Job Title: Director of Program Strategy

FLSA Status: Exempt 

Reports To: Senior Director of U.S. Program

Supervises: N/A

Location: Virtual

FTE Status: FTE 1

Salary Range: $117,800-$159,000 

Post Date: December 3, 2024

Post Closing Date: December 9, 2024

Organizational Overview

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) seeks to transform health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint and becomes a community anchor for sustainability and leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice. We have a unique and dynamic workplace with more than 80 staff members in the U.S. and abroad. We believe health care, as the only sector with healing as its mission, has an opportunity – and obligation – to use its ethical, economic, and political influence to create an ecologically sustainable, equitable, and healthy world. Health Care Without Harm works to achieve its mission in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth, the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. 

Position Summary

The Director of Program Strategy (Director) will work with the Chief Program Officer and the Program Coordination team in the management of U.S. Climate Program initiatives as well as developing and implementing priority strategies and complex, cross-team projects that leverage the influence of the health care sector toward addressing the climate crisis and increasing community resilience. The Director will work closely with external organizational partners and staff across Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) and Practice Greenhealth to contribute to the design and fulfillment of strategic objectives and to embed health equity and environmental justice across the Program.  

The Director sits on the Program Coordination team, a newer team at the organization that centralizes U.S. Program strategy, management, and administration. The team works with the Chief Program Officer to implement the organization’s 2024-2026 strategic plan and steward the program’s strategic direction to advance our mission. 

Essential Functions

• Support the strategy and development of HCWH U.S. and Practice Greenhealth’s programmatic initiatives while integrating global synergies and connecting to scaling strategies for greater organizational impact.
• As a member of the Program Coordination team, work with the Senior Program Director, the Chief Program Officer, and other members of the Team to guide programmatic direction, monitor and evaluate progress against program goals, provide support for team member growth and development, ensure intra-program collaboration, and manage high-profile initiatives. 
• Lead major cross-team projects and initiatives (e.g., supporting hospitals in accessing Inflation Reduction Act funding and incentives, recruiting hospitals to the HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge and supporting their progress toward its goals, developing patient-level data standards and quality measures, supporting increased health facility and patient resilience to climate change) in collaboration with other staff across the Program.
• Represent HCWH at meetings with external partner organizations, including advisory and steering committee roles and participate in calls with potential partners to assess alignment and organizational opportunities. 
• Engage with health systems, health professionals, and strategic partner organizations to promote institutional, governmental, and community climate solutions. 
• Support development of funding proposals and budgets; manage grants.
• Contribute to the production, editing, and publication of climate-smart health care content for HCWH and Practice Greenhealth, including presentations, articles, blogs, press releases, newsletters, reports, and other materials.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with staff across HCWH and Practice Greenhealth.
• All other duties as requested and needed to meet organizational goals.

Job Qualifications:

•  Minimum Education: BA or BS. Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum education
• Minimum Experience: 5 years, with a proven track record of program strategy development, implementation, and leadership
• Minimum Field of Expertise: 
  • Experience working on sustainability or climate issues, preferably with expertise in health care climate mitigation and/or climate resilience centered in equity.
• Preferred Experience: 7+ years experience and Master’s degree or relevant climate or environmental certifications. Combined experience/education as substitute considered. 
• Preferred Experience: 
  • Relationships and experience working with climate and health organizations and coalitions (e.g., National Academy of Medicine, The Joint Commission, America’s Essential Hospitals, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity)
  • Experience with CMS quality reporting and payment systems 
  • Experience working in a virtual organization. Familiarity with advocacy and/or membership-based organizations.
  • Experience working with or within health care. Familiarity with hospitals and health systems, public health, climate justice and/or environmental issues. 

 Job Specific Competencies Required:

• Strategic Design and Implementation: Ability to think strategically and creatively while organizing time efficiently, with experience designing and implementing specific strategies. Experience with the development and implementation of a climate change strategy.
• Climate-smart Healthcare Knowledge: Robust understanding of the technical components of climate-smart health care, including a demonstrable understanding of and commitment to advancing climate change mitigation and resilience solutions and addressing the health impacts and inequities resulting from climate change. Familiarity with plastic pollution and safer chemicals and their connection to the climate crisis. Knowledge of relevant policy issues and options to address climate change and an understanding of the health care sector and the challenges it faces.
• Stakeholder Management: Experience working with coalitions or partnerships of diverse stakeholders with common interests. Ability to identify and build strong, strategic partnerships with aligned organizations.
• Project Management: Knowledge and experience in project management. Ability to organize and manage multiple projects concurrently and to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Proven self-starter who can lead and deliver projects at a high level.
• Team Approach: Demonstrated ability to deliver specific projects and initiatives, both independently and as part of a team, with experience working collaboratively with others to track, measure, and achieve strategic goals. 
• Written Content: Excellent written communication skills and facility to adapt writing style for different purposes and different audiences (e.g. official comments on policy, op-eds, technical guidance, peer-reviewed journals). Ability to effectively write email communication and concise content. 
• Communication Skills: Comfort speaking in front of audiences and presenting publicly. Well-honed interpersonal skills to work across a virtual organization and with varied external stakeholders, including policymakers and regulators, partners, health care professionals, and media. 
• Computer Skills: Ability to work with Microsoft Office products such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Google products such as Google Drive and Google Documents. Previous knowledge or ability to easily learn to use an internal communication tool like Slack.

