Section Programs and Strategic Initiatives Coordinator

Texas Health & Human Services Commission • Austin, TX

5d • $5,798 - $7,653

About The Position

The Section Programs and Strategic Initiatives Coordinator reports to the Director of the Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries Section and works with minimal supervision, using extensive initiative and independent judgment. The role performs highly advanced consultative, technical assistance, program coordination, project management, research support, and administrative work across Section programs. It provides leadership and coordination for Section-wide grants, contracts, legislative assignments, research and Institutional Review Board (IRB) activities, data and analytic initiatives, and other cross-program priorities.

The coordinator works closely with Section leadership, program managers, epidemiologists, research staff, the Funds Coordination and Management Branch, the Community Health Improvement Division Office, contracting and procurement staff, and other agency partners. The position coordinates Section-wide research and IRB documentation and supports epidemiologic and data initiatives, including electronic case reporting, data integration, and surveillance analyses. It serves as a central liaison for grant applications, renewals, reporting, and budgets; helps coordinate legislative requests and executive assignments; and assists with contract development, administration, amendments, monitoring, and procurement. The role prepares recommendations, briefings, project documentation, reports, and other products for Section leadership. Other duties may include supporting disaster response or recovery and agency continuity of operations.

Requirements

• Experience coordinating or managing complex projects involving multiple programs, stakeholders, or organizational units.
• Experience in public health, healthcare, research, government administration, grants management, program management, or a closely related field.
• Experience developing, coordinating, reviewing, or monitoring grants, contracts, research projects, legislative assignments, or other complex program activities.
• Experience preparing or reviewing executive, legislative, research, grant, policy, program, or technical documentation.
• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
• Knowledge of public health program administration, surveillance, epidemiology, and research activities.
• Knowledge of state and federal grant administration, grant requirements, performance reporting, and budget processes.
• Knowledge of legislative processes and coordination of responses to legislative and executive-level requests.
• Knowledge of research governance, including IRB processes, data-use requirements, privacy considerations, and research documentation.
• Knowledge of public health data analysis, surveillance systems, electronic case reporting, and related data sources.
• Knowledge of contracting, procurement, project management, and program administration principles.
• Knowledge of program planning, implementation, evaluation, performance monitoring, and quality improvement methods.
• Skill coordinating complex projects involving multiple programs, organizational units, and stakeholders.
• Skill reviewing and synthesizing complex programmatic, financial, legislative, research, and technical information.
• Skill preparing executive briefings, reports, legislative materials, grant documents, research documentation, presentations, and other professional products.
• Skill coordinating grant applications, reporting requirements, budgets, contracts, and other administrative activities.
• Skill reviewing research protocols, IRB submissions, amendments, data-use materials, and related documentation for completeness and consistency.
• Skill organizing and supporting epidemiologic and data analytic projects involving multiple data sources and program areas.
• Skill identifying issues, evaluating alternatives, developing recommendations, and facilitating resolution of complex problems.
• Skill communicating effectively with executive leadership, program managers, researchers, administrative staff, contractors, and external partners.
• Ability to gather, analyze, synthesize, and interpret complex programmatic, research, financial, legislative, and administrative information.
• Ability to independently plan, prioritize, coordinate, and monitor multiple complex assignments and competing deadlines.
• Ability to lead cross-program initiatives without direct supervisory authority.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with staff at all organizational levels and external partners.
• Ability to translate complex technical or programmatic information into concise materials for executive or legislative audiences.
• Ability to exercise extensive initiative and independent judgment.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve Section-wide administrative, research, contracting, and program coordination processes.

Nice To Haves

• Graduate-level education in public health, public administration, health policy, epidemiology, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate preparation, submission, amendment, continuing review, and maintenance of Section-wide IRB applications and related research documentation.
• Work with investigators, epidemiologists, program staff, privacy staff, and agency partners to address methodological, operational, data-use, privacy, and regulatory considerations.
• Maintain documentation and tracking mechanisms for Section-wide research and IRB activities and help ensure approvals and documentation remain current.
• Support cross-program epidemiologic and analytic projects, including developing analytic questions, project plans, data specifications, documentation, interpretation of findings, reports, and presentations.
• Coordinate and provide analytic support for electronic case reporting and other Section-wide data initiatives, including assessments of data quality, timeliness, completeness, case ascertainment, and emerging data sources.
• Coordinate grant applications, continuation applications, renewals, progress reports, work plans, budgets, budget revisions, and other required grant documentation.
• Track grant deadlines, deliverables, funding requirements, and commitments; communicate upcoming requirements and coordinate resolution of grant-related administrative issues.
• Review grant materials for completeness, consistency, alignment with program objectives, and responsiveness to funding requirements, and help assess grant opportunities and their implications.
• Coordinate Section responses to legislative, executive leadership, and Community Health Improvement Division Office assignments, including bill analyses, impact assessments, briefings, presentations, data requests, and talking points.
• Track Section-wide assignments, deadlines, responsible parties, and outstanding issues, and provide status updates to Section leadership.
• Assist the Section Director with executive briefings, decision documents, program summaries, legislative materials, and other high-level products.
• Assist with development, coordination, administration, and monitoring of Section contracts, amendments, renewals, procurement activities, and related documentation.
• Coordinate with programs, contracting and procurement staff, the Funds Coordination and Management Branch, vendors, and agency partners on contract needs, scopes of work, deliverables, timelines, and performance measures.
• Coordinate complex projects across programs or organizational units; maintain work plans, timelines, issue logs, decision documents, and other project-management materials; identify risks and facilitate resolution.
• Conduct research and analyze programmatic or operational issues; develop recommendations and prepare reports, briefings, presentations, and other products for Section leadership.
• Participate in agency and Section workgroups, represent Section interests as assigned, and coordinate follow-up from leadership decisions, workgroups, or agency initiatives.
• Assist in improving Section policies, procedures, administrative processes, tracking systems, and other coordination mechanisms.
• Perform other assigned duties, which may include participating in or supporting disaster response or recovery and helping maintain agency continuity of operations.

Benefits

• Insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior