October 5, 2022

HIRING: Senior Director, Children’s Health Policy (Medicaid and CHIP)

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About the Job 

First Focus on Children is seeking a full-time Senior Director for Health Policy to co-direct policy by First Focus on Children and the advocacy of First Focus Campaign for Children, particularly on the issues of Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), maternal child health, and related health coverage and policy issues of importance to children.

First Focus on Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. First Focus leads a comprehensive advocacy strategy, with its hands-on experience with federal policymaking and a commitment to seeking bipartisan solutions. Some advocates believe that painting a compelling picture of the problems facing children is enough. First Focus believes awareness is the starting point, not the finish line. First Focus approaches its advocacy work, which is performed in partnership with its 501(c)(4) affiliate – First Focus Campaign for Children – through the following four steps: Raising Awareness, Developing Policy Solutions, Building Will, and Taking Action.

Essential Functions

• Co-develop and advocate for a comprehensive agenda with others on the health policy team toward the goal of ensuring every child in this country has health coverage, access to care, and high-quality care with an emphasis and understanding of Medicaid and CHIP. 
• Work with others internally and in collaboration with other organizations, including those working on immigration, child welfare, nutrition, child poverty, early childhood, and education policy, to address these and other issues related to their well-being and success. 
• Actively participate in coalitions, and with local, state, and national advocates and policymakers to promote child health and child well-being in Congress and the executive branch. 
• Analyze maternal and child health legislative and regulatory policy proposals for their impact on improving the health and well-being of children and their parents. 
• Develop, promote, monitor, and help to implement new or revised policies and system change strategies designed to comprehensive agenda for children and families. 
• Actively advocate for these policies with the executive branch and, before Congress on behalf of our 501(c)(4) affiliate – First Focus Campaign for Children. 
• Represent First Focus of Children outside of the organization at meetings and speaking engagements. 
• Write reports, briefings, fact sheets, and other written material for dissemination to various audiences.   
• Participate in achieving shared goals with senior management team in strategic planning, budgeting and fiscal management, child health policy development, compliance, external relations, and other leadership activities.

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 the essential functions.

Language Ability: 

Ability to produce concise, persuasive, and grammatically correct written communication.  

Ability to make effective and persuasive oral presentations to the President, other senior leadership, and external audiences including potential donors, community and state leaders, elected officials, and partners.

Reasoning Ability: 

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and propose relevant recommendations. Manage the organization’s public policy work. 

Leadership Ability: 

Ability to work across the organization and with child advocates, including former foster youth, at the federal and state levels to build teams and effectively accomplish specified goals and deliverables.

Education/knowledge/skill

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (Master’s preferred) with 3-5 years of increasingly responsible experience in child health policy.
• Understanding of federal child health financing, particularly with respect to Medicaid and CHIP, and other related health care policy issues.
• Understanding of the federal policy-making process in Congress and the executive branch, adept with key tools in advocacy and policy change, understanding of the political landscape, and the ability to work on issues that require bipartisan support to lead to policy change.
• Knowledge of issues facing children and families, especially strong child health policy experience.
• Leadership capacity to convene and mobilize a diverse community of stakeholders.
• Experience interpreting actions of the federal government in relation to their practical implementation at the state and local levels.
• Advanced communications skills including public speaking, persuasive writing, and negotiations.
• The maturity and confidence to work internally and externally to promote the legislative and regulatory policy agendas.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision; self-starter.
• Knowledge of and/or interest in learning about and leading other children’s policy concerns to help ensure First Focus is able to cover the full array of policy issues of importance to children and to address the needs of children on a comprehensive basis.

Submit a cover letter outlining your interest in the position and your resume to jobs@firstfocus.org with “Child Health Policy Job” in the subject line.