The Health Initiative Program Associate

Positively Partners•Attleboro, MA

4d•$105,000

About The Position

The Health Initiative (THI) seeks a resourceful, detail-oriented, and flexible Program Associate who thrives in the fast-paced context of issue-based campaigns and/or start-up environments, has the ability to analyze and synthesize complex information, and is passionate about THI’s aim. The role is critical in achieving our mission by grounding our recommendations in clear and compelling research and analysis. THI organizes its work into ‘swim lanes’, cross-functional teams focused on mobilizing a given stakeholder to invest upstream in health. Current swim lanes include Federal, State and Health Plans. Program Associates will focus in one of these areas and support across swim lanes as needed. This team member has four primary functions: Work closely with the swim lane leader to support the development of the strategy, approaches and tactics to mobilize stakeholders Draft materials related to program content, e.g. meeting documents, reports Conduct analyses related to swim lane, both proactively and reactively using a wide variety of data Serve as the internal expert across the organization relevant to the swim lane, e.g. proactively scanning the external environment for updates and market trends, providing materials for THI colleagues in other functions such as Development. The successful candidate will be able to synthesize complex information quickly, have a strong grasp of the health and healthcare landscapes to be able to interpret data and research, and demonstrates solid analytic and communication skills in order to generate compelling, accurate materials and actionable insights. The position reports to the Senior Policy Director though as part of a small and nimble organization, the Program Associate will work collaboratively across the organization depending on needs and priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; master’s degree (MPH, MPP, MPA) preferred
Knowledge and understanding of healthcare institutions from at least 2+ years working in state or federal health policy or health plan
Three to five years’ experience working effectively on a team (preferably including at least two years outside an academic program)
Knowledge of health-related work/policy in drivers of health
Excellent literature search and review skills
Strong data collection, interpretation, and analysis skills with exceptional attention to detail
Strong written and oral communication skills
Strong research and development skills, including the ability to gather and synthesize large amounts of information from various sources
The ability to work independently and as a team member
A talent for prioritizing and managing multiple projects with short-, medium-, and long-term deadlines; ability to successfully meet deadlines consistently
Good judgment; ability to recognize and successfully navigate ambiguity in projects (e.g., clarifying questions, project scope) to successful resolution
Experience summarizing results in a written format for senior leadership
Ability to proactively advance program objectives by anticipating needs, identifying opportunities, and taking initiative to achieve results.
Ability to work in an environment that is fast-paced and sometimes ambiguous
Ability to learn and use new systems and technology
Problem-solving mentality; presents logical recommendations with an understanding of dependencies and adapts to new information or priorities
Commitment to and deep understand of the mission, vision, and values of THI and their impact on healthcare

Nice To Haves

master’s degree (MPH, MPP, MPA) preferred

Responsibilities

Draft program content and communications (e.g., meeting prep) for swim lane (SL)
Work closely w/SL lead & Project Manager to develop strategy, approaches, tactics based on content knowledge
Proactively recommend ideas, content, and approaches to achieve goals
Understand key players, oversee relationship map, and make proactive recs. on how to manage key relationships
Lead day-to-day development of content to achieve SL goals/strategy w/ SL lead input and guidance
Serve as “source of truth” on current SL materials and a resource for internal expertise across org., including supporting SL content/updates (e.g., reports) for development, other swim lanes and/or operations
Work closely with Project Manager to identify key decisions or strategic approaches to elevate in meetings with team and leadership
Identify and leverage AI to support work (with understanding of appropriate uses and guardrails)
When appropriate, represent content with external audiences
Conduct non-swim lane specific research requests as needed by the organization or other program analysis (no greater than 10%)
Complete background research on specific swim lane topics and provide a clear and accurate synthesis for dissemination to internal stakeholders or perhaps to a wider public audience
Proactively scan the environment to understand updates, context and market trends re THI’s past or current partners and institutions more broadly; synthesize findings for leadership
Identify, sort, and present data from a wide variety of sources in a format that allows for interpretation of and identification of trends
Discern and communicate clear next steps and recommendations from conversations and meetings
Reflect on existing content production systems to identify and test improvements
As part of a small organization, the Program Associate will also engage other staff in fulfilling responsibilities. All team members at THI work collaboratively and across functions to deliver on our mission.