Program Specialist, Center for Healthy Aging at National Council on Aging in Arlington, Virginia

Job Description:

We believe every person deserves to age well. That’s why we’re on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Come join an awesome team and learn about the work we do, the people we serve, and why equitable aging matters now more than ever. At NCOA, we represent the interests of the aging population across the nation, while striving to live out our core values of equity, excellence, and innovation. This is meaningful work where we put “people first” and our employees can learn and grow, where work/life balance is prioritized, and have a flexible hybrid work schedule while being part of a dynamic, collaborative team.

We are interested in growing our team with passionate, committed, and innovative individuals. The Program Specialist will join NCOA at a time of dynamic growth.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Program Specialist, Center for Healthy Aging, will be responsible for managing a range of projects across several domains, including the testing of new solutions for older adults in collaboration with community partners such as senior centers, community-based organizations, and other program sites across the country. Additionally, the Program Specialist will collaborate with national, state, and local community partners to deliver technical assistance and support the implementation of evidence-based programs. This involves expanding public awareness of the strategies and techniques available to prevent falls and manage chronic conditions in older adults, and supporting the coordination of programmatic convenings, such as webinars, roundtables and collaboratives. The Program Specialist will also support projects that include an evaluation component and meet corporate and federally funded deliverables. These efforts will be focused on advancing health policies that support older adults to age with dignity and equitable access to quality healthcare. The Program Specialist may also participate in coalitions as well as national and regional meetings and other events to increase knowledge about healthcare access, chronic disease management, falls prevention and advocating for health promotion for older adults, to improve their quality of life.

The Program Specialist will work collaboratively within the Center for Healthy Aging (CHA) team, with cross-functional teams (IT, Communications, Research and Evaluation, Meetings, Advocacy, etc.), and the nationwide network of community-based organizations and senior centers. The Program Specialist will utilize strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills to positively impact the lives of older adults through this role. This position calls for a highly organized and resourceful individual with a strong ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Positions at this level typically report to a director or an associate director and require strong experience managing projects and deliverables across departments. Incumbents are required to make independent judgements within their scope of work and require minimal oversight. Incumbents generally have two or more years of experience in their discipline and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, as well as substantive experience at this level. Graduate level degrees may be considered in lieu of experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manages and supports healthy aging pilot projects and initiatives and meets deadlines.
• Monitors project activities to ensure quality and accuracy of work outcomes of contractual and grant commitments.
• Supports and manages relationships with community-based organizations and other partners, including corporate and federal funders, and jointly provides oversight of these relationships; ensures stakeholder satisfaction to further the work of NCOA.
• Works closely with the Center for Healthy Aging Team and cross-functional staff, including the Events Team, and the Communications Team to convene stakeholders for health-related roundtables, summits, and other panel discussions, as virtual, in-person, or hybrid events.
• Supports business development activities for the health team, such as proposal writing, presentation development and other promotional activities, as needed.
• Contributes to planning, promoting, facilitating, and coordinating webinars and NCOA’s annual conference, Age+Action.
• Distills complex information into simple and compelling messages for maximum clarity, understanding, and impact.
• Communicates learnings about the Center’s work through conference presentations, webinars, reports, publications, and other venues.
• Prepares and contributes to routine reports, such as issue briefs, community partner surveys, and grant or corporate funder progress reports.
• Develops and strengthens national, state, and local partnerships to enhance community-clinical linkages and increase access to community-based and online programs.
• Fosters a spirit of collaboration, coordination, and communication in carrying out responsibilities, and works closely with NCOA staff to accomplish goals.
• Participates in team meetings, contributes to the agenda, and supports creative solutions to issues that are discussed.
• Participates in work plan discussions and continuous quality improvement activities to contribute to the success of the team.
• Participates in supporting and implementing strategies to achieve NCOA’s goal of significantly improving the health and well-being of 40 million older adults by 2030.
• Other responsibilities as required.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and 2-3 years of relevant experience in program administration and/or project management.
• Self-initiative and solution-focused orientation to learn new technical skills, resolve problems, and seek help when needed.
• Excellent organizational, administrative, and analytical skills.
• Strong writing, editing, and document formatting skills.
• Familiarity and/or experience with project management tools and platforms, such as Asana.
• Experience with customer relationship management and project management.
• Exceptional ability to effectively multi-task and prioritize adhering to timelines.
• Demonstrated technology skills, such as experience with Microsoft Office programs and more advanced features in Excel.
• Demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse audiences.
• Ability to interface with a variety of stakeholders and contribute positively to the team.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Passionate about NCOA’s mission serving older vulnerable adults.
• Occasional travel is required – approximately 5%.

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Salesforce or other database systems.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequently required to sit or use a standing desk.
• Occasionally required to walk.
• Occasionally required to reach with hands and arms.
• Frequently required to talk or listen.
• Occasionally required to bend, lift or climb stairs.
• Occasionally required to lift light weights (less than 25 pounds).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

SELECTION PROCESS

We only accept applications that follow the electronic process. No phone calls please. This position is subject to background screening. Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter with salary requirements and resume to the Program Specialist, Center for Healthy Aging job posting:

https://www.ncoa.org/page/careers

NCOA offers generous benefits, including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD insurances
• Paid vacation, sick, and other types of leave
• 403(b) Retirement plan
• Hybrid remote work options
• And more!

NCOA is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion

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