THE CONTEXT

Health Forward Foundation is an independent public charity foundation whose mission is to use leadership, advocacy, and resources to eliminate barriers to health and promote quality health for the uninsured and underserved. Health Forward’s service area encompasses Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson, Cass, and Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Johnson, Wyandotte, and Allen counties in Kansas. The foundation is exempt from federal income tax under the provisions of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is classified as a supporting organization under section 509(a)(3).

Health Forward was created in 2003 with an original endowment of $440 million from the sale of Health Midwest, a nonprofit hospital system, to Hospital Corporation of America, a for-profit hospital management company. The foundation is governed by a 23-member board of directors and is managed by a professional staff of 25 employees. As of December 2020, the approximate net market value of the foundation’s investment portfolio was $840 million. With nearly two decades of history the foundation has invested over $317 million to improve health throughout its service area.

Through leadership, advocacy, and resources Health Forward:

• Partners with organizations that are working in our core areas of safety net (physical and oral health), mental health, and healthy communities with current emphasis on healthy eating, active living, and the social influencers of health.
• Serves as an advocate on issues that impact people experiencing significant health injustices.
• Supports and builds strategic multi-level partnerships.
• Convenes and connects diverse community
• Amplifies health issues and health inequities that must be addressed to build an equitable culture of health.

Health Forward is committed to promoting and practicing diversity, equity, and inclusion in its programming, policy agenda, employment practices, personnel management, investments, vendor selection, and governance. Health Forward views equity as a fundamental element of social justice and integral to its mission of eliminating barriers to health and promoting quality health in our service area.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Director of Community Investment and Impact will join the foundation during a period of transformation. Under the leadership of Qiana Thomason, President and CEO since January 2020, the foundation and its board seek to become a national model for health equity through economic inclusion. This bold aspiration to affect the underlying conditions that pose barriers to health with the demographic the foundation serves and the health injustices they historically and currently experience makes clear the need to center racial equity – the condition in which one’s racial identity has no influence on one’s ability to thrive. Learn more about the organization’s future direction here. With a central focus on the intersections of health, economic wellbeing, and racial equity the foundation is evolving its community investments to move further upstream.

During the first year and in partnership with the leadership team, the new Director will help lead the organization in crystallizing its purpose – the reason why it exists – and align its culture, community investments, partnerships, operations, and structure under a new purpose-filled and impact driven strategy. Together, the leadership team share accountability for delivering the three pillars of the foundation’s mission: leadership, advocacy, and resources. As one of six members of the leadership team, the Director will cultivate and own the promotion of a high-trust, adaptive, community centric, innovative, and high-performing culture.

Leading a team of eight professionals, the Director of Community Investment’s core responsibility is to ensure the foundation’s community investments (grantmaking), program staff and resources are allocated equitably and optimally to reduce barriers to health and promote quality health for those we serve. The foundational opportunity will be to implement new strategies for creating better health through powerful social change in the community while also adopting new internal practices to achieve organizational effectiveness. Such internal practices include realigning the program staffing philosophy, staffing structure and design, grantmaking philosophy and approach, and culture curation. Long term, the opportunity and charge are positioning the foundation’s community investments for impact and its associates as consultative thought leaders and partners throughout our region.

THE RELATIONSHIPS

THE CANDIDATE WE SEEK

• Demonstrated competency in adaptive leadership, authentic relationship building, community engagement, team building, results oriented performance management and budgeting and financial management.
• An extensive history of cross-functional collaboration and effectiveness leading interdependent teams; Values shared-decision making among a leadership team and as appropriate, with direct reports.
• A commitment to racial and health equity, from lived experience and/or professional engagement; and someone with a clear view on how to center racial equity so that it becomes core to the foundation’s community investment strategy.
• A solid grasp of the nonprofit social sector, philanthropy, philanthropic principles, and versed in philanthropic trends, e.g., Trust-Based Philanthropy, Theory of Change, capacity building within small and grassroots organizations, power-building in communities, etc.
• Adept in directing, leading, coaching, empowering, and inspiring a team of direct reports, particularly through ambiguity and seasons of change; Experienced in accomplishing objectives through credible trust-based relationships where formal authority does not exist.
• Comfortable with deliberative decision-making, possesses a bias toward action and a resolve for impact. Accustomed to program measurement processes and interdepartmental collaboration to foster a culture of learning, evaluation, and measurement.
• Superior communication skills in one-on-one, small, or large group settings, internally and externally. Proficient in public speaking and comfortable engaging with media to share Health Forward’s story and impact.
• A strong analytical mind that examines and questions data to understand issues, draw conclusions, and leverages all sources of information, including the stories of those we serve and lived experience to make decisions.
• Seasoned in effective engagement with governance, board of director relations, board committee leadership and contributing to a continuous learning culture with the board.
• Brings 7-10 years of related experience in progressively responsible positions to this opportunity and a minimum of 5 years of leadership experience. Experience in philanthropy or fund development is ideal. Master’s degree in public health, social work, public administration, the health and behavioral sciences, a related field or equivalent experience.

THE CHARACTER WE REQUIRE

• Passionate advocate for health equity and racial equity, bringing a strong personal value system that aligns with the foundation’s values of advocacy, collaboration, compassion, diversity, evaluation, inclusion, stewardship, and transparency.
• Carries cultural humility and dexterity and a commitment to working with – not for - all communities in Health Forward’s service area.
• Believes, affirms, and shares the strengths, contributions, challenges and need of those we serve through an asset-based paradigm and narrative, internally, and externally.
• A leader with integrity that balances accountability with care for team members and peers.
• Enjoys mentoring, coaching, and helping staff meet their highest professional aspirations.
• Demonstrated respect for and ability to connect with others, regardless of position or power.
• Self-directed with a high level of initiative, energy, empowerment, drive and a growth mindset.
• A healthy sense of appropriate humor, cultivating a fun and celebratory environment.
• Demonstrates and expects excellence in service to our community and partners.

THE COMPENSATION

A competitive compensation package, commensurate with the experience level, credentials and personal characteristics of the candidate will be offered. Health Forward Foundation also offers a best-in-class benefit package.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

Health Forward Foundation firmly supports the principle and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category pursuant to applicable federal, state, or local law.  

We appreciate your suggestions or referrals to professionals who may have an interest in this outstanding opportunity. Formal interest accepted here or direct all inquiries to:

OMNI Human Resource Management

Teresa Toal, Senior Consultant

ttoal@omnihrm.com

913-653-8072

OMNI and our clients are Equal Opportunity Employers and seek diversity in candidates for employment. EEO Employer W/M/Vet/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.