experts who work to end untreated mental illness and addiction in Oklahoma through large-scale policy and practice transformation. The organization was founded by The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation in 2019. 

Since its inception, Healthy Minds has published dozens of pieces of original research and analysis, helped secure tens of millions of dollars in competitive funding for Oklahoma’s behavioral health care system, and initiated more than a dozen community-based partnerships committed to ending untreated mental illness and substance use. Healthy Minds provides data, consultation, and education on best practices to Oklahoma legislators and other leaders committed to improving the mental health of all Oklahomans.

JOB PURPOSE

The Associate Director of Community and Systems Initiatives is responsible for convening and facilitating multisector coalitions to improve the continuum of mental health services available in Oklahoma communities. This includes using a public health approach to lead system change initiatives — in partnership with treatment organizations, community groups, educational institutions, and local officials — through collaborative, data-driven change processes that result in improvements to service delivery, best-practice strategies that contribute to positive mental health, and population-level mental health outcomes. As a senior staff member within the Community and Systems Initiatives division of Healthy Minds, the successful candidate will both plan and implement strategies to achieve divisional goals and will become a visible and trusted leader both internally and externally. This position reports to the Director of Community and Systems Initiatives and is expected to manage assigned staff members.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the supervision of the Director of Community and Systems Initiatives, independently oversee and execute a public health approach for improving population-level mental health outcomes in specific communities, including facilitating committees, performing needs assessments, and conducting strategic planning
• Work collaboratively with external leaders in sectors that include government, public safety, education, health care, and social services to identify needs, goals, and strategies to develop a more robust continuum of mental health care
• Interpret public health data and other data relevant to community- or system-level mental health goals
• Develop and execute strategies to guide Healthy Minds’ work with organizations and in communities
• Create and deliver training, technical assistance, and professional learning opportunities aligned with organizational and community goals
• Develop financing and sustainability strategies and initiatives to boost service delivery capacity in communities, working collaboratively with Healthy Minds’ policy research and organizational advancement teams
• Identify and champion national and state evidence-based models for mental health and substance abuse services
• Liaise with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and other state and community agencies to leverage resources for optimal impact
• Create opportunities for communities, organizations, and agencies around local program development and design
• Conduct research and be aware of established and emerging best practices for addressing mental health and substance use needs at a community level
• Write grant applications, provide technical assistance to community partners writing grant applications, and coordinate team-based resource development activities to advance goals
• Produce written research for publication on Healthy Minds’ website and/or for partnership projects
• Review state legislative agenda and proposals to provide feedback on impacts to mental health and substance use
• Effectively document work, maintain records, and produce reports in accordance with Healthy Minds’ procedures and using prescribed project management software

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

The Associate Director of Community and Systems Initiatives should be an expert in a public health approach to mental health outcomes that includes a working knowledge of best-practice programs, policies, and population-level approaches. In addition, a successful candidate is well-versed in an evidence-based behavioral health continuum of care and understands the ways in which adjacent systems interact with this continuum. This position should also demonstrate an ability to understand and draw conclusions from comm