A.T. Still University's Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) is seeking a full time, exempt Director of Rural Health Initiatives on the Kirksville, Missouri campus. Under the guidance of the Vice Dean/Rural Health Transformation Program Senior Director, the Director of Rural Health Initiatives drives operational ownership, strategic execution, and portfolio management across ATSU-KCOM’s broader rural health initiatives. Designed to build organizational capacity and mitigate operational risk, this position supports the expanded workload expected through Missouri’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding—extending well beyond the ToRCH Care Hub Anchor initiative—while providing essential wrap-around professional support and administrative bandwidth for the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and the Hub as a whole. 

In alignment with College priorities, this position supports rural clerkship and community initiatives, leads in evaluating the feasibility of a Center for Rural Health, assesses funding opportunities for readiness and competitiveness, collaborates on the development of extramural grant/contract proposals, tracks health policy developments, and fosters cross-functional institutional alignment.

Additionally, the Director will work closely with University Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage and mobilize alumni networks to expand rural health initiatives, establish clinical training sites, and build a robust mentorship framework for osteopathic medical students dedicated to rural practice. The position maintains continuous health policy surveillance, analyzing state and federal legislative developments, CMS rules, and Medicaid payment transformation to translate policy insights into active rural health programming. Operating as an active advocate, this position leads state and federal government advocacy efforts on behalf of the College to promote policies, reimbursement models, and legislative initiatives that ensure high-quality healthcare and improved patient outcomes for rural and underserved communities. 

As an institutional peer to the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director and other ATSU-KCOM leaders overseeing related initiatives, this position leads complementary College-level rural projects, drives competitive grant pursuits to generate extramural funding, and advances scholarly dissemination (e.g., policy briefs, poster presentations, manuscripts). Operating as a high-level individual contributor, the Director provides administrative guidance, operational backup, and cooperation across KCOM’s rural health entities while executing overall rural health strategy, policy translation, advocacy, and project integration. 

Duties & Responsibilities 

(Listed in order of importance)

• Strategic Rural Health Portfolio Leadership: Drive operational ownership, project roadmaps, and execution for KCOM’s broader rural health portfolio, including supporting rural clerkship and residency pipeline expansion, curricular enhancements, and community-based health initiatives.
• Alumni Engagement & Mentorship Strategy: Partner strategically with ATSU University Advancement and Alumni Relations to mobilize KCOM and ATSU alumni. Cultivate network involvement in rural health initiatives, help to secure alumni preceptors and clinical training sites, and design/oversee structured mentorship opportunities for osteopathic medical students interested in rural medicine. 
• Grant Strategy & Revenue Generation: Partner with the Hub 16 Program Director to translate regional readiness assessments and Hub operational data into competitive extramural grant applications and RFP responses. Spearhead strategic scoping/writing and development of competitive grant/contract proposals to secure external funding for and sustain College rural health priorities, collaborating closely with ATSU Sponsored Programs workflows and best practices. 
• Health Policy Intelligence & Analysis: Routinely monitor state and federal rural health policy legislation, CMS regulatory shifts, and Medicaid payment transformation. Synthesize policy insights to deliver executive, actionable recommendations and risk assessments for College leadership.
• State & Federal Healthcare Advocacy: Lead advocacy initiatives at the state and federal levels to champion policies, legislative actions, and funding that promote high-quality healthcare, expand workforce pipelines, and improve patient health outcomes across rural and underserved populations. 
• Center Feasibility Study & Strategic Planning: Lead a comprehensive feasibility study to evaluate the institutional, operational, and financial viability of establishing a Center for Rural Health. Assess regional health needs, analyze organizational models, map potential revenue streams, and synthesize findings into executive recommendations, sustainability strategies, and institutional frameworks to guide leadership decision-making regarding the formal launch and positioning of the Center.
• Hub Operational Integration: Work alongside the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director as a strategic institutional peer to add administrative bandwidth and ensure operational coverage for maintaining Leadership Board meeting distribution schedules, official decision log entries, Community Information Exchange (CIE) closed-loop referral monitoring, and State Stage Gate reporting deliverables during peak activity periods or absences/vacancies. Cross-train across Hub workflows to sustain local programs, regional stakeholder engagement, and overall Hub operations.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaboratively develop, nurture, and strengthen community partnerships across northeast Missouri and beyond, thereby building a strong foundation for future, extramurally funded rural health initiatives. 
• Scholarly Activity: Lead synthesis of initiative outcomes, drafting policy briefs, shaping conference presentations/posters, and supporting manuscript development to advance rural health scholarship at KCOM. 
• Institutional Collaboration & Brand Stewardship: Work closely with the Vice Dean to promote KCOM’s national visibility as a leader in rural workforce development, particularly among existing and potential clinical training partner sites and preceptors. As needed, support College-led rural graduate medical education planning, development, and sustainability.
• Data & Fiscal Tracking: Oversee performance tracking metrics and work collaboratively with ATSU Sponsored Programs and Finance to track line-item project spend against approved budgets, ensure audit readiness, and maintain ongoing programmatic and fiscal compliance.

