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About the Organization
The Alliance for Health Equity (The Alliance) is committed to advancing a more equitable, resilient, and healthy Greater Coatesville community in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Founded in 2001 from the proceeds and sale of the local Brandywine Hospital, the Alliance for Health Equity (formerly known as the Brandywine Health Foundation) is a Health Conversion Foundation that pursues its vision of "a thriving, inclusive, and healthy community for all" through fundraising, grantmaking, building partnerships, and being catalytic to spark new and innovative initiatives where they are needed the most. The Alliance plays the critical role of convener and strategic thought partner to the government, nonprofit, private, philanthropic, community, and legislative sectors, thereby facilitating a collaborative approach to problem solving and strategic solutioning in the face of multifaceted and complex health, social, and economic challenges impacting the Greater Coatesville community. The ultimate goal of the Alliance is to improve the health, social, emotional, and economic conditions among children, teens, and families within the nine townships and municipalities that constitute the Coatesville Area School District.
The Greater Coatesville community still struggles disproportionately with health and economic disparities in comparison to Chester County as a whole. The Alliance for Health Equity is taking a more holistic approach to health by addressing the social determinants of health and advancing the opportunities available in the community. The Alliance's grantmaking focuses on three areas of impact in particular:
- Helping People Live Healthy and Well
- Creating Healthy Spaces and Places
- Leading Community-Driven Change
The Alliance approaches its work through trust-based philanthropy, grassroots-level engagement, mission-aligned investing, and by centering equity in all its activities. With a $30 million endowment, an annual budget of $3 million, and a small team, the Alliance awards an average of 15-20 grants per year totalling approximately $1.2 million. Since its inception in 2001, The Alliance has awarded over $20 million in multi-sectoral grants and public-private partnership collaborative funding projects to address access, affordability, and quality of care within the health care, health promotion, behavioral health, and the social service sectors. Additionally, the Alliance has also spearheaded a wide variety of initiatives addressing the social determinants of health, including providing post-high school and nursing scholarships, investing in green spaces, and providing platforms to local Black artists and artisans – all in collaboration with community partners. The Alliance also built and manages Brandywine Health and Housing Center, the only Federally Qualified Health Center providing integrated primary care, prenatal, pediatric, dental, behavioral health, and chronic disease management services, along with 24 affordable housing units for low-income seniors. The Alliance also serves as a regional and industry leader through its Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute, which provides tools, standards, and curricula to advance equity and justice in the nonprofit sector.
The Alliance is entering an exciting new phase as it seeks to advance its trust-based philanthropy model, evolve and diversify its fundraising strategies, hone its mission-aligned investing approach, and build upon the momentum surrounding its community engagement initiatives and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Learn more about the Alliance for Health Equity's 20 years of service and vision for the future here: https://alliancehealthequity.org
About the Position
The Alliance for Health Equity is seeking a highly collaborative, entrepreneurial, emotionally intelligent, and dynamic CEO who is committed to the values, mission, and goals of the foundation; who will build upon the Alliance's past successes including the implementation of a trust-based philanthropy model and rigorous internal reflection and learning with respect to DEI; and who will sustain and enhance the reputation of the Alliance as a philanthropic leader within Greater Coatesville, Chester County, and across Pennsylvania.
The Greater Coatesville community is experiencing considerable change, from the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters alongside economic upheaval, such as the closure of the local Brandywine Hospital. At the same time, the community is experiencing newfound momentum around addressing racial injustice. The Alliance for Health Equity has a variety of initiatives planned and in place to address these challenges and seize opportunities, and is committed to engaging with the community on an ongoing basis to devise potential solutions in a collaborative and creative fashion. The CEO will assume a leadership role in the community and be charged with bringing the Alliance's vision to life through building genuine and trusting relationships with philanthropic, nonprofit, and other community partners; generating transformational ideas for leveraging the full power of the Alliance's endowment and coalition of partners to affect social change; and advocating for support of the health and human services sectors. Critically, the CEO will be responsible for listening intently to the community's suggestions (e.g. by continuing the popular "Let's Talk" series as a forum for community engagement), devising bold and innovative ways to meet the community's needs, and mobilizing and deploying the resources required to do so.
