The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) provides technical assistance, information, tools, and resources for the improvement of rural health. The work that The Center does for rural communities is pivotal to the health of rural Americans and plays a significant role in keeping small rural hospitals open.
At The Center, we’re more than just a workplace; we're a hub of innovation and a force of forward-thinkers. We're on the lookout for a Program Specialist to join our dynamic team and be a vital part of our success story. The Program Specialist is remote with frequent travel to rural areas and should reside in one of the eight Delta Region states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee).
The Program Specialist plays a crucial role in planning, implementing, and managing various projects within the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program. This position offers a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in rural health and contribute to The Center's success. The Program Specialist should have at least four years of experience in health care management or administration, community planning and development, public health, health education, business, or a related area. Knowledge of Delta Region and rural health issues, project management and facilitation concepts are desired. The Program Specialist should possess outstanding customer service, and effective written and oral communication skills. Effective relationship-building skills and ability to engage partners in program activities are necessary. They should have experience working in a team environment and be capable of independent decision-making. Experience preferred with working remotely and with Microsoft Office Teams and Zoom Meetings or similar platform. Key attributes include facilitation and organizational skills, creativity, critical thinking, proactive problem solving, and team collaboration.
Essential Job Functions
• Provide direct assistance to the Program Manager and the team to support day-to-day Center and Program activities.
• Apply project management skills to effectively manage multiple activities simultaneously.
• Serve as point of contact for assigned rural health organizations and provide excellent customer care services by guiding rural health leaders, community champions, and/or community partners through Program processes and activities to fulfil Program goal areas.
• Work autonomously, and with team and/or consultants, to plan, develop, and deliver virtual and onsite (in-person) services, education, and implementation technical assistance to rural health leaders (hospitals and clinics) community champions and/or other community partners on topics such as community engagement, community care coordination, telehealth, financial performance, operational efficiency, quality improvement and other areas impacting health care services such as value based care and population health readiness.
• Develop and facilitate virtual and onsite meetings (community events, consultations, and/or workshops) with rural health leaders, community champions, community partners and/or consultants to assess needs, report findings, define strategic priorities and develop action plans that support implementation of action plans.
• Coordinate technical assistance services independently, and in collaboration with the team, to ensure a productive, efficient team environment.
• Promote available resources and tools to rural health leaders, community champions and/or community partners to build capacity at the local level.
• Build knowledge of rural health topics to gain greater understanding of barriers and innovative models to guide health care leaders, community champions and/or community partners in addressing challenges to successfully implement and sustain action plans.
• Write various program reports and monthly briefs, proofread, and edit documents for accuracy, complete weekly updates in salesforce independently and in collaboration with the team, and submit updates to the Program Manager as requested.
• Fulfil evaluation requirements such as collecting best practices from rural leaders and/or community champions; track and document observed trends, outputs, and outcomes impacting of services, perform assessments, and complete reporting requirements.
• Develop presentations, templates, tools, and training resources independently and in collaboration with the team to meet Program needs and support rural health leaders, community champions and/or community partners with internal capacity building.
• Conduct regular communications with rural health leaders, community champions, community partners, and/or consultants using multiple modes of communications including face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, remote presentation technology on a one-to-one basis and through group discussions.
• Participate in Center Teams, Workgroups, and Committees to support Center operations.
• Participate in, and present at, in-person organizational team meetings such as Center’s annual staff meeting, Program workshops, and summits, as well as other in-person state and national rural health conferences, and other virtual meetings as assigned.
• Travel nationally and within the Delta region states including direct and multi-city flights, with overnight stays, and driving to rural communities up to 50% of work time.
• Perform other regular and ad hoc duties as assigned to support The Center’s operations and/or the Program’s services.
Requirements
Consultation Team Essential Functions:
• Provide virtual and onsite technical assistance for small rural hospitals, clinics, and federally qualified health centers (FQHC) to support implementation of financial, operational and quality improvement best practice recommendations and action plans on topics such as revenue cycle management, financial performance, operational efficiency and/or quality improvement, business office functionality, billing and coding, physician practice management and other areas impacting the hospital services and VBC and population health readiness.
• Manage and deliver multiple different types of virtual and onsite implementation technical assistance to support performance improvement plans and strategic needs of the rural health care organizations.
• Review action plans and perform analyses support decision-making.
Required Skills/Abilities:
• Excellent project management skills
• Able to organize and prioritize duties to effectively manage activities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent customer service skills and detail oriented.
• Able to engage leaders and effectively communicate via various modes of communications.
• Able to work with groups including facilitation, training, and presentation Team leader with strong commitment to performance improvement.
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office and SharePoint Products.
• Open to innovative solutions and approaches.
• Experience working remotely and with Microsoft Office Teams Zoom Meetings or similar platform.
• Experience working in a team environment.
• Capable of independent decision-making to support planning, development, and execution of program activities.
• Knowledge of Delta Region, rural health issues, and health equity
Education, Experience and Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in health care management or administration, business, public health, health science, health education, or closely related field. Master’s degree in related field preferred. Equivalent work experience may be considered.
• At least four years of experience in health care management or administration, business, public health, health science, health education, community planning and development telehealth or virtual care, or a related area preferred.
• Valid driver’s license required.
Physical Requirements:
• Prolonged periods working on a computer.
Summary
Are you ready to join our team as a Program Specialist and contribute to our success? If you're located in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, or Tennessee, we want you to play a crucial role! Send us your resume and a cover letter that highlights your experiences and how you plan to enhance our programs. We're excited to learn how you'll make a meaningful impact on our team!
The National Rural Health Resource Center is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an accountable workplace culture committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. A variety of experiences and viewpoints are sought and valued.
To Apply:
Submit letters of application and resumes to this post. In your letter of application, please include your personal statement on diversity, equity and inclusion and that you are applying for the Program Specialist position.
Our more than 45 employees live across 19 states —many in the rural communities we serve. We are passionate about ensuring our family, friends, and neighbors have access to the health care services they need. Employees at The Center enjoy a casual, friendly, and supportive work environment focused on important, innovative work.
Our employees agree:
“Thank you for being such a wonderful place to work!”
“Overall, The Center is the best work environment I've experienced, and I appreciate the leadership team's commitment to continuous improvement.”
“I love The Center, all that they do for moving health care forward in this country and all that they do for their employees.”
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism
The Center is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. We strive to create an environment that reflects the communities we live in and serve; a place where everyone feels accepted and empowered to be their full, authentic selves; and where everyone belongs.
We understand the impact of and seek to defeat racism and discrimination in ourselves, our workplace, and the world. This guides how we cultivate leaders, build our programs and resources, and deliver our technical assistance.
We are an organization that honors, celebrates, and respects all dimensions of diversity. These principles are central to our mission and to our impact.
EEO Statement
The National Rural Health Resource Center is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an accountable workplace culture committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. A variety of experiences and viewpoints are sought and valued.
Reasonable Accommodation
The Center complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any and all other applicable federal, state, or local laws ensuring equal employment opportunities and prohibits discrimination for qualified individuals with a disability. The Center will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or an employee unless undue hardship would result.