Job Responsibilities

Programs or Services

• Drives operational execution, tracking, and reporting across KCOM rural health education, workforce development, and community engagement projects as well as extramurally funded grants/contracts. 
• Directs the strategic feasibility analysis and organizational assessment for a potential Center for Rural Health, evaluating operational viability, resource requirements, sustainability/revenue strategies, and institutional frameworks to inform executive decision-making.
• Fosters cross-functional collaboration and operational synergy across internal units engaged in rural health activities and external partners; serves as a strategic resource and cross-departmental bridge to expand operational bandwidth, leverage shared expertise, and ensure institutional alignment for KCOM’s rural health initiatives.
• Works collaboratively with ATSU University Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage alumni in student mentorship, clinical precepting, and rural health strategic objectives.
• Advances legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts at state and federal government levels focused on healthcare quality, equity, and sustainable healthcare delivery models for rural/underserved communities.
• Leads health policy surveillance, performs risk forecasting, and translates regulatory developments into strategic institutional insights. 
• Spearheads grant proposal development, application assembly, and funding strategies to strengthen and sustain the College’s rural health initiatives.
• Provides administrative guidance, cooperation, and coverage to the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director as an institutional peer, aligning KCOM resources with regional priorities. 
• Directs initiative dissemination by organizing evaluation data, authoring policy briefs, and overseeing conference poster development.

Education & Experience 

• Minimum Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Public Policy, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or a related field. 
• Preferred: Master’s degree (MA, MPH, MHA, MBA, MSW) strongly preferred. 
• Advanced understanding of healthcare operations and policy, rural care delivery systems, medical education pathways and workforce development, and rural healthcare access barriers.  
• Expertise in grant development, health policy tracking, project portfolio execution, and financial/ sponsored programs processes.
• Deep knowledge of state and federal government legislative processes, health policy advocacy mechanisms, and regulatory policy implementation.
• Expertise in alumni engagement, structured mentorship program development, grant writing, health policy tracking, project portfolio execution, and financial/sponsored programs processes.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of demonstrated experience in strategic project management, healthcare administration/financing, public health leadership, grant writing, and/or policy analysis.
• Demonstrated track record of conducting health policy analysis, executing feasibility assessments, crafting policy briefs, writing grant/contract proposals, and/or shaping project summaries or scholarly posters, 
• Proven experience managing multi-phase project roadmaps, digital tracking, and deliverable timelines across institutional units, and  proven ability to function as a strategic peer alongside program directors, healthcare administrators, and academic leaders. 

Skill Requirements

• Strategic & Portfolio Leadership: Strong conceptual thinking, initiative planning, feasibility analysis, and ability to execute complex, multi-faceted projects independently.
• Grant & Executive Communication: Exceptional written communication for drafting competitive grant applications, policy briefs, executive summaries, report deliverables, and inter-departmental proposals.
• Technical & Data Synthesis: Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Zoom, etc.; ability to synthesize operational metrics into strategic insights. Core financial skills needed to perform budget impact modeling (i.e., how new rules/policies impact healthcare spending), cost-benefit analysis, and basic statistical analysis.
• Interpersonal & Peer Collaboration: Advanced communication skills to build consensus across internal administrative units and the RHTP Hub 16 Program Director.

Personal Characteristics or Traits

• Strategic & Results-Driven: Combines high-level vision with meticulous attention to detail, deadlines, and project execution 
• Self-directed Leader: Comfortable driving strategic priorities, policy monitoring, and feasibility with high autonomy  
• Diplomatic Peer: Navigates complex organizational structures comfortably, providing administrative guidance and working cross-functionally alongside internal units and external partners 
• Rural-Focused: Deeply committed to improving rural health workforce development, access to quality care, and sustainable impact. 
• Maintains professionalism, neutrality, and diplomacy to ensure progress amid differing perspectives.
• Comfortable speaking publicly and representing KCOM in meetings, stakeholder discussions, and conferences. 
• Effective communicator who can engage medical educators, healthcare providers, leadership teams, community organizations, and external partners.
• Comfortable working in evolving environments with multiple collaborators, competing priorities, and changing operational needs. 

Other Information

• Travel: Occasional local and regional travel for partner meetings, state policy convenings, and rural health-focused conferences.

ATSU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverages, among more. If eligible, employee-elected benefits would begin the first of the month following hire date. For more information, please visit: atsu.edu/employment/benefits.

A.T. Still University (ATSU) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities.