Job Opening - WI Institute for Healthy Aging

Deputy Director Full Job Description

The Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging (WIHA) is a newly established non-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy aging for adults in Wisconsin. In collaboration with governmental, academic, and community partners, the Institute is focused on:

Providing education and training to implement evidence-based prevention programming
Advancing research of promising practices
Monitoring and maintaining quality evidence-based prevention programming
Providing statewide leadership for sustainability of evidence-based prevention programming
Monitoring and reporting periodically on the health status of aging adults in Wisconsin

Position Overview:

The Deputy Director oversees the day-to-day agency operations and helps to ensure the long-term health and growth of the agency. S/he coordinates all facets of WIHA operations, including program services, budget oversight, public relations, and grants management. The Deputy Director is responsible for supervising staff, overseeing all training activities, and ensuring grant and report deadlines are met. S/he is also expected to maintain a broad network of community relationships to promote agency visibility.

Employment Type:   Full-time
Job Location:          Madison, WI
Job Requirements:   Valid WI driver’s license and access to reliable transportation
Salary Range:         $65,000 - 75,000
Benefits Package:    Full range of benefits including health insurance, dental insurance,
                            life insurance, short and long-term disability, PTO

Minimum Qualifications:

Masters degree from accredited college or university with a major in social work, sociology, human services, public administration, or other closely related field or equivalent work experience
Five years of progressively responsible experience in management, including budget and contract management
Five years experience in planning, organizing, implementing, and administering programs serving older people and their support systems
Proven experience in establishing community partnerships
Demonstrated experience successfully advocating for changes in policy, personnel, or programs related to better meeting the needs of older people
Successful experience in grant writing at the state and federal level

Desired Qualifications:

Ability to supervise, review, and evaluate the work of others in order to maintain high levels of performance
Knowledge of budgetary, contract, and grant administration and reporting practices
Established network of contacts and relationships within the aging or health promotion field
Ability to work as an effective team player
Ability to write and speak effectively, including the ability to conduct effective meetings
Ability to develop and present ideas and concepts orally and in writing to committees, governmental agencies, the media, employees, and the general public
Knowledge of and comfort with technology as an aid in communication with staff and key stakeholders
Strong organizational, analytical, and program evaluation skills
Demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities effectively
Knowledge of federal, state, and local health funding agencies
Prior experience working in a non-profit setting

Application Process:

Individuals interested in applying should submit an application consisting of three parts:

A one-page cover letter explaining your interest in the position and the assets you bring to the position
A current resume detailing your skills and experience
Written responses to the following two essay questions:

a. Describe a key accomplishment in your career as manager. Describe the challenges that you faced, how you approached them, and the role teamwork played in your overall accomplishment. (Maximum one page)

b. Describe successful community collaboration involving seniors or health promotion and your role in developing the collaboration. Indicate one or two challenges that you encountered, the strategies you adopted to overcome them, and the measures you used to document the success of the collaboration. (Maximum one page)

All materials should be sent to the attention of Barbara Murray, Program Assistant; WIHA; 2850 Dairy Drive, Suite 200; Madison, WI 53718. Email submissions are encouraged and should be directed to Barbara.Murray@gwaar.org.

Application Deadline: August 15, 2010, 4:30 PM
WIHA is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer

Deputy Director Job Profile

Teamwork and Leadership

With leadership from the Deputy Director, employees in different teams or units will work together to fulfill the agency’s mission. Skilled at personnel management, the Deputy Director is adept at providing feedback, giving support to team members, and resolving conflicts when they arise. S/he actively contributes to the team’s work while not dominating the decision-making process.

Budget & Contract Management

The Deputy Director is responsible for administering a large budget that is a complex mix of state, federal, and private sector dollars. S/he also oversees a variety of contracts and must develop and maintain systems that promote efficient tracking of expenditures and program outcomes. The Deputy Director works effectively within budgetary and reporting guidelines imposed by funders to maximize the resources available.

Creativity

The Deputy Director is imaginative and innovative. S/he views situations, challenges, and opportunities from multiple points of view and recognizes that many voices are an asset.

Communication

The Deputy Director is skilled at oral and written communication. S/he is skilled at listening, asking questions, and recognizes that the best solutions are staff/client generated. The Deputy Director can prepare concise written reports, well organized funding applications and make effective oral presentations to groups and decision-making bodies such as the WIHA Board.

Flexibility

An effective deputy director is able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and stage them in a way to optimize the use of shared resources. S/he is able to prioritize projects in order to provide the highest level of program services with limited resources, and is willing to embrace unplanned changes in projects and priorities.

Advocacy

The Deputy Director is mindful of the advocacy goals of the Institute and works with evidence-based prevention partner organizations to advocate for programs and policies at both the state and federal level. S/he also ensures that the advocacy message of WIHA is articulated by staff and made known to program leaders and participants. The Deputy Director also serves on boards, committees, and task forces that seek to improve the lives of elderly citizens.

Service Expertise

The Deputy Director has prior working experience with programs and services within the aging network and is familiar with the challenges faced by aging professionals. In addition, s/he has a strong working knowledge of community-based health promotion and disease prevention programs for older adults. Finally, the Deputy Director is familiar with current research in the area of evidence-based prevention programs for seniors and has successfully written grants to expand services to older adults.

Collaboration

The Deputy Director understands the importance of collaboration and is adept at developing relationships and partnerships across a vast network of public and private agencies. When addressing complex challenges his/her first inclination is to seek partners to share the workload and bring more expertise to ensure the best possible outcome. The Deputy Director uses strong interpersonal skills to build consensus and ensures that everyone's input is heard and valued as part of the decision-making process. S/he also understands that effective collaborations require clarity of roles and responsibilities and commitment to a shared vision.