Midwest Healthy Start Program Coordinator
Description

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Strategic Program Leadership & Grant Compliance

  • Lead and oversee the MWHS program to meet all HRSA and federal funding requirements, ensuring program stability and effectiveness.
  • Collaborate to set and monitor benchmarks, program goals, and ensure effective use of resources.

Team Leadership & Development

  • Provide mentorship, direct supervision, and performance management for a diverse team of 10, including case managers, parent educators, mental health counselors, fatherhood specialists, doulas, midwives, and nutritionists.
  • Conduct regular training sessions to enhance staff capacity, service excellence, and HRSA compliance.

Direct & Enabling Services Development

  • Design and expand program services to address health and social needs, including comprehensive case management, health education, referrals, and follow-up care.
  • Collaborate with community and clinical partners to integrate services within the broader maternal and child health ecosystem.

Community Engagement & Partnership

  • Cultivate strategic partnerships with health centers, local providers, and perinatal systems to support families with comprehensive care.
  • Serve as the primary liaison to the consortium and coordinate efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes, including expanding the doula program.

Program Monitoring & Data Management

  • Facilitate data collection, management, and reporting, ensuring timely submission of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
  • Use data insights to evaluate and refine program services to meet community needs effectively.

Client Advocacy & Education

  • Develop and deliver educational programs emphasizing maternal and child health, nutrition, prenatal care, and postpartum support, including family planning and doula services.
  • Advocate for client needs to improve access to health and social services while reinforcing supportive maternal health systems.

Doula Program Enhancement & Oversight

  • Lead the development of a robust doula program, recruiting and supervising qualified doulas to support families through prenatal, labor, and postpartum phases.
  • Implement training protocols to ensure high standards of care and alignment with Healthy Start goals.
  • Work closely with doulas on quality improvement initiatives and community-based maternal care approaches.

General Responsibilities

  • Maintain communication with supervisors, agency staff, and community partners.
  • Attend regularly scheduled team and agency staff meetings and participate in ongoing training.
  • Recruit, hire, and train new staff and personnel.
  • Perform periodic reviews of participant medical records.
  • Fulfill other duties as assigned.
Requirements

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s Degree with 3-5 years of program management experience in maternal and child health, or a Master’s Degree in public health, health administration, nursing, social work, or related field.
  • Proven experience building direct and enabling services and family support initiatives.

Leadership & Supervisory Skills

  • Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and manage cross-functional teams, including clinical and outreach staff.
  • Skilled at fostering accountability and cohesion within diverse teams, especially in community and maternal health services.

Community Health & Cultural Competence

  • In-depth experience working with South Side communities and addressing social determinants of health.
  • Capacity to lead community initiatives and advisory networks with culturally sensitive, accessible services.
  • Technical & Analytical Skills
  • Background in program monitoring and data management.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and relevant databases for efficient reporting.
  • Communication & Relationship Building
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage families, present to stakeholders, and lead community workshops.
  • Additional Attributes
  • Skilled in problem-solving and crisis management in urgent or high-pressure scenarios.

Experience/Education Required/Sought:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Qualitative Research Data Management
  • Microsoft Office tools
  • Two-five years' experience in health or human services setting.
  • Knowledge of maternal and child health issues and/or community health service delivery system.
  • Must successfully complete Maternal and Child Health and other trainings, as assigned.
  • Must be familiar with Sensitivity to cultural diversity is required.
  • Ability to communicate and cooperate with diverse families, various professionals and community groups.
  • Must be able to make home visits to present, prospective and former clients in the clients’ own home.
  • Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
  • Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees or the organization.
  • Exercises discretion and independent judgment in executing tasks.
  • Must demonstrate the ability to establish helping relationships with families of varying educational, experiential, and socio-economic backgrounds and handle emergency and crisis situations.
  • Valid driver’s license, car insurance and access to automobile.

KEY COMPETENCIES

  •  Competent in Microsoft Office tools and inputting services in an online database.
  •  Parent Educators must receive training in education, nutrition, and other topics relevant for the position, and must plan and implement appropriate family/parent educational activities and function as a member of the program team. 
  •  Schedule may be flexible and may include some evening and weekends.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

  •  Must be able to remain stationary 50% of the time.
  •  Must be able to frequently move inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
  •  Occasionally ascends/descends stairs.
  •  Frequently moves desks, chairs, tables, easels, and children's toys.?
  •  At times may be required to lift up to 25 lbs. for various classrooms and event’s needs.?
  •  Frequently moves in outdoor weather conditions.?

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

An Equal Opportunity Employer