Executive Director- Health Promotion

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range:

Position Summary

Under the leadership of the Senior Vice President (SVP) Columbia Health, the Executive Director provides strategic direction and leads the team in the development, production, marketing, delivery, evaluation, budgeting, reporting, and staffing of public health and well-being activities for the Columbia University community (including affiliates).  Provides leadership and direction for public health initiatives and community well-being efforts using an equity-minded and socio-ecological approach to advancing community health and well-being.  The incumbent will also partner with the SVP to define, create, realize, and continually evaluate the future of Columbia Health’s public health infrastructure and efforts to advance health equity. Leads a team of public health and community well-being professionals. Serves on the Columbia Health senior leadership team. Investigates outside funding opportunities for public health efforts which are inclusive of, prevention, education, and health-related programs and projects. While the following may evolve consistent with operational and community needs and priorities, the incumbent’s portfolio will include oversight of Alice! Health Promotion (Alice!, including Go Ask Alice!, BASICS, Health Literacy, wellness coaching, and social marketing), Public Health Initiatives (PHI), Gay Health Advocacy Project (GHAP), Community Well-being (CW) activities.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership, vision, and direction for Alice! Health Promotion (Alice!), the Gay Health Advocacy Project (GHAP), Public Health Initiatives, and Community Well-being activities of Alice!, the health promotion division of efforts for Columbia Health, using the socio-ecological and equity-minded approach along with evidence and theory-informed practice. 60% 
  • Directs the assessment of health supporting variables, determining risk and protective factors, and analyzing current practices
  • Leads the Columbia Health public health, health promotion, GHAP, and well-being teams in planning, delivering, and evaluating innovative public health educational and prevention initiatives responding to the needs of the University community
  • Establishes strategic priorities, plans, objectives, and evaluation methods for health promotion, GHAP, and public health activities to promote affirmative health
  • Ensures alignment of programs and activities with health and well-being topics relevant to University campus communities (e.g., substance abuse, stress management, sleep, sexual health, nutrition and eating disorders, etc.), identified risk and protective factors, and organizational goals and objectives
  • Directs staff in program planning, implementation, and evaluation
  • Oversees the development and implementation of tools to evaluate success of the efforts within assigned functional areas: compile data, analyze information to assess programs' efforts, prepare written reports and implement changes to increase programs' effectiveness
  • Supervises the design and development of on-and off-line materials
  • Develops licensing, training, product creation and other collaborative opportunities using Alice!, GHAP, public health, and community well-being programs and materials
• Public Health Initiatives
  • Under the direction of the Senior Vice President of Columbia Health, leads the design and implementation of strategy to support a public health infrastructure for Columbia University within Columbia Health
  • Fosters teambuilding and interdisciplinary partnerships across all Columbia Health divisions and beyond to address matters of public health relevance and importance, including but not limited to health disparities, health care reform, community health and well-being, and public health education with an equity lens
  • Conducts quantitative and qualitative data analysis through a health equity lens in order to identify and track disparities and make programmatic recommendations
• Health Equity
  • Leads the design and implementation of a model and plan for integrating a health equity framework, strategies, and tools into program planning, implementation, and evaluation of priority initiatives
  • Serves as an internal consultant on health equity to departments within Columbia Health
  • Demonstrates strategic leadership commitment to the design and implementation of community-informed and evidence-informed social and scientific strategies that will address inequities across programming, policies, and service delivery systems within Columbia Health
  • Promotes collaborative networking relationships across Columbia Health units to develop environmental and social strategies that promote health, mental health, equity, and well-being 
• Community Well-being
  • Under the direction of the Senior Vice President, provides strategic guidance and leadership in the advancement, enhancement, execution, and evaluation of a shared well-being framework for the Columbia community
  • Develops appropriate evaluation metrics indicators and measures to continually assess, evaluate, and improve Columbia Health’s ongoing efforts to facilitate culture change toward a health promoting campus environment at Columbia University that prioritizes well-being, leveraging the university’s shared definition for well-being and its dimensions

• Personnel Management 10%
  • Directs personnel activities for Alice!, GHAP, public health and community well-being functions, including staff recruitment, training, and supervision; selection and supervision of consultants and contractors; and development and management of program budgets 
  • Supervises Officers, support, and student employees and manages community partnerships 
  • Exercise authority and make effective recommendations for hiring, pay, performance and development of direct reports
  • Identify and prioritize assignments to ensure deadlines are met
  • Establish internal policies and procedures and recommend changes; ensure that all accreditation requirements are met
  • Establish work schedules to ensure adequate coverage of division responsibilities
  • Provide leadership and oversight for other personnel related tasks: resolve personnel concerns, performance problems, etc. as needed
  • Represents Columbia Health in multiple strategic community partnerships including the Healthier Columbia Network and campus-wide well-being committees 

• Identifies, integrates, and leverages Columbia University resources to improve community health outcomes, and builds trusted relationships with stakeholders internal and external to Columbia University to proactively impact community health 10%
  • Highly visible campus leader that works within an inclusive and integrated service delivery model
  • Represents Columbia Health for external meetings with campus and community stakeholders as requested by the Senior Vice President
  • Provides leadership and guidance for strategic outreach, set annual priorities, and evaluate efficacy of events, reach, and materials
  • Advocates, develops strategy, and plans evaluations for dissemination of health promoting policies and messages.  Directs the development of campaigns for internal and external media to support priorities
  • Directs development, design, distribution, and evaluation of informational materials in all media, including health brochures and public notices in collaboration with colleagues 
  • Fosters and maintains active involvement in campus-wide public health activities supporting health and well-being, working closely with Columbia Health Senior Staff
  • Participates in the Student Health Advisory Committee as requested
  • Work with outreach staff and other stakeholders to facilitate outreach efforts to schools and departments

• Provides high level direction for Go Ask Alice!, the division’s question and answer Internet service that provides weekly responses to anonymously-posed queries from Columbia affiliates and others 10%
  • Oversee staff that direct content selection and response development, standardized review of archived content, and consultation with health care professionals at Columbia and other institutions to support site quality 
  • Manage the team responsible for site marketing and public affairs, including media relations and training of other professionals by working with internal and external staff 
  • Directs development and distribution of spin-off educational materials from site 
  • Directs the development of content licensing and other collaborations with outside parties with the assistance of Columbia Health Administration and University partners
  • Directs technical support of short and long-term site operations in conjunction with Columbia Health Information Technology
  • Directs hiring of consultants for site operations, maintenance, and development as needed

• Manages departmental administration 5% 
  • Establishes, sustains, and evaluates the division’s strategic plan and ensures alignment with broader organization and university strategic efforts
  • Leads budget projections, budget management (including internal allocations/re-allocations), and maintains accountability for meeting budget targets
  • Identifies and pursues internal and external funding sources (including grants) as appropriate
  • Develops and implements policies and procedures, including divisional, Health, and University policies

• Other duties as assigned 5%

Minimum Qualifications

• Require a minimum of seven years of related experience in health promotion, with strong preference for higher education experience 
• Master’s degree required in Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Education or closely related field 
• Experience supervising professional and student staff required
• Experience in developing primary and secondary prevention programs
• Demonstrated knowledge of program planning, implementation, and evaluation
• Ability to assess needs and establish program priorities
• Excellent organization and communication skills
• Management and leadership skills
• Successful grant writing
• Excellent oral and interpersonal skills
• Computer skills, with Content Management System experience strongly desired

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate strongly preferred
• Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), or Certified in Public Health (CPH) strongly preferred

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.