Jobs

• Director, National Center for Children in Poverty
  Full-time
  Listed 9/2/11

Director, National Center for Children in Poverty

Full-time

Description

The Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University invites applications for the position of Director of the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP).

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), one of the nation's leading public policy centers, is dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America's low-income families and children. NCCP uses research to inform policy and practice with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for the next generation. NCCP promotes family-oriented solutions at the state and national levels.

The NCCP Director will report to the HPM Chair. The Director will manage a staff of approximately 35 and directly supervise six senior managers: the Director of Health and Mental Health, the Director of Early Education and Development, the Director of Family Economic Security, the Director of the Child Care & Early Education Research Connections project, the Director of External Affairs, and the Manager of Finance and Administration.

NCCP has an annual budget of approximately $4.5 million, raised primarily from foundations and government agencies, augmented by endowment income. The Director will be expected to effectively manage these resources and to increase the available funding to improve the Center's financial stability and better enable it to successfully meet its core mission.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

The Center seeks a broadminded, politically savvy leader with a combination of scholarly, research, policy, advocacy expertise and fund-raising success in the area of healthy development of low-income children and the economic security of their families. A doctorate or professional terminal degree is required. The successful candidate should have a distinguished record in most or all of the following areas: 1) development, implementation, and dissemination of original research; 2) program and policy analysis, development, and reform; 3) administration of major child/family programs; 4) design and execution of strategic communications programs; 5) evidence-based policy advocacy at the national, state, and/or local levels; 6) securing financial support for her/his projects and organizations. S/he must have the capacity to foster collaborative and productive relationships among allied organizations, advisors, faculty, and staff of the Mailman School of Public Health and elsewhere in the University. The successful candidate would also be eligible to hold a faculty position in at the Mailman School, ideally in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

Preferred Qualifications

While no one person will possess all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate would have the following professional and personal characteristics:

Professional Experience:
As the primary spokesperson for the organization, this person must raise the visibility of the Center and the urgent issues facing low-income children and families in the public sphere. He or she must be a superior communicator with the ability to articulate a vision, express passionate conviction, and inspire people to act.

A recognized leader experienced at the intersection of research and public policy in the areas of health and development of low-income children and family economic security. A person who knows how to turn possibilities into opportunities and opportunities into funded projects.

A deep understanding and demonstrated experience in the Center's program areas as well as an ability to offer and implement ideas that integrate all parts of the Center's work.

Successful experience leading fundraising programs and/or personally raising substantial amounts of money from major donors, foundations, government and corporations.

Demonstrated financial acumen and a successful track record of managing budgets and effectively marshalling disparate resources to achieve complex objectives.

A seasoned and skillful senior manager with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and integration and a record of recruiting and managing a talented and diverse staff.

A person who places a high priority on the professional development and retention of staff through delegation of responsibility, collaborative effort, and career planning.

An individual experienced in developing and executing a strategic communications plan essential to raising the profile and visibility of the organization as a whole and to key audiences including policymakers at the federal and state levels, policy influencers and opinion leaders, foundations, and the media.

An ability to understand and appreciate the uses of modern technology for organizational management, marketing, fundraising, and public education.

Personal Characteristics:
A person of intelligence and creativity who understands and appreciates the intellectual process and the power of linking research and policy. A person who is respected by and comfortable with the academic, research, policy, and advocacy communities.

An individual who can craft and implement strategies to further the center's agenda within the context of the changing political, cultural, economic and social fabric of our society.

A person with a non-hierarchical and flexible management style, who inspires trust and motivates staff to work hard and well together, toward a consensus-driven set of goals. A person comfortable in a culture of change, who will be able to balance, negotiate and bring cohesion in a complex organization of independent thinkers.

An individual with a record of working successfully in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environments.

A person with a high level of energy, an ability to work long hours and a willingness to travel throughout the country.

To Apply

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until November 15, 2011. To apply, send a letter of application and current vita, along with the names, addresses, and email and telephone numbers of three professional references to:

Michael Sparer
Professor and Chair
Department of Health Policy and Management
Mailman School of Public Health
600 West 168th Street
New York, NY 10032
(212) 305-5611
mss16@columbia.edu

All applications also must be submitted on line to academicjobs.columbia.edu. Please visit the site and search open positions for requisition number 0002371.

Excellent benefits. Salary commensurate with experience. Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.