GENERAL SUMMARY

The Community Impact and Strategic Partnerships Director is responsible for managing expansion strategies, which include: the cultivation of community and health system partners, as well as other stakeholders in the Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey region. In partnership with the Executive Director, this role will lead the region’s work in the realm of population and public health, with a focus on improving CKD early diagnosis, addressing disparities in healthcare, and improving access to transplants. The role will collaborate with NKF’s national Population Health and Transplant Teams and the regional Senior Director, Programs to drive development and implementation of key initiatives and other long-term projects.

To this end, the Community Impact and Strategic Partnerships Director will establish, nurture, and maintain partnerships with government, health care systems, payers, transplant stakeholders, departments of health, and community partners, towards advancing health equity and ensuring all patients have equitable access to transplant. This role involves collaborating with and convening senior-level, interdisciplinary teams within the regional healthcare landscape to employ strategies that support optimized care for people at-risk for or living with kidney disease and reducing time spent on transplant waitlists within the region. The development of these relationships and strategies should include the Executive Director, as well as other senior staff, resulting in a convening of leaders, activation of grants, and ongoing partnerships to drive systemic change and improving outcomes for kidney patients.

As part of this role, the Community Impact & Strategic Partnerships Director will inform and collaborate with Executive Director, Development, and Program Staff to ensure a cohesive and seamless connection among programmatic, awareness, and fundraising objectives.

Key responsibilities:

Stakeholder Development and Relationship Management:

• Identify and build relationships with stakeholders in the region in the realm of public health, including but not limited to health care and hospital systems, federally qualified health centers, departments of health, primary care providers, dialysis providers, community-health based organizations, transplant centers, organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and other transplant stakeholders.
• Engage and convene senior leadership of potential partners in the discussion of kidney disease, the transplant landscape, their impact on the community, and strategies to improve kidney disease outcomes and reduction of waitlist.
• Identify and track opportunities for collaborations and partnerships to improve health equity, deploy the Transplants for All strategy, with the goal of improving health outcomes for all people living with kidney disease.
• In tandem with the Executive Director and other senior staff, collaborate with national Population Health Partnerships and Transplant teams and the Field Program Leadership to ensure all efforts are part of NKF’s larger strategy to advance health equity and secure public and/or private funding.

Program Implementation and New Program Strategy:

• Collaborate with the Programs Director to develop a needs assessment of the region, identifying the strategic needs of partners (e.g. Departments of Public Health or Health and Human Services, integrated health systems, health plan payers, transplant centers, OPS, etc.) and opportunities and partners for program development.
• Collaborate with local and national program staff to inform and develop new program proposals, facilitate the deployment of new programs in the region, and provide project input for new program implementations.
• Collaborate with local NKF teams and other departments to ensure mutual understanding of needs and timelines for specific projects.

Patient Advocacy

• Collaborate with patients and community partners to engage/lead legislative briefings with key representatives to advance policies that improve health outcomes and align with NKF’s overall priorities.
• Identify local/state alliances and opportunities to advance initiatives at a regional level.

Minimum requirements:

• Master’s degree in public health, healthcare related field, or life sciences.
• Demonstrated expertise in public health, population health and health equity collaboration and program development, experience in primary care settings is a plus. Minimum of 5 years related work experience.
• Experience in healthcare data analysis and outcomes measurement.
• Knowledgeable about core health equity concepts- social determinants of health, solutions to address health disparities, etc.
• Exceptional communication skills including comfort with technical communication with healthcare/medical leadership, public health, and government leadership, and translation of technical communications to lay audiences.
• Tenacious and creative problem solver, motivated by challenges and a desire to have impact and create lasting change.
• Curiosity, passion, entrepreneurial drive, collaborative spirit, solutions orientation, and work ethic to deliver.
• Disciplined, motivated, energetic self-starter with a positive attitude and the ability to work independently.
• Strong collaboration skills and flexibility with different operational styles.
• Open to and effective at remote and hybrid work environment

WORKING CONDITIONS, EQUIPMENT USED AND SPECIAL INFORMATION

Must have unimpeachable integrity and trustworthiness while possessing a high degree of tact, discretion, and professionalism. Verbal and written communication skills will be used daily. Maintain effectiveness under pressure. Competency in use of a multiple-line telephone, personal computer, fax machine, photocopier, and other standard office equipment. Ability to lift and transport equipment weighing up to 25 lbs. Flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed. Available for overnight business travel. Must have a valid driver’s license.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

At the National Kidney Foundation diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity applies to both our workforce and the communities we serve as it relates to kidney health and kidney disease prevention. It is the policy of NKF to provide equality of employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, qualified handicap or disability, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, age, gender, political affiliation or veteran status, or any other factor or reason prohibited by relevant local, state, and federal fair employment laws.

The Equal Employment Opportunity policy will apply to all employment practices of NKF including, but not limited to recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, layoffs, transfers, and discipline. Implementation of the Equal Employment Opportunity policy is the shared responsibility of the management of NKF.