Project Manager, Health Center Resilience

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is the national membership organization for the nation’s federally qualified health centers (also known as FQHCs or Community Health Centers). Health centers are nonprofit, community-directed health clinics that provide access to high-quality, culturally competent, and comprehensive care to people living in medically underserved areas. NACHC strengthens the health center movement through advocacy, training, and technical assistance, clinical and operations support. NACHC is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace.

 

The primary focus of this role is to assist health centers in preventing, preparing for, withstanding, and adapting to the challenges posed by environmental and climate change issues. The incumbent should have knowledge of populations known to be disproportionately exposed to environmental and climate threats, understanding of existing climate science, and federal initiatives. The Project Manager will be responsible for implementation of projects to strengthen health center resilience to environmental and climate threats, performing project management, creating training programs, implementing technical support, communicating project outcomes, and actively participating in evaluation efforts. This individual will play a pivotal role in managing a large federal grant aimed at implementing solar and back-up battery storage projects at community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-Alikes).

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

1.    Project and Grant Management- Environmental and Climate Resilience
a.    Lead the implementation of a large US government award and other family foundation grants dedicated to improve environmental and climate resilience, namely through installing solar panels and back-up battery storage systems at community health centers. This work is in collaboration with multiple partner organizations.
b.    Develop and execute project management plans, including scope of work, ensuring adherence to timelines and budget for both NACHC and our partner organizations. This involves breaking down the project into manageable tasks, estimating durations and dependencies, and creating a project schedule. As a part of this role, the Project Manager will facilitate meetings with project partners.
c.    Support community/stakeholder engagement process and strategy for grant-funded projects. This may include but not be limited to hosting listening or dialogue sessions, participatory research, attending or hosting meetings, and presentations with diverse stakeholder groups including health centers, workforce/labor organizations, local governments, community colleges and universities, and other community-based organizations.
d.    Collaborate in the development of environmental and climate resilience resources such as pamphlets, one-pagers, infographics, guides, toolkits, newsletters, blogs, webpages, and social media posts.
e.    Serve as subject matter expert on climate resilience to contribute to new funding and policy proposals.
f.    Develop comprehensive project plans for new funding awards that outline the project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and resource/budget requirements. 
g.    Collaborate in evaluations and reports on implementation of projects and community engagement processes. This will include tracking key metrics, and ensure projects are on track to meet objectives that contribute to NACHC Strategic Priorities and demonstrate health center value. 
h.    Regularly assesses project performance, identify deviations from the plan, and take corrective actions as necessary. This includes managing changes, resolving conflicts, and maintaining project quality.
i.    Engage in ongoing communication with supervisor about project progress, outcomes, including but not limited to risks, successes, and challenges. 
j.    Manage the entire contract development process, including drafting, revising, approving, filing, distributing, and invoicing. Administer active contracts to identify, notify, and ensure completion and compliance with all deliverables in collaboration with the Population Health Division and other responsible parties.
k.    Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This includes assessing risks, developing contingency plans, and monitoring and addressing risks throughout project lifecycles. Ensure that risks proactively managed to minimize their impact on the project's success.
l.    Close out projects by ensuring all project deliverables are completed, documented, and handed over to the appropriate stakeholders. Facilitate project reviews including project evaluation activities to assess the project's success, identify lessons learned, and document best practices for future projects.

