Program Operations Jobs in Duluth, MN (NOW HIRING)

The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) provides technical assistance, information, tools, and resources for the improvement of rural health. Our work is pivotal to the health of rural Americans and plays a significant role in keeping small rural hospitals open.

At The Center, we are more than just a workplace; we're a hub of innovation and a force of forward-thinkers, we are a mission-driven. We are seeking a Program Specialist to join our team. This full-time, exempt, salaried position is remote, requires frequent travel to rural communities, and includes a comprehensive benefits package. Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central.

The Program Specialist provides education, information, and technical assistance to strengthen rural health care systems. This role is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing projects within their program area and offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on rural health.

Qualified candidates should have at least four years of experience in health care management, public health, business or public administration, research, or a related area. Knowledge of rural health issues, hospital or health system development, and quality improvement is preferred. Candidates must demonstrate strong organizational, communication, presentation, facilitation, relationship-building, and decision-making skills; experience working both collaboratively and independently; and proficiency with remote work technologies, including Microsoft Office, Teams, Zoom, or similar platforms.

Essential Job Functions

• Provide direct assistance to the Program Manager/Director and the team to support day-to-day Center and Program activities.
• Apply project management skills toeffectively manage multiple activitiessimultaneously.
• Serveas point of contact for assignedfederal, state and local government and community partners, health care leaders, community champions and/or community partnersandrural health organizationsand provide excellent customer care services by guiding rural health leaders, community champions, and/or communitypartnersthrough Program processesand activitiestofulfillProgram goal areas.
• Workautonomously, andwith team and/orconsultants,toplan, develop, and delivervirtual and onsite(in-person)services,education, andimplementationtechnical assistance tofederal, state and local government and community partners, health care leaders, community champions and/or community partnerson topics such ascommunity engagement, community care coordination,telehealth,financial performance, operational efficiency, quality improvement, emergency medical servicesand other areas impactinghealth careservicessuch asvalue based careand population health readiness.
• Develop and facilitate virtual and onsite meetings,community events, consultations,webinars, and/or workshopswithfederal, state and local government and community partners, health care leaders, community champions and/or community partnersto assess needs, report findings, define strategic priorities and develop action plans that support implementation of action plans.
• Coordinatetechnicalassistanceservicesindependently,andin collaboration withtheteam,to ensure a productive, efficient team environment.
• Promoteavailableresources and toolstofederal,stateand local government and community partners, health care leaders, communitychampionsand/or community partnerstobuildcapacityat the local level.
• Build knowledge of rural health topicsto gain greaterunderstanding ofbarriers and innovative models toguidefederal,stateand localgovernment and communitypartners,health care leaders, communitychampionsand/or communitypartnersin addressing challenges tosuccessfullydevelop,implement,andsustainaction plansand/or improve rural health care.
• Writevariousprogram reportsand briefs,proofread,andedit documents for accuracy,completeupdatesinSalesforceindependentlyand in collaboration with the team.
• Fulfillevaluationrequirementssuch ascollectingbest practices fromfederal,stateand localgovernment and communitypartners, health care leaders, communitychampionsand/or community partners;trackanddocumentobservedtrends,outputs,andoutcomesimpactingof services,performassessments, and complete reporting requirements.
• Developpresentations,templates,tools,and trainingresourcesindependently andin collaborationwith the team tomeet Program needs andsupportfederal,stateand local government and community partners, health care leaders, communitychampionsand/or community partnerswithinternal capacity building.
• Conduct regular communications withfederal,stateand local government and community partners, health care leaders, community champions and/or community partners, and/or consultantsusing multiple modes of communicationsincludingface-to-face meetings,phoneconversations, remote presentation technology on a one-to-one basis and through group discussions.
• Participatein Center Teams,Workgroups,andCommittees to support Center operations.
• Participatein,andpresentat,in-personorganizational team meetingssuch as Center's annual staff meeting, Program workshops,and summits, as well asotherin-personstate and nationalrural health conferences, andothervirtual meetingsasassigned.
• Travel nationallyincludingdirect and multi-city flights,withovernight stays, and driving to rural communitiesup to50%of work time.
• Identifyandparticipatein performance improvement opportunities within the team andwith federal,stateand local government and community partners, health care leaders, community champions and/or community partners,granteesand sites.
• Performotherregular and ad hoc duties as assignedto supportThe Center's operationsand/or the Program's services.
• Travel up to 50% including direct and multi-city flights, overnight stays, and driving through rural communities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Program/Team SpecificEssentialFunctions

