Sr. Director, Kp Center For Gun Violence, Research & Evaluation

To heal communities affected by violence, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (www.thehavi.org) fosters hospital and community collaborations to advance equitable, trauma-informed care for violence intervention/ prevention programs. Our vision is to build a system of healthcare that mobilizes hospitals and communities to end violence, together.

Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) vary in their design and scope. Essential components of HVIPs include a brief intervention to violently injured patients in the emergency department or at the hospital bedside and intensive community-based case management services following discharge. HVIP services are provided by culturally competent Violence Prevention Professionals. HVIPs are rooted in the philosophy that violence is preventable, and that violent injury offers a “teachable moment” and unique opportunity to break cycles of violence. HVIPs embrace a public health approach to violence prevention as they are grounded in data, which indicate that victims of violence are at elevated risk for re-injury and violence perpetration. This model has been the subject of numerous peer-reviewed studies indicating promising impact on injury recidivism, criminal justice contact, and trauma symptoms. HVIPs are now a recommended practice by the federal government.

The network has grown to hundreds of individuals, including physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, violence prevention professionals, outreach workers and researchers who are affiliated with 49 member programs in the U.S., Canada, England, and El Salvador. Our goal is to support the growth of HVIPs throughout the United States. The HAVI is structured within 4 divisions: Capacity Building, Organizational Growth and Equity, Policy and Communications, and Communities of Practice.

HVIPs are one of a handful of evidence-informed practices that support cities reduce violence and scale trauma-informed care. The field has been fractured, and recent federal, state, and local advocacy efforts have helped encourage collaboration and coordination across various approaches. This shift – from individual programs to integrated strategies – has led to an emergent concept of a community violence intervention ecosystem (CVI ecosystem).

The Senior Director of the KP (Kaiser Permanente) Center for Gun Violence Research and Education will work alongside the Executive Director to implement the KP Center’s strategic plan and oversee operational development, growth, and efficiency.

The HAVI is a fiscally sponsored project of Health Resources in Action, Inc. (HRiA). Health Resources in Action, Inc. (HRiA) is a non-profit organization working to improve and reimagine public health. We connect, consult, and collaborate to solve complex challenges of access and equity in our health and social systems. Together with our partners, clients, and collaborators, we create actionable solutions so that all people can thrive.

In 1957, The Medical Foundation (TMF) was created to primarily fund biomedical research in Massachusetts. Since then, we’ve been on a journey of evolution. We changed our name to Health Resources in Action (HRiA) to reflect our impact in the field of public health. Today, HRiA works with individuals, organizations, and communities to drive a policy and systems change approach to advance health and racial equity.

HRiA seeks sustainable solutions for complex problems using an anti-racist approach. We aim to be adaptable and flexible in meeting clients and partners where they are, offering our decades of knowledge and resources to collectively realize our dream of equitable, sustainable health for all. The foundation of this work is centered on our values:

• Health and racial equity by identifying and addressing the root causes of health inequities, intentionally working to shift narratives and power imbalances and disrupt all systems of oppression.
• Leading with heart by demonstrating our passionate commitment to our work, continuously challenging ourselves with humility and vulnerability while pursuing and holding ourselves accountable to our mission.
• Collaboration by intentionally and respectfully leading, partnering, and following to strengthen relationships, uplift different voices and build trust.
• Innovation by driving toward new strategies, questioning norms, and continuously learning and evolving to support the needs of our clients and communities.

HRiA offers exciting, engaging, and challenging employment opportunities for facilitators, trainers, researchers, analysts, policy specialists, grant managers, and more. People come to HRiA because of our commitment to advancing health equity and inspiring work; they stay for our wonderful clients, partners, and dedicated and dynamic staff. With our growing portfolio of high-impact work, person-centered policies, and generous benefits, our team continually invests in making HRiA a great place to work. Our diverse staff of over 270 people hail from 30+ states, with a homebase in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood.

To learn more about:

• HRiA visit hria.org.
• HAVI visit www.thehavi.org

Position Description: Senior Director of the KP Center for Gun Violence Research and Education

The Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education is focused on building a public health response to the epidemic of gun violence, with attention to its disproportionate impact on communities of color. Coordinated in collaboration with the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI), the Center is pursuing a world free of gun violence, where impacted communities drive the meaningful change needed for a healthy and safe society.

Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health care provider, has been working to end gun violence for more than a decade. In recognition of the increasingly urgent need for solutions, the organization established the Center in 2022 and, in 2023, made a $25 million commitment to its expansion — marking the single-largest investment in gun violence research and education by the U.S. health care sector. The Center endeavors to transform the gun violence research and education field. Our funding supports efforts to discover and scale effective solutions to gun violence by uplifting the lived experiences and expertise of survivors and their communities. We fund groundbreaking and equitable gun violence research, clinical care delivery studies, and efforts designed to change narratives about gun violence causes and solutions.

The KP Center will lead efforts in four pillars 1) research, 2) education, 3) community partnership, and 4) healthcare system implementation.

We seek candidates with a passion for violence intervention work and who understand the contributions our inter-disciplinary communities play in advancing public health approaches to violence and research that transforms systems across the country. We seek a leader with demonstrated success in managing highly collaborative scopes of work on a national scale.

The Senior Director will support the development and growth of a KP Center for Gun Violence Research and Education. The KP Center will authentically engage institutional and community partners to produce rigorous science and implement evidence-based/informed approaches to address the scourge of violence through multi-sector, collaborative initiatives that impact individuals, groups, and systems.

