Sierra Health Foundation is a private philanthropy with a mission to invest in and serve as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships, and programs that improve health and quality of life in Northern California. The foundation is committed to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities in the region through convening, educating, and strategic grant-making. 

Sierra Health Foundation has a broad definition of health, believing there is much more to health than health care. It is influenced by factors that include socioeconomic conditions, environment, education, income, and individual behavior choices. The foundation also believes in the need for health and racial equity and racial justice. Reducing health disparities is a key factor in striving toward better health for all and reflects the foundation’s dedication to ensuring that people throughout its funding region have the opportunity to lead healthy lives.

Sierra Health Foundation established The Center at Sierra Health Foundation to advance its commitment to strengthening community capacity to engage in policy development, planning, and implementation efforts that seek to address the health needs of California’s underserved populations. The Center works to promote health, racial equity, and racial justice in communities throughout California with local, state, and national partners. With strategy, creativity, and ongoing collaboration, The Center strives to eradicate health inequities across the state.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER STATEMENT

Sierra Health Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer; we value employees with diverse backgrounds, expressions, and experiences. The more diverse our team is, the stronger we’ll become. With the common goal of forging a new path to promote health, racial equity, and racial justice in our communities, we want and need a team that can bring their unique perspectives and stories to the table to best support our communities.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Program Officer for HIV and Harm Reduction will be the lead program manager, implementing wide-ranging activities to support the health and safety of Californians impacted by HIV and people who use drugs. The program officer will lead the implementation of multiple projects focused on HIV prevention in Black and Latinx communities, resourcing harm reduction services at state- and locally authorized syringe service programs, and others. Across this work, the Program Officer will be committed to implementing programs through a racial and health equity lens and to building services and policies that are evidence-based, non-judgmental, non-coercive, and carried out in alliance with people who receive services. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program

• Act as the primary Program Officer responsible for managing the Harm Reduction portfolio.
• Actively engage in the community and with local and statewide stakeholders in order to advance grantmaking strategies through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, public sector institutions, and others to further the efforts of the various programs.
• Responsible for developing with community partners program initiative strategies and engaging organizations across the state for strategic opportunities to implement the initiatives. In addition, the Program Officer will work with the program team and other departments to develop, strengthen, and implement the program’s internal processes to serve better the community partners and the goals of the various programs.
• Build and strengthen relationships with community partner grantees to better understand the challenges and opportunities they face in their respective areas of focus in advancing the goals of the various programs.
• Provide and coordinate technical assistance to community partners and grantees that is responsive to demonstrated needs and ensure maximum impact.
• Coordinate the planning and management of all program grant projects virtual and in-person statewide, regional, and general meetings, informed by community partner input.
• Enable ongoing communication about program partners by organizing and managing regular conference calls and coordinating regular electronic updates.
• Act as a subject matter expert and resource for the HIV and Harm Reduction portfolio, especially as it relates to systems-level changes that result in increased access to HIV/AIDS services and decrease in overdose deaths. This requires attending meetings and conferences, as well as reviewing articles and research.

Grants & Contracts

• Lead all grantmaking aspects of programs. This includes working with the Program and Admin/Finance Teams to review and assess proposals, monitor grant work, and conduct due diligence, including site visits of pending and active projects.
• Manage grants/contracts from funders and consultants under the direction of the Managing Director. This includes, as assigned, acting as the liaison with the funder, monitoring and ensuring funder contract/award obligations are met, meeting funder reporting requirements and interfacing with other Foundation departments on related issues.
• Work with the Foundation and Center staff to prepare grant applications for additional funding as needed.
• Assist community applicants in improving proposal quality and providing constructive critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses of funding proposals, workplans and reports related to the supported work.
• Prepare briefings and background papers on selected topics. This includes coordinating external partnerships and consultants, research, preparing the content, and overseeing final production.
• Work with the Managing Director, Evaluation Director, and other members of senior management to develop and implement an evaluation plan for program initiatives. 
• Work with the Managing Director, Communication and Public Affairs Director, and management to develop and implement a communication strategy for program initiatives.

Foundation & The Center

• Build strategic alliances with key public officials, Foundation stakeholders and community partners to advance the Foundation’s goals and initiatives.
• Represent the Foundation and Center at public forums, committees, and other venues.
• Actively participate in capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using knowledge.
• Initiate and oversee specific projects for the Foundation or The Center as assigned by the Managing Director.
• Work collaboratively with other Center staff in quality assurance processes.
• Perform other duties as required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervises one Program Associate (and potentially one Program Assistant).

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in health policy, public health, social work, community development, public administration, or a related field, and five to seven years of experience in health-related program or policy arena. Demonstrated significant experience coordinating multi-party collaboratives and/or collective impact models with a policy and systems change or community power-building focus with documented impact.
• Demonstrated experience related to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment, drug policy, and/or harm reduction approaches to drug use.
• Demonstrated experience advancing equity, building organizational and community capacity, and working with low-income, immigrant, and communities of color for sustainable change that advances health and equity.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in philanthropy or government as a grants/contracts administrator and/or grantee preferred.
• Strong commitment to achieving racial and health equity.

Communication Skills

• Excellent English-language oral and written communication skills, including public speaking, presentation, and group facilitation skills.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret common financial reports and legal documents.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
• Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.
• Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups and/or Board of Directors.

Computer Skills

Must be proficient in Windows, Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, and internet use. Must be comfortable learning new software such as Salesforce, Concur, and Adaptive.

Other Desirable Skills and Abilities

• Passion for the Foundation’s mission is essential.

• Demonstrates ability to initiate and promote public policy initiatives, and expertise in dealing with policymakers, policy advocates, and the media. Broad knowledge of public health concepts and strategies, including social determinant approaches with diverse cultural populations.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse constituencies and build consensus and relationships among a broad range of stakeholders.
• Knowledge of program development, implementation and evaluation methods, health promotion and policy, and general project management concepts.
• Demonstrates effective leadership while being team-oriented and skilled at working collaboratively with co-workers and organizational partners (i.e., effectively applying active listening, diplomacy, and consensus-building skills, negotiating roles and responsibilities with internal and external colleagues).
• Demonstrates flexibility and key organizational skills to perform in a fast-paced organization and lead complex projects.
• Ability to speak, read, and write in a language other than English.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 10% of the time.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Sierra Health Foundation and The Center provide a generous benefits package, which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, as well as an Employee Assistance Program and a discount program called Working Advantage. Retirement benefits are provided through our 401(k), which includes employee matching. Details of these programs will be shared during the hiring process. This is a full-time, exempt position with a hiring range of $93,000 - $98,000 per year.