TASC/SHIP

• Serve as point of contact forState Offices of Rural Health, state hospital associations, rural health policy makers, and health care providersand 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.

RHPTP

• Provide virtual and onsite technical assistance for small rural hospitals and clinics, to support implementation of financial, operational and quality improvement best practice recommendations and action plans on topics such aspatient safety, coordination of care, patient engagement and experience, and embedding quality processes into operationsand otherareas impacting the hospital services and VBC and population health readiness.

• Review action plans and perform analysestosupport decision-making.

• Seek additional TA opportunities for organizations to support successful implementation of their action plans.

DRCHSDresiding intheMississippi Delta Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee)

Community Engagement (CE)
Provide virtual and onsite technical assistance for small rural hospitals, clinics, and federally qualified health centers (participating healthcare organizations), as well as their community engagement champions, to support implementation of community engagement best practice recommendations, strategies, and action plans aligned with community priorities.
Assess participating healthcare organizations' community collaboration and engagement efforts and local healthcare needs to inform the direction and development of technical assistance services.
Support healthcare organizations in identifying and hiring community engagement champions.
Build the communication, leadership, facilitation, collaboration, and outreach/marketing skills of community engagement champions to support healthcare organizations in increasing service utilization, grow patient volume, and reduce bypassing of local services to sustain access to care.
Develop and deliver education through virtual trainings, question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions, and an annual in-person Champion Bootcamp.
Facilitate recurring calls with community engagement champions to assess performance and identify additional technical assistance needs.
Facilitate digital presence audits and search engine optimization projects by coordinating multiple stakeholders.
Support and track implementation of community engagement best practice recommendations and action plans.
Consultation
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.
Work collaboratively with consultants, staff, and HCOs to transition seamlessly from TA that initially begins with the Consultations Team but then morphs into work that is shared (yet owned by) the Service Line Project Management Team.

Outreach and Education

• Provide virtualand onsitetechnical assistance to support leaders withbuildingofknowledge base to supportimplementation ofaction plans.

• Develop and deliver education to include planning and development of virtualtrainings(webinars) and onsite workshops such as the annual summit.

• Plan, develop,write,and produce community spotlights, videos, promotionalmaterial.

• Direct and facilitate outreachefforts tousingmultiple modes of communicationsto rural health leaders, community stakeholders,state,and national partners.

Workforce Development

• Provide virtual and onsite technical assistance to support leaders with implementation of services that address workforce needs.

• Assess workforce and leadership development priorities with rural health leaders to develop technical assistanceeservices.

• Promote Delta Regional Authority (DRA) Doctors Program and National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network (3RNet) services to build awareness of resources and assist rural health organizations with recruitment.

• Perform employee and physician engagement assessment (EEA) assessments to include presentation of results to leaders with action planning sessions.

Telehealth

• Providevirtual and onsitetechnicalassistanceto supporttelehealth planning and developmentandadvancesimplementationand expansion oftelehealth services.

• Review plansandperformanalysestosupport decision-making.

• Workwithrural health leaders and/or consultations to developtelehealthaction plans that fill gaps in local servicesand promotetelehealth services.

• Provide virtual and onsite technicalassistanceto support health care organizations with their technological needs. This includes Electronic Health Records (EHR), wireless infrastructure, hardware, and software across all departments within the organization. Tasks involve evaluating,implementingandoptimizingdigital solutions to enhance patient care, streamlineworkflowsand ensure seamless communication between clinical systems.