The Senior Director is an exempt, full-time position with a salary range between $140,000-$150,000, based on skills and experience. The HAVI is a fully remote organization that is fiscally sponsored by HRiA. This position can be fully remote or hybrid, depending on the location of the candidate.

HRiA offers strong benefits to its employees, including competitive salaries, health insurance, retirement plan, flexible summer hours, vacation starting at 4 weeks, 13 paid holidays, plus office closure time during the last week of December.

The Senior Director will report to the Executive Director. This is an exempt, full-time, fully remote position.

Duties and Responsibilities:

This includes but is not limited to the following:

Management

• Alongside the Executive Director, guide the development of the KP Center including building and refining its scope
• Lead and manage the KP Center including staff, hiring, budgets, program planning, implementation, evaluation, and other related responsibilities
• Help address challenges, identify and pursue opportunities, make decisions, and develop and implement policies and procedures
• Oversee operations for the KP Center and liaise with the HAVI’s fiscal sponsor and programmatic partner, HRiA.
• Provide guidance to affiliated staff on relevant research in the field and its impact on project development and implementation.
• Cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with key partners and leaders including government agencies, research institutions, community and hospital stakeholders, philanthropic partners and the HAVI Board.

Project Work

• Support project teams execute a prescribed set of objectives developed in the Center’s strategic plan.
• Contribute content expertise to projects and teams, as technical advisor and subject matter expert.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to assess needs, trends in the field, and alignment with the Center’s broader national strategy.
• Participate in partner organization events on violence prevention/intervention strategies.
• Implement project activities or tasks, as appropriate
• Facilitate ongoing alignment between Center aims and the objectives of the HAVI overall.

Thought Leadership

• Ongoing analysis of the field/landscape for the Kaiser Permanente GVRE Center to identify strengths and gaps as they align with our approach
• Expand the Center’s capacity and expertise to deepen connections and alignment to the fields of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) – specifically, Racial and Health Equity.
• Be a trusted, informed source of expertise for HAVI, Kaiser Permanente internal stakeholders, and external stakeholders.
• Submit and/or contribute to publications (e.g., journal manuscripts, practice briefs, etc.) and/or conference abstracts, presentations, and workshops.
• Document and share knowledge and best practices.
• Develop and provide content for website.
• Suggest ideas/improvements through participation in teams and committees.

Business Development

• Support the Executive Director to identify, assess, and pursue funding opportunities.
• Support and guide senior and junior staff members’ business development efforts.
• Lead and participate in proposal teams, including writing or contributing to proposals, scopes, budgets.

Candidate Qualifications:

Special Requirements

• Terminal degree, with focus on Research, Public Policy, Public Health, Medicine, or related field.
• Graduate level degree in Social Work, Public Health, Public Policy, Medicine and/or related field.
• Work experience in HVIPs and/or community violence intervention and prevention.
• Knowledge of the institutions and professional organizations, including hospitals, health departments, health funders, criminal justice systems, federal agencies and associations like the American College of Surgeons, the American Public Health Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, etc.
• Proven record of accomplishment and success in a leadership position overseeing operations of an organization or program with exposure to foundations, while maintaining solid relationships with staff, board, donors, and community.
• A minimum of ten years of senior level nonprofit organization experience.
• Operates using equity, cultural humility, social justice, and trauma-informed approaches.

Candidate Qualifications

• Seasoned leadership skills and extensive experience in leading the process of ongoing strategic planning and managing diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in leading large scale national projects, including the ability to assess priorities, develop detailed plans, monitor progress against deadlines and deliver high quality work products on time across multiple projects and demands.
• Rapidly acquires new knowledge, understands the core work of the organization, and successfully encourages the team in meeting goals.
• Evidence of experience effectively conveying complex and sensitive issues to diverse audiences, orally and in writing.
• Evidence from prior work settings of timely, complete, and transparent communication.
• A solid knowledge of accounting, budgeting, fiscal management and marketing.
• Extensive experience in public speaking/public relations/relationship management.
• Experience with fiscal/budgetary/accounting; reporting, compliance, and accountability; human resources.
• Ability to work remotely.
• Ability to travel nationally (10-25%).
• Ability to supervise others according to Strengths-Based Leadership Theory.
• Ability to work as a part of a team with an openness to feedback, learning and growth.
• Ability to develop or facilitate the development of presentations and materials.
• Experience with resource development teams to secure funding for projects and initiatives.

This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties required in this position. It is not intended to limit, or modify, any supervisor’s rights to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under his/her supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.

How to Apply:

HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. The organization encourages multiple perspectives and experiences, supports a multicultural environment, and strives to hire and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the populations we work with and the communities where we work. Diversity is a core value of HRiA resulting in culturally competent services, materials, resources, and programs. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through different backgrounds.

HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

Health Resources in Action offers an attractive benefits package including medical, dental and life insurance, retirement plan, tax-deferred annuity, and generous starting vacation of four weeks.

To apply, submit your resume and cover letter online.

Please include in your cover letter experience (paid or unpaid) as it relates to this job description and any other relevant or adjacent skill sets.

Please note that the interview will consist of at least two video interviews and the submission of relevant work samples or a written skills-based exercise. If accommodation is required, we welcome any request at any point in the application process.