This is an ideal opportunity for a leader who is passionate about improving health outcomes by addressing the social determinants of health; who is looking to radically transform how philanthropies can leverage the full power of their assets to affect social change; who is deeply committed to centering equity and inclusion in everything they do; and who genuinely enjoys building relationships and working in close collaboration with numerous partners "in the weeds" of the work – all in pursuit of bold transformation, and never losing sight of the bigger picture.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Strategic Leadership and External Relations
- Engage the Board, staff – and most importantly Greater Coatesville community – in determining the Alliance's strategic priorities, listening with an open mind to the community's needs and thinking creatively and collaboratively about potential solutions
- Actively manage the implementation of the Alliance's strategic plan, including a wide variety of initiatives spanning the Alliance's current strategic priorities: Helping People Live Healthy and Well; Creating Healthy Spaces and Places; and Leading Community-Driven Change
- Evolve the Alliance's strategic plan, programmatic offerings, and philanthropic activities based on community needs, feedback, and participation in decision-making
- Keep abreast of current trends in philanthropy, federal/state policy, and local county/municipal policies and practices impacting the social safety net system; share this expertise to guide the Board and its work in the community
- Serve as a leader and accelerator in the philanthropic sector for generating innovative ideas, programs, and support for health and human services organizations; lead by example in further honing and evolving the Alliance's trust-based philanthropy model
- Assume a leadership role in Chester County and, more broadly, with key stakeholders in civic, political, and other spheres of alliance and influence in order to advance the Alliance's goals
- Partner with the Board and community members to identify opportunities for mission-aligned investing, managing the Alliance's $30 million endowment along with its vendor/supplier contracts in ways that advance the organization's mission, goals, and DEI commitments
- Identify opportunities for collaboration with and among community partners, fostering partnerships to streamline efforts and amplify impact in service of the Greater Coatesville community
- Continue facilitating the "Let's Talk" series as a forum for community engagement; develop additional forums and mechanisms as needed to capture community feedback, build community relationships, engage community stakeholders in decision-making, and ensure the Alliance's accountability to the community
- Serve as a key external face of the Alliance for Health Equity, enhancing visibility and bringing awareness to the critical work the Alliance does to media agencies, government officials, and other stakeholders
- Work directly with the Board of Directors taking a leadership role in identifying potential board members, exploring board education opportunities; recommending strategies for philanthropic work within the community; and supporting the Board's goals and vision
Grantmaking
- Continue the Alliance's commitment to trust-based philanthropy, working hand-in-hand with members of the community to identify opportunities and fund interventions to improve health and wellbeing in Greater Coatesville
- Work closely with the broader community, including related philanthropic organizations, media, public sector, and civic leadership, to advance the Alliance's vision of "a thriving, inclusive, and healthy community for all"
- Review and recommend refinements, as appropriate, to the Alliance's grantmaking strategy, ensuring that the Alliance is hearing from the broadest possible set of community members engaged in meeting its needs
- Lead the design of grantmaking activities including proposal solicitation, review, feedback to applicants and grantees, and mechanisms for community engagement in the decision-making process;
- Refine and build upon current evaluation strategies, selecting qualitative and quantitative metrics that enable continuous learning and improvement
Fundraising
- Partner with the Board and staff to raise funds from local, regional, and even national sources to support the Alliance's grantmaking and programming
- Develop the Alliance's fundraising strategy and diversify its fundraising approaches; explore new, creative fundraising strategies (e.g. crowdsourcing, microgiving, etc.) to broaden the Alliance's base of supporters
- Maintain existing relationships and cultivate new, trusting relationships with community stakeholders including citizens, consumers, funding partners, service providers, advocates, policymakers, and others, consistently welcome new groups and individuals to the Alliance for Health Equity network in an effort to advance the organization's mission, vision, and goals
