HEY! Greater Cincinnati is currently seeking an Executive Director to lead the execution of HEY! Greater Cincinnati's agenda to substantially improve youth mental health and well-being across the region. The leader will champion a compelling vision for the collaborative and execute a community-wide plan to achieve meaningful results toward that vision.

Join us in leading a transformative journey towards empowering youth and building resilient
communities through collective action. As the first Executive Director of HEY! (Hopeful Empowered
Youth), you'll spearhead a dynamic, multi-stakeholder effort aimed at revolutionizing mental health
support for youth across the Greater Cincinnati Region.

Your role will be pivotal in orchestrating collaboration among diverse partners, including community organizations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, government agencies, and youth advocates. Through strategic vision and effective leadership, you'll harness the collective expertise and resources to drive meaningful change at both systemic and grassroots levels.

You'll have the opportunity to shape innovative programs, policies, and interventions that prioritize prevention and early intervention, destigmatize mental health issues, and foster a culture of compassion and understanding. By championing inclusivity and diversity, you'll ensure that our initiatives are accessible and relevant to all youth, regardless of background or circumstance.

As a passionate advocate for youth mental health, you'll engage with stakeholders at all levels, from boardrooms to classrooms, to raise awareness, mobilize support, and inspire action. By cultivating a culture of empathy and empowerment, you'll nurture a network of changemakers who are committed to building a brighter future for generations to come.

Join us in making a lasting impact on the lives of young people and creating communities where every individual can thrive. Together, we'll unlock the potential of collective action to transform the landscape of youth mental health and pave the way for a healthier, more resilient society.

For more information about the initiative, click here for an overview.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Director will lead the execution of HEY! Greater Cincinnati’s agenda to dramatically improve youth mental health and well-being across the region.  The leader will champion a compelling vision for the collaborative and execute a community-wide plan to achieve that vision. The Executive Director will mobilize diverse community partners, resources, and youth themselves in driving collective impact. Finally, the leader will ensure that we measure results and track our community’s progress, adapt over time, and scale what works to make our region a leader in supporting the well-being of our youth.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Provide strategic guidance towards the common vision

• Steward a common agenda, vision, and goals across the collaborative’s bodies
• Lead the collaborative development of strategies to advance the common agenda, while responding to emergent challenges and opportunities
• Ensure the collaborative’s strategies and activities reflect a commitment to equity
• Ensure information flows appropriately across the initiative’s various groups, and maintain communication with individual participants to sustain their engagement in the initiative
• Serve as a thought leader and innovator for the work

Guide aligned activities

• Lead the overall work plan for the initiative at all levels, including planning and implementation
• Direct the initiative’s administration, including budget, information systems, other staff member(s), and support functions
• Determine needed resources, staffing, and support to meet the initiative’s goals and expand the infrastructure as needed to accomplish goals
• Create realistic timelines to accomplish tasks, balancing community and steering committee needs
• Facilitate and plan regular Steering Committee and Policy Advisory Committee meetings in partnership with the Executive Committee
• Build an inclusive culture for all initiative members, prioritizing the belonging and safety of those community members who need us the most
• Facilitate collaboration amongst the Youth Fellows, the Steering Committee, and the Working

Groups, while always centering the voice and leadership of youth

• Support communication and planning and implementation of priority activities

Cultivate community engagement and ownership

• Serve as a public face of the collaborative, in service of a goal that is community-wide rather than organization-specific
• Effectively communicate about the collaborative and the behavioral health field to all relevant community partners and the public at large
• Build a sense of urgency and shared accountability in the community about the collaborative’s priorities
• Support the communication of coalition needs with policy-makers and identifying areas for policy intervention across the collaborative
• Develop and oversee a communications and community engagement plan that:
  • Creates awareness of the initiative o Includes community voices and voices of those with lived experience with behavioral health challenges in all facets of the initiative
  • Encourages community partners to align their work to the initiative’s goals and strategies
  • Secures commitment necessary from elected officials and other influential stakeholders

Establish shared measurement and learning

• Oversee the tracking of progress through establishing community-level outcomes and data collection processes
• Communicate progress of the initiative against agreed upon success measures and implementation milestones
• Develop relationships with leaders of similar initiatives, locally and around the country, and identify promising practices that can inform the work
• Stay up to date with the latest research and learning regarding youth mental well-being and innovative collaborative approaches to address it

Advance funding for initiative efforts

• Lead development efforts for the initiative’s long-term financial sustainability plan in partnership with the Steering Committee
• Support partner organizations in aligning their resources to the initiative’s goals and strategies, including state or federal funding sources
• Develop relationships and facilitate information flow from the funders to the collaborative and vice versa

IDEAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Demonstrated commitment to equity and addressing inequities and/or experience working with marginalized groups, especially among youth
• A deep belief in the expertise and leadership of youth, and familiarity with youth-led and youth-centric approaches
• Interest in the mentorship and development of young people, and ability to listen to and respect young people’s input and experiences
• An understanding of youth mental health issues, approaches, and related systems
• Experience working and facilitating at the systems level, as opposed to working in silos
• Ability to cultivate meaningful relationships and build trust with individuals and among diverse groups
• Ability to lead and manage a group of individuals to achieve strategic goals o Ability to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders, broker agreement between different stakeholder groups, and help initiatives to navigate power dynamics
  • Comfort planning processes and managing multiple priorities in a context of change and ambiguity
  • Ability to plan agendas, develop materials, and facilitate monthly steering committee and ad hoc meetings
• Demonstrated ability to collect, synthesize, and share data in order to track progress, make strategic decisions measure goals, identify disparities, and communicate growth
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation
• Understanding of Greater Cincinnati community, human service and health care systems, educational systems, and organizational landscape, especially the gaps and opportunities in the field of behavioral health
• Understanding of the public policy landscape as it relates to youth behavioral health
• A humble and collaborative approach to the work

POSITION DETAILS

HEY! Greater Cincinnati is a community-wide coalition of community groups, healthcare providers, educators, policymakers’ families, and most importantly, young people themselves, working collaboratively to create a community that supports the well-being of all youth. An infrastructure including a Steering Committee, Youth Fellowship, Funder Collaborative, a Policy Advisory Committee, three Working Groups, and interim Backbone Support is in place to guide the initiative. The Executive Director will fully report to an Executive Committee comprised of representatives from the Steering Committee and Youth Fellowship. InterAct for Change (a wholly-controlled subsidiary of Interact for Health) is serving as the administrative home for HEY! Greater Cincinnati and will employ the backbone staff and provide office space and basic administrative support. InterAct for Change offers a generous benefit package, including Group Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Group Term Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Retirement Plan 401(k), Flexible Spending and Health Savings Account Plans, Education Assistance, generous Paid Time Off, and more.

The estimated salary range for this role is $130,000 - $150,000 and is negotiable based on qualifications and experience.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to HEYGreaterCincinnati@gmail.com. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 31 at 5:00pm ET.  For questions, please contact Ross Meyer at rmeyer@interactforhealth.org.