CAREER CENTER

Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Member Engagement

With 38,000 physician members in 100 countries, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) works at the forefront of important issues that affect us all, promoting the rights and best interests of patients and reducing the burden of mental illness and substance abuse disorders on our society.

As the Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Member Engagement, with a $20 million budget and 30 staff, you will lead the strategic initiatives that have the greatest impact on our members. You will be the voice of the member in every conversation, building consensus for change and anticipating how initiatives will be received by our members. The strategic initiatives you lead will propel change management, improve operational effectiveness, encourage innovation, drive revenue generation, improve member service, build brand recognition, and produce lasting value. The issues are often complex, involving a deft political balance and a keen sensitivity to the disparate impact of each decision on our membership. We’ve already launched significant initiatives including the creation of a national CMS Qualified Clinical Data Registry to advance evidence-based treatment practices; development of best practices in integrated care – blending behavioral health with other medical services in a collaborative care model; taskforces to address structural racism and social determinants of mental health; the development of robust community programs to address disparities in care.

Key Focus Areas

• Champion an organizational culture that is sensitive and responsive to the needs, interests, and values of the entire membership. Serve as a senior advisor on all operational matters necessary to achieve the objectives of the APA, creating the organizational structure necessary to efficiently achieve results. Form cross-functional teams to implement key organizational initiatives, putting in place the necessary metrics to monitor and report on progress.
• Lead the strategic engagement process with executive leadership, the board, the APA Assembly (elected representatives from the states/district branches in our “Congress”), and other governance components. Facilitate communication of initiatives, organize responses to emerging issues, and ensure the smooth functioning of governance within the association. Ensure appropriate planning and execution of all governance meetings including those of the board of trustees, the Joint Reference Committee, and the Assembly.
• Collaborate across all units to gather intelligence and design better ways to deploy resources and stimulate collaboration across the organization. Promote the use of data-driven approaches to decision making, using data and analysis to stimulate new ideas, eliminate duplication, and better utilize staff capacity.

Your staff of 30 will include Membership and Marketing, Human Resources, Governance, International Relations, and District Branch/State Relations. The major initiatives you lead will demand a sophisticated, cohesive, and integrated response across the organization, and draw upon the expertise of our volunteer leaders, 13 councils, and 74 district branches. Your success will flow from your ability to find wise answers to complex questions, to listen and learn, synthesize and distill, and understand all sides of complex issues. You will be implicitly trusted to work across many domains of knowledge, to read the room, build consensus for change, exercise indirect authority, and speak truth to power.

You will usually be working in a matrix fashion across the organization to coordinate workflow and identify and resolve emerging political issues. You will report to the Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director (CEO/MD) and work within the CEO Office suite, collaborating with the Chief of Staff, General Counsel, and Chief Financial Officer to maintain an equilibrium between revenue-producing and mission-driven areas. Your work will leverage the wisdom and expertise of the entire APA leadership team, including our Chief of Policy, Programs & Partnerships, Chief of Government Relations, Chief Communications Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief of Diversity & Health Equity, Chief of Education, Chief of Research & Registry, and Director of Publishing. 

Organization Overview

With over 200 employees and a $55 million annual budget, The APA is working every day to help our members adapt to the future state of healthcare, including new models of care, changing models of practice, telemedicine, cybersecurity, and emerging reimbursement mechanisms. We advance clinical care by supporting research to advance evidence-based treatment practices and quality measures, advocating for the central role of psychiatry in the healthcare delivery system, and working to end disparities in mental health care – better serving the needs of diverse, underrepresented, and underserved populations.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in healthcare administration or business administration required. Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation is highly desired. Previous experience as a Chief Operating Officer will be considered as a positive qualification as well.
• 10+ years of executive experience in a large, complex, and fast-paced national association with a proven record related to operations, budget planning, strategic development, and implementation.
• Demonstrated experience identifying, initiating, managing, and evaluating research/analytical projects, programs, and services to achieve strategic goals.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Knowledge and experience working across an organization to remove barriers, cultivate staff buy-in, and consider the needs of a diverse physician leadership structure.
• Track record of fostering and negotiating external partnerships.

Attributes

• Politically astute. In this role, you will have a variety of constituencies with different goals and needs. Your emotional intelligence will give you the ability to understand, respect, and appreciate the challenges and constraints each faces, allowing you to find common ground and build consensus for change.
• Business acumen. You wisely set priorities and know how to make tough resource allocation decisions that forward strategic initiatives while enriching relationships. You remain flexible to take full advantage of strategic opportunities as they arise.
• Leader. You are a strong relationship builder with experience forming and leading diverse work teams to achieve results. You believe in transparency and shared goals. You are an excellent mentor and are known for developing great people.
• Builder. You are an excellent sounding board for new ideas. You enjoy engaging in thought-provoking business discussions and appreciate sound business fundamentals and well-constructed business decisions.
• Collaborative. You know how to take a good idea and partner with others so that it can benefit all interested stakeholders. You seek first to understand then to be understood. You do not try to force the agenda. You use influence rather than authority to achieve goals. You demonstrate respect for the people and the process.
• Curious. You ask questions, listen, and learn; you notice trends and ask why. You are open to new ideas and willing to change, always thinking of more productive ways of doing things.
• Communicator. You have an exceptional ability to communicate and build confidence at all levels. You are clear and succinct in your communications (both written and verbal) and can easily adjust to different settings and styles.
• Self-directed. You are an implementer who thrives on leading a variety of key initiatives concurrently. You have impeccable judgment regarding how to handle a wide variety of situations and you have the confidence to seek out advice from experts.

What’s Attractive to the Right Candidate?

• You will have a unique vantage point in this role – using an operating officer perspective to connect the dots between all functions of the organization, ensuring we are best serving our members. Your work will help APA support the future of mental health care delivery.
• You will enjoy working with a team of talented colleagues who are experts in their domains and committed to our mission, and welcome fresh perspectives on how we can continue to expand our growth and further our mission.
• APA has a long history of developing talented association leaders. As the oldest national medical association in the country, we are proud of what we have been able to accomplish for our members and our staff.
• We offer competitive compensation and benefits including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; tuition, employee assistance, and transportation assistance; flexible spending accounts; and a 401(k) with a 4 percent employer match.

To Apply

Use the "Apply" button on this page or simply email your resume to Bob Corlett at resumes@staffingadvisors.com with “APA – Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Member Engagement #2021-2651 ASAE” as the subject of the email. Please include your resume as a Word or PDF attachment to the email and paste your cover letter in the body of your email.

Job responsibilities are similar to the following positions: Chief Operating and Strategy Officer.

Please note: our practice is to not disclose the salary ranges our clients would consider. Any salary information included in this posting was estimated without our input.

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