Director, Health Equity

Versant Health•Troy, NY

2d•$150,000 - $160,000

About The Position

The Director, Health Equity, leads the development, execution, measurement, and continuous improvement of Versant Health’s enterprise Health Equity strategy and program. Reporting to the Chief Clinical Officer, the Director aligns Health Equity priorities and initiatives with the organization’s broader clinical strategy, business objectives, and governance. Health Equity refers to ensuring that every person has a fair and just opportunity to achieve optimal health, regardless of factors such as race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, or other barriers that may influence access to care or health outcomes. The role provides leadership and oversight for the enterprise Health Equity program and assigned Health Equity initiatives, guiding the organization’s approach to identifying and reducing disparities, advancing equitable care, and integrating Health Equity considerations into applicable programs, operations, and decision-making. The Director establishes program objectives and measures, monitors performance, and coordinates with clinical, operational, quality, compliance, analytical, client-facing, and community-facing partners to translate Health Equity priorities into sustainable practices and measurable outcomes. The position also provides subject-matter expertise and recommendations to senior and executive leadership, clients, and other stakeholders regarding Health Equity strategy, requirements, risks, opportunities, and program performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public health, community health, health sciences, nursing, healthcare administration, or a related healthcare or social science field required.
8+ years of progressive experience in Health Equity, public health, population health, clinical care or clinical operations, healthcare quality, managed care, health plan operations, community health, or a related healthcare discipline required.
5+ years of leadership experience overseeing teams, enterprise programs, or complex cross-functional initiatives required.
Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and measuring Health Equity, population health, public health, or quality-improvement programs required.
Experience translating regulatory, accreditation, contractual, or client requirements into sustainable programs, controls, and measurable outcomes required.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing senior leaders, business partners, clients, and external stakeholders required.
Experience using data to identify disparities, evaluate program performance, establish priorities, and recommend interventions required.
All Associates must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as it pertains to disclosures of protected health information (PHI) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and HIPAA Privacy Policies and Procedures.
As a component of job roles and responsibilities, Associates may have access to covered information, cardholder data or other confidential customer information which must be protected at all times.
As a result, Associates must explicitly adhere to all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Privacy & Security Training Program.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
Experience supporting Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, or other government-sponsored healthcare programs preferred.
Experience with Health Equity accreditation, healthcare quality measures, culturally and linguistically responsive programs, community partnerships, or barriers-to-care initiatives preferred.
Clinical experience or demonstrated experience partnering with clinical leaders and care delivery professionals to advance Health Equity, quality, population health, or member outcome initiatives preferred.
Relevant clinical licensure, Certified in Public Health (CPH), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), project or program management certification, or another relevant public health, healthcare quality, or Health Equity credential preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, measurement, and continuous improvement of Versant Health’s enterprise health equity strategy and program to achieve defined annual objectives, fulfill applicable client and regulatory commitments, improve equitable access to care and reduce identified disparities.
Research, identify, develop, and evaluate Health Equity models, providing recommendations to advance strategic objectives, reduce health disparities, and improve equitable access to care and health outcomes.
Serve as a subject-matter expert on Health Equity, social determinants of health, culturally and linguistically responsive practices, cultural diversity and inclusion, and accreditation requirements for Versant Health and its stakeholders.
Establish and provide accountability for program objectives, implementation plans, performance measures, and reporting processes; monitor results, identify risks and performance gaps, and recommend corrective actions or improvements requiring approval by the accountable business owner.
Coordinate with clinical, operational, quality, compliance, analytical, client-facing, and community-facing partners to implement approved health equity priorities across applicable programs, policies, procedures, and business practices.
Advise accountable business owners on potential inequities identified through reviews of policies, procedures, programs, and practices; recommend policy revisions and corrective actions, while final approval remains with the designated policy owner or governance body.
Develop and coordinate ongoing Trauma-Informed Care education and training for applicable providers, subcontractors, associates, and other individuals with direct member contact.
Lead the evaluation, preparation, and ongoing readiness activities necessary to attain a nationally recognized accreditation within contractually required timeframes, including coordination of program documentation, evidence, measurement, corrective actions, and cross-functional deliverables.
Foster community engagement by establishing a Community Advisory Council(s) to gather member and community perspectives, support applicable program requirements, and inform health equity priorities and improvements.
Oversee required health equity reporting and analyses for applicable clients and stakeholders, including but not limited to reporting related to Community Advisory Council demographic representation, governance, and operating policies and procedures.
Support applicable proposals, client implementations, due diligence, audits, regulatory inquiries, and client education involving Health Equity requirements, capabilities, commitments, and program performance.
Develop and present Health Equity program performance, risks, opportunities, policy priorities, corrective actions, resource needs, and recommendations to the Chief Clinical Officer, senior and executive leadership, clients, and appropriate governance bodies.
Manage assigned staff, consultants, vendors, budgets, and other program resources and promote effective performance, collaboration, and professional development.
Travel as required to fulfill job responsibilities.
Perform other duties as assigned.