COMMUNITY LIAISON AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Location: Denver, Colorado

Organization:MEND Foundation

The MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do It!) Foundation( an independent nonprofit 501(c)3, exists to enable a significant, measurable and sustained reduction in childhood overweight and obesity levels among disadvantaged communities. MEND’s expert developed programs and services are among the world’s most widely implemented evidence-based child weight management programs. The programs empower overweight and obese children, with the support of their families, to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Designed by obesity experts for delivery by trained lay health educators in community settings, MEND’s innovative approach to preventing obesity combines scientifically rigorous design and evaluation with a scalable and cost-effective operational model. MEND Foundation works in partnership with a wide range of non-profit, private and governmental organizations that care about the health of their communities – both locally and nationally.

In September 2013, MEND Foundation was awarded a three year grant to implement additional MEND programsfor overweight and obese 7-13 year old children and their parents / caregivers in Colorado from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation. The grant also supports embedding MEND programs deeper into their communities and building new, or strengthening existing, linkages with other organizations, for example those focused on healthy living and active lifestyles or healthcare. MEND Foundation isnow seeking a part time contract with a Community Liaison and Outreach Coordinator (“CLOC”) for this grant in Colorado.

General function:

The CLOC will work with non-profit, private and governmental organizationsto ensure successful integration of MEND programs with existing activities, services and relevant programs across the community and healthcare landscapes. The CLOC will plan, develop and implement partnerships with organizations with two purposes:

-To support referral pathways and recruitment of overweight and obese 7-13 year old children and their parents / caregivers to MEND programs from relevant healthcare, community and other organizations, with a particular focus on healthcare

-To support referral pathways and proactive signposting of Graduates from MEND programs to existing healthy living and active lifestyle primary prevention and advocacy groups for mutual benefit.

The CLOC will be the primary coordinating contact for these activities across Colorado for local partners implementing MEND programs.The CLOC will capture challenges and successes with this work in a way that can be shared nationally and so benefit others. The CLOC will embody the values and ethos of MEND, be passionate about both child weight management and family health and wellness,and be skilled and experienced in forging and sustaining mutually beneficial local partnerships across sectors. Ideally, the CLOC will have a strong understanding of healthcare in the community and be well positioned to develop referrals from the healthcare system.

Essential duties and responsibilities:

The CLOC is responsible for a wide range of duties which include, but will not be limited to:

  • Proactively develop and manage relationships across a portfolio of project stakeholders, both known and to-be-identified,from across health care, education and community based organizations to develop and improve channels for integrated pathways for referral and access.
  • Communicate regularly with MEND Program Managers, supporting best practice in areas of family recruitment, program promotion and scheduling and onward signposting of MEND ‘Graduates’.
  • Build and nurture strategic relationships withlocal key stakeholders and partner organizations (e.g.clinical liaisons and teams at KP, associations, industry groups, community and regional organizations etc.) to promote awareness of MEND and foster/enhance strategic partnerships.
  • Assist with planning program localization requirements related to partners, delivery teams, venues, family recruitment, local organization linkages, media outreach and measurement / reporting, to ensure programs meet the needs of the community
  • Assist with the development and implementation of recruitment, retention and local post-MEND maintenance strategies, and provide ongoing support in these areas
  • Coordinate program reporting and evaluation, and conduct regular portfolio reviews to track progress and identify challenges, proposing remedial strategies if required in concert with MEND team
  • Use knowledge from developing key relationships to develop template materials and principles that can be used more broadly across both MEND and other similar interventions to facilitate such relationships going forwards
  • Help spearhead implementation of MEND Champions in selected pilot Colorado MEND program sites. MEND Champions are ‘Graduates’ of the program who will be given brief training and basic resources to empower them to become effective ‘Champions’ of healthy living and active lifestyles in their communities – in effect, intervention supporting prevention.
  • Take on additional projects as required and as skills allow.

Detailed specification:

Essential / Desirable
Experience /
  • Extensive experience in account/ partnership management and community programming or healthcare
/
  • Experience of working in the voluntary &/or public sector
  • Experience of recreation industries, teaching or the public sector would be an asset
  • Community Health Specialist background
  • Healthcare referral and reimbursement processes

Skills and ability /
  • Exceptional communication skills and passion to make a difference
  • Ability to understand stakeholder needs, anticipate changes and respond appropriately
  • Highly personable, happy to engage proactively with peers, community