Description

Who We Are

Aurrera Health Group is a mission-driven national health policy, strategy, and operations consulting firm with deep expertise designing and administering public programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, behavioral health, trauma-informed care, and other safety net programs. Much of our firm’s work is in California, but our clients span state and federal Medicaid agencies, county/local health services departments, health care foundations, consumer advocacy organizations, hospitals, health systems, and trade associations.

Aurrera Health Group is a woman-owned firm guided by our commitment to our mission – advancing access to affordable, comprehensive, equitable, high-quality health coverage and care – and our values. We select our clients, projects, and staff in keeping with that mission. We pride ourselves on our relationship-driven approach to customer service, our ability to adapt to changing landscapes, and our innovative spirit. We value and reward the quality of work we do for clients and support a range of efforts to ensure that employees can enjoy a healthy work-life balance. We are committed to the growth and professional development of all our staff.

A key organizational priority is our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ensuring that is reflected both in our internal culture and through our client work. Our values guide us in all that we do.

Position Description

As a Deputy Director for Project Management, you will serve a key role in the firm supporting the execution and implementation of client contracts while also serving as a functional specialist across the firm providing subject matter expertise on client-facing work.

This role is open to internal candidates.

This is a role designed for internal candidates who would be responsible for supporting internal projects and priorities on a part-time basis and client-facing deliverables on a part-time basis. This may be a promotional opportunity for a Senior Policy Consultant to Deputy Director to move into a subject matter expert role both internally (for contract management) and externally (on client projects), contingent on organizational capacity in their existing client-facing team and the candidate’s demonstrated competency for the role on both teams.

The Deputy Director for Project Management will report to the Director overseeing contract management on the Integrated Care team. 

In this role, your overarching responsibilities will be to:

• Demonstrate a commitment to the Aurrera Health mission: improving access to health coverage and the quality of the health care system.
• Serve as a functional specialist internally and externally, providing in-depth knowledge and expertise in project management and process improvement across the firm; engage in tasks that require dynamic project management and help teams develop tools and infrastructure to fulfil client needs; provide guidance on ways to streamline processes and promote efficiencies; provide feedback throughout the planning, implementation, and monitoring of deliverables; support survey and form development to achieve project goals and outcomes.
• Provide day-to-day management for projects, including planning project tasks, managing deadlines, anticipating, and making mid-course corrections, and distributing workload among project teams appropriately.
• Communicate effectively with your team, your internal and external clients, and stakeholders, in both verbal and written formats.
• Create a welcoming, positive, supportive workplace.
• Engage with teams across the firm in a positive and supportive approach.
• Using Microsoft 365 Office Apps to develop and share work products and communicate with your colleagues, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

Internal responsibilities will focus on: 

• Understanding Aurrera Health’s capabilities, limitations, and interests related to contracting (e.g., collection and maintenance of personal health information, proprietary interest in training materials)
• Reviewing sample and actual contracts and subcontracts and assess for compliance and risk using established tools and processes; raise questions about requirements that may be difficult with which to comply; coordinate second level contract review by senior leaders and/or outside counsel; and work closely with the finance and operations teams to ensure compliance with insurance, licensing, and other contract requirements.
• Managing subcontracting processes, including writing and maintaining teaming and confidentiality agreements, templates, workflows, and managing process for overall efficiency and success.
• Coordinating with the business development team to ensure smooth flow from proposal to contract execution and kickoff.
• Coordinating with finance and client teams to facilitate contract kick-off process and initial invoicing.
• Learning existing internal processes for onboarding, managing, and organizing contracts and subcontracts, conduct a needs and gap assessment, and develop and implement improved processes, as needed, with support and guidance from senior leaders.
• Contributing to business development activities including networking and proposal development and review.

External, client-facing responsibilities will focus on: 

• Serving on client teams as a project management subject matter expert especially in tool development and infrastructure building as needed at the direction of a project lead.
• Ensuring client satisfaction and addressing client needs and concerns promptly in conjunction with project teams.
• Developing project-related documentation and train project teams, as needed.
• Collaborating with project teams and clients as needed to define project scope, deliverables and timelines. Ensure that project outcomes align with client goals and expectations, while managing upward to project lead about any needed scope adjustments.

Required Qualifications

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to develop high quality work, including attention to detail, critical thinking and analytic skills, knowing when to ask for help, and openness to constructive feedback.
• Organizational and project management skills, including ability to prioritize, manage time effectively, problem solve, and manage workloads and deadlines.
• Customer service skills, including anticipating and addressing client needs and developing strong and positive client relationships.
• Ability to work independently/proactively but also in collaboration with others.
• Ability to engage with technical experts (e.g., lawyers and IT experts) and interpreting information for future contract use.
• Flexibility and ability to adjust as needed in an ever-changing environment where priorities will shift regularly.
• Ability to manage upwards by communicating project status, risks and needs to managers and project leads.

Preferred Qualifications

• Eight years of relevant experience in one or more of the following areas: business/government oversight, contracting, and compliance, public policy, health policy, public health, behavioral health, social work, government, or academic research.
• A master’s degree or PhD in public policy, public health, social work, or a related discipline, including a Juris Doctorate.
• Experience managing complex projects with a variety of stakeholders.
• Experience supporting organizational leadership.

Location

Aurrera Health Group is a fully remote organization and candidates from all areas of the country are encouraged to apply. Occasional travel to company events, meetings, and client sites may be required, but the primary workstation for this position will be remote.

As a national firm, the Aurrera Health Group team works across four time zones. Aurrera Health will work with candidates to establish a schedule of core work hours that meets the employee and the firm’s needs. 

Compensation and Benefits

Aurrera Health Group offers competitive salaries based on industry standards and experience, skills, and responsibility. We maintain equitable pay bands for employees based on these factors. The starting pay range for this position is $105,000 to $125,000 per year, with an opportunity for an end-of-year bonus.

Additionally, Aurrera Health Group offers a comprehensive benefit package, including:

• Generous leave program, including company holidays, vacation, sick, parental, and volunteer leave.
• Employer-matching 401(k) retirement plan.
• Health, vision, dental insurance with generous employer premium contributions, and Flexible Spending Account plans.
• Short and long-term disability insurance plans.
• Home office and cell phone stipends, charitable donation matching, and other benefits.

To Apply

Please submit the following:

• A personalized cover letter describing your commitment to the Aurrera Health Group mission to improve access to health coverage and the quality of the health care system, as well as how your experience qualifies you for this role.
  • Note: This is not a clinical or direct services role. If most of your experience is in clinical work or direct services, please include in your cover letter an explanation of why you are interested in transitioning out of that work and into health policy and why your experience qualifies you for this role.
• A detailed resume

A typical hiring process will involve two to three interviews, and you may be required to submit writing samples and/or participate in a skills assessment. The hiring process also will include a request for three professional references, but references will not be contacted unless the candidate is notified.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Aurrera Health Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer that celebrates and values diversity, promotes equity, and prioritizes inclusivity. We are committed to building and fostering a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skill sets.