 
General Competencies Required:

•  Accountability: takes responsibility for all work activities and personal actions; follows through on commitments; implements decisions that have been agreed upon; maintains confidentiality with sensitive information; acknowledges and learns from mistakes without blaming others; meets deadlines and satisfies promises; recognizes the impact of one's behavior on others.
• Adaptability: responds to changing circumstances by being innovative and altering behavior to better fit different situations; consistently exhibits optimism and energy; learns new skills, performs work in different ways; successfully works with new colleagues; professionally deals with personal discomfort in a changing work environment; willing to be flexible; remains calm in stressful situations.
• Initiative: takes action to improve a situation without waiting for explicit instructions; understands how one's own actions relate to the organization(s)' and department's strategic goals; recognizes and responds to opportunities in order to reach a goal; seeks new and improved techniques, solutions, and approaches to completing assignments.
• Managing Resources: allocates time and resources efficiently and effectively; prioritizes work and delegates as appropriate; works to minimize institutional risk by acting as a responsible steward for the organization(s); chooses priorities to align with organizational mission and priorities.
• Service Orientation: acts professionally and calmly at all times when interacting with others; consistently demonstrates concern and courtesy towards colleagues and customers; treats all people respectfully; takes personal responsibility for correcting problems; “owns” problems and seeks to achieve resolution to them appropriately; follows up with individuals to ensure satisfaction with the level of service they have received.
• Valuing Diversity:  treats all individuals fairly and respectfully, works effectively with others, regardless of their background, position, or status; ensures that opportunities are equally available to all; respects different values and viewpoints.
• Working Collaboratively: works collegially with others, cooperating in both interpersonal and team relationships; fosters enthusiasm and maintains mutual trust, candor and respect; adds value in collaborative processes rather than merely passing challenges forward. If applicable, manages groups effectively and builds partnerships with others.
• Administrative Literacy:  demonstrates appreciation of the organizational imperatives of the organizational administrative function, and contributes to effective and efficient organizational operations; submits forms completely in a timely manner; seeks clarification about organizational administrative matters when in doubt; models responsiveness to administrative necessities; complies with organizational policy.   
• Clear Communication: expresses oneself clearly and effectively when speaking and/or writing to individuals or groups; listens attentively; ensures that information is understood by all parties; shares information in a timely manner using the most appropriate method; presents well-organized information in a group setting; chooses appropriate audience(s) for communications.
• Organization/Project Management: organizes large amounts of information by creating and maintaining well organized systems; follows logical approaches to completing work; brings a project from inception to successful completion, and follows up, as appropriate; translates strategies into step-by-step plans for action; monitors work progress to completion; effectively prioritizes and chooses projects to support and advance coherent organizational mission; pays close attention to detail.
• Problem Solving: generates creative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; identifies and weighs options, makes sound decisions after reviewing all relevant information; anticipates and plans for potential problems; takes calculated risks; recognizes impact of solutions. 
• Managing Conflict: ensures productive resolution of conflict; recognizes different viewpoints; brings conflict into the open, and encourages those involved to find appropriate solutions.
   

 Work Environment/Physical Effort 

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions of this job. 

• While performing the responsibilities of this, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use his or her hands and fingers, to handle or feel. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision.
• Occasionally required to travel; 1-3 required travel commitments per year (organizational conferences and work planning) with occasional additional travel opportunities (industry events, speaking engagements, etc.).
• Electronic mail used daily. 
• Video web conference calls occur daily. 
• Face-to-face discussions occur while on travel. 
• Position intended for a 72-hour fortnight. 
• Intermediate level of freedom to make day-to-day decisions.
• Contact with others:
  • Health Care Without Harm/Practice Greenhealth Staff: Heavy contact.
  • Climate-smart health care program organizational partners: Heavy contact.
  • Hospital and health system sustainability staff, clinicians, and other staff: Medium contact.
  • Media: Some contact.

To Apply or Inquire

Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth are committed to cultivating and sustaining culturally and ethnically diverse organizations and to the principles that promote inclusive practices. We believe systems can only be transformed when a diversity of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences are a part of the movement for change. We are dedicated to building a diverse staff with expertise and interest in addressing systemic racism within our organization and to serve the mission of the organizations in respectful ways. Health Care Without Harm/Practice Greenhealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply, upload your resume via this link . Questions can be addressed to jobs@hcwh.org. Only competitive candidates will be invited to participate further in the recruitment process. Closing date to apply is December 9, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Cover Letters are optional.