- Educate and assist citizens, public officials, grant makers, nonprofit organizations, faith groups, and businesses in understanding the mission and interests of the Foundation Attend and participate in important and relevant programs with local, state, and federal affinity groups to sustain an up-to-date awareness and continuous learning of grantmaking opportunities and philanthropic industry trends
Organizational Leadership and Management
- Establish and maintain a professional, engaging, exciting, motivating, and nurturing team environment
- Promote and model a culture that embodies the Alliance for Health Equity's core values of: Stewardship, Equity, Leadership, Collective, Inclusiveness, Innovation, Accountability, and Community Engagement
- Continue to advance the organization's learning and development with respect to DEI and hold the Board and staff accountable to the Alliance's core values of Equity and Inclusiveness
- Support a high performing staff through regular team meetings, individual discussions, professional development opportunities, and constructive feedback
- Determine the optimal organizational structure to serve the Alliance's mission and manage its vast and varied partnerships and initiatives, working closely with the Board and staff to make any necessary hires or changes
- Oversee the Alliance's internal operations (including effectively managing its budget, leadership team, and staff), with ultimate accountability for the success of the organization With input from the team and Board, partner with the Chief Operations Officer to design, review, maintain, and implement all operational policies and procedures for the Alliance
- Partner with the COO, finance committee, and service providers on budgeting, reporting, annual audits, and cash management, and to ensure Alliance spending and investment activities are consistent with established Board policy and procedures Partner with the Board and financial service providers to monitor and improve upon mission aligned investing strategies and ensure appropriate fiduciary responsibility
Location:
This role requires a strong presence in the Greater Coatesville community (Chester County, Pennsylvania) and considerable investment of time and energy in building relationships with the community and understanding the local landscape. That said, there is also room for some degree of flexibility, and the CEO will ultimately be responsible for setting organizational norms around hybrid work. Currently, Alliance for Health Equity staff work from the organization's brand new office 1-2 days per week.
Candidate Requirements:
- Track record of successful program implementation and relationship building in the Greater Coatesville community or other communities experiencing similar challenges (health disparities, racial inequities, economic upheaval including gentrification, food deserts, lack of access to essential services like healthcare, and other forms of marginalization and disenfranchisement)
- An orientation to servant leadership, with the ability to think at a systemic level while solving pressing, local issues
- A high degree of humility, authenticity, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence
- Sincere personal commitment to addressing institutional racism and social injustices and racial inequities
- Leadership, organizational management, and operational experience (including strategic planning, program development, and the evaluation of programs)
- Leadership experience in a significant change management context is strongly preferred
- Extensive experience managing complex sets of stakeholders, ideally at the grassroots level
- Experience leading an organization with an institutional investment portfolio, and/or partnering with an investment committee and other stakeholders to generate ideas, determine strategy, or otherwise inform an investing approach
- A strong understanding of fundraising, grantmaking, and the nonprofit sector, with working knowledge of mission-aligned investing and how trust-based philanthropy differs from traditional "charity" models
- Excellent people skills and a proven track record of building trusting relationships
- A clear and versatile communicator and empathetic listener who can engage effectively with a wide variety of audiences
- A willingness to "roll up your sleeves" and work hand in hand with Alliance staff and community partners
- A strong understanding of the social determinants of health is required; experience working in public health or healthcare is a plus
Compensation and benefits:
The salary range for this position begins at $190,000 and is commensurate with lived and professional experience. The Alliance offers a competitive and comprehensive set of benefits including medical, dental, and long-term disability insurance, as well as paid holidays, paid time off, and a retirement plan with company match.
The Alliance for Health Equity is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, or current employment status.
Like the Alliance for Health Equity, On-Ramps is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We're partnering with the team at Alliance for Health Equity to build a diverse team that works to build a thriving, inclusive and healthy community for all. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
On-Ramps is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info@on-ramps.com.