Workforce Development Specialist

Job Description:

Essentia Health is seeking a Workforce Development Specialist to serve as an Advanced Practice Provider and Physician Workforce Pathways Liaison to support the development of sustainable physician and advanced practice provider workforce pathways. This role reports to the Director of Workforce Strategy within the Human Resources Department and serves as an ambassador for Essentia Health throughout the medical education continuum, building relationships with pre-medical students, medical students, residents, fellows, faculty, educational institutions, internal stakeholders, and community partners.The Pathways Liaison partners closely with Workforce Development, Physician Recruitment, Graduate Medical Education, the Essentia Health Institute of Rural Health, clinical leaders, marketing, sourcing, and other internal teams to create high-touch learner experiences that strengthen Essentia Health’s brand and encourage learners to pursue careers within the organization and the rural communities it serves.

Education Qualifications:

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain relationships with medical learners, residents, fellows, faculty, educational institutions, and internal stakeholders.
• Support learner engagement strategies, including shadowing, mentoring, site visits, networking events, rural exposure experiences, and transition-to-practice activities.
• Partner with academic institutions, residency and fellowship programs, undergraduate pre-med programs, and rural health education programs.
• Collaborate with Physician Recruitment, Workforce Development, Graduate Medical Education, Marketing, Talent Acquisition, clinical operations, and community partners to align learner engagement with workforce needs.
• Support physician and APP pathway programming from pre-medical education through residency, fellowship, and employment.
• Coordinate and participate in recruitment and engagement events such as career fairs, campus visits, residency showcases, Match Day activities, networking events, and rural healthcare conferences.
• Promote the benefits of practicing within Essentia Health’s footprint, including rural medicine, broad scope of practice, team-based care, leadership opportunities, loan repayment options, and quality of life.
• Support physician and APP mentor programs, including mentor recruitment, learner matching, follow-up, and program evaluation.
• Collaborate with marketing and recruitment teams to develop communication materials, learner outreach, web content, testimonials, and recruitment campaigns.
• Track learner engagement, school relationships, event participation, candidate leads, employment outcomes, and pathway effectiveness.

Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required with a preference in human resources, business management, or related field

Required Qualifications:

• 5 years of related HR, Workforce Development, or other relevant experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of healthcare with preference given for clinical experience
• Demonstrated collaborative relationship building with organizations and community partners
• Ability to create and maintain excellent relationships with hiring managers and HR as well as other Workforce Development colleagues
• Ability to deal, tactfully and effectively with and advocate for a diverse group of program participants
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office specific to Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint

Qualifying Experience Includes:

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, Education, Public Health, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Experience working with medical education, graduate medical education, academic partnerships, or clinical learner programs.
• Experience in rural healthcare, rural workforce development, or physician workforce planning.
• Knowledge of the physician education pathway, including medical school, residency, fellowship, and transition to practice.
• Familiarity with healthcare marketing, recruitment marketing, sourcing strategies, candidate engagement, or applicant tracking systems such as Workday.

Additional Job Description:

• Strong relationship-building, networking, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Public speaking and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational, project management, and event coordination abilities.
• Ability to collaborate across departments and with external academic and community partners.
• Ability to represent Essentia Health professionally in academic, clinical, and community settings.
• Data tracking, reporting, and analytical skills.

Hybrid Nature:

This position may require travel for campus visits, recruitment events, community engagement, conferences, and Essentia Health site visits. Some evening or weekend availability may be required to support learner and recruitment activities. Candidate must be located in one of our major markets: Fargo, ND, Duluth, MN, Brainerd, MD