Under the general direction of the Director of Strategic Planning, the Strategic Initiatives Specialist will serve as a strategic thinking partner within the department and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure effective strategy execution. Responsibilities for this position includes management and support of various projects, such as strategic and annual planning, business cases and/or business process improvement projects, non-clinical healthcare programs, needs assessments, supporting grant research and lifecycle, internal process improvement strategies to ensure strategic, operational, and financial alignment across the organization.

The Strategic Initiatives Specialist will also be responsible for organizational research, summarizing best practices for a comprehensive system of care, and building knowledge of emerging local, state and federal healthcare trends. Community partners and stakeholders are valuable components to the success of Central Health's initiatives; therefore, the Strategic Initiatives Specialist will serve as a knowledge expert of Central Health's strategic priorities and initiatives, liaise with community groups, and foster sustainable relationships in alignment with Central Health's vision and mission.

Essential Functions
• Review local, state, and federal healthcare best practices, data sources, strategic and annual plans; highlight, in written and verbal summaries, emerging trends, persistent problems, overarching themes in health and health care, opportunities for collaboration and alignment.
• Support research, writing and assist with maintenance of grants, including overseeing conditions for grant award letters, agreements and contracts.
• Responsible for planning, developing, scoping/phasing, and coordinating annual workplans, priorities, projects; tracking annual initiatives and measure status against milestones, ensure strategic alignment with strategic pillars and reflective of core values and long-term goals.
• Planning, developing, and collaborating with strategy department staff and other departments to support implementation of complex projects and prioritized initiative areas for Central Health.
• Deliver actionable insights to appropriate decision makers through data analysis, building simple frameworks and interpretation.
• Responsible for managing the work cycle process for business cases and/or business process improvement projects to ensure strategic and financial alignment; ensure business cases are prepared in conjunction with Finance and the budget cycle, engage with all levels of stakeholders to provide support on the process, and be a key point of contact for business case inquiries.
• Serves as a partner for the preparation of internal and externally facing materials, including reports, and presentations.
• Promote the inclusion of the strategic perspective across the enterprise by supporting other departments or divisions’ projects and planning as needed.
• Promote collaboration, transparency and inclusivity in workflow, meeting structures and information sharing.
• Engage in various community meetings with organizations, planning bodies, and coalitions; listen and participate as appropriate; provide meeting summaries and detail opportunities for collaboration.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Effective and excellent analytical, problem solving, planning, and project management skills.
• Research and writing best practices including conducting literature review.
• Familiarity with healthcare strategy, planning and administration including healthcare for underserved populations and related rules and regulations, data sources, and community needs assessments.
• Comprehension of Texas and Travis County governance and public health care structures and how they affect low-income, uninsured and vulnerable populations.
• Ability to collaborate with others across organizations and departments and to promote a strategic perspective.
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of staff, verbally and in writing.
• Performing complex operations in Microsoft Office Suite.

Minimum Education:

- Bachelor's Degree and demonstrated 3 years of professional related experience.

Minimum Experience:

- 3 years of professional related experience.