2.    Training and Technical Assistance
a.    Support the development of environmental and climate resilience plans and strategies with health centers. This includes determining mitigation strategies for communities vulnerable to environmental climate change impacts (e.g., protection from heat waves, flooding, etc.). Identify methods to improve planning (e.g., establishing cooling centers for heat emergencies).
b.    Support health centers to ensure their facilities are safe for staff, patients, and visitors. This includes ensuring the healthcare infrastructure (the physical buildings) is resilient to extreme weather events; proactive hardening of health center facility capabilities; planning for impacts to major utilities (e.g., electricity, water, wastewater, Internet), personnel (both medical and supportive staff), and the supply chain; and investing in emergency backup capabilities.
c.    Collaborate in the development and execution of high-impact learning and peer engagement opportunities at various levels (local, state, regional, and national), including in-person trainings, webinars, podcasts, learning collaboratives, workshops, and educational sessions at national conferences.
d.    Provide technical assistance in the form of office hours and presentations to Primary Care Associations, Health Center Controlled Networks, health centers, and other relevant stakeholders focusing on environmental health and climate resilience.
e.    Co-develop self-paced modules that facilitate independent learning and skill development for staff at community health centers, as needed and as funding allows.
f.    Provide guidance, mentorship, and connect health centers for peer learning to support health center development of environmental health and climate resilience solutions. 
g.    Evaluate and monitor the progress of health center participation in training and technical assistance, offering feedback and guidance for continual improvement. In addition, when possible, assess the effectiveness of different training and technical assistance initiatives.
h.    Develop written and web resources and materials to aid health centers in implementing environmental and climate resilience initiatives.
i.    Create comprehensive project plans outlining timelines, milestones, and deliverables for training and technical assistance initiatives. 
j.    Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them throughout training and technical assistance programs. 

3.    Stakeholder Management Across Projects and Programs
a.    Facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among stakeholders involved within initiatives. This may include setting up zoom/conference calls or webinars, telephone calls, in-person meetings, etc.  
b.    Establish and maintain effective communication channels, providing regular project updates to stakeholders to keep them informed of project progress.
a.    Engage and oversee stakeholders, including identifying relevant stakeholders, understanding their needs and expectations, and developing effective and participatory collaboration strategies. The project manager is responsible for keeping stakeholders informed, managing their expectations, and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise.
b.    Network and establish connections and partnerships within the organization, related projects, and relevant external organizations to foster collaboration and achieve programmatic goals.
c.    Collaborate to conduct project kickoff and progress meetings to ensure alignment among team members and stakeholders across programs when needed.

PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

1.    Understanding of environmental and climate change issues, weather patterns and natural disasters in the U.S., and the shifting from short-term acute events to longer-term ongoing chronic events.
2.    Understanding of how environment and climate change issues have population health level impacts, disrupting or damaging living conditions, access to care or public services, critical infrastructure, and economic systems.
3.    Proven experience as a project manager, successfully delivering projects on time and within budget.
4.    Proven experience managing or co-managing US government and foundation grant funded projects.
5.    Strong written and oral communication skills. Experience synthesizing complex issues and crafting training, communication, and data-driven resources for different audiences, including communities, policymakers, academics, and others. 
6.    Strong time-management and organizational skills. Ability to accomplish multiple short¬ and long-term work activities independently, under tight deadlines, and in collaboration with team members and stakeholders. 

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS 
1.    Masters degree or higher in a relevant field, including social sciences, public health, environmental sciences, and others.  
2.    ISO 14001 certified a plus but not required
3.    Relevant professional certifications in project management or program management, sustainability, and healthcare facility design such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), and Healthcare Facility Design Professional Certification (HFDP) a plus but not required.
4.    Any specialized certifications or training in environmental health, climate change, or emergency management a plus but not required.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

1.    Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Excel), and project management tools (Asana/Smartsheet)
2.    Ability to facilitate large and small group meetings and presentations both in-person and online such as at Conferences or through Zoom
3.    Experience in curriculum or educational activity design and development
4.    Experience in monitoring and evaluation
5.    Bilingual a plus but not required

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
•    Cultivate a collaborative and high-performing project team environment by fostering open communication, trust, and mutual respect among team members.
•    Motivate and inspire team members to excel in their roles, promoting a sense of teamwork and unity.
•    Proactively address conflicts and facilitate their resolution in a constructive and timely manner, ensuring that team dynamics remain positive and productive.
•    Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among team members and stakeholders, promoting active listening, clear and concise messaging, and the exchange of ideas and feedback.
•    Engage in ongoing communication with the supervisor, providing regular updates on program progress, including successes, challenges, and any relevant information that may impact the project's outcomes.

Salary Range - $104,000- $110,000

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Last updated on Oct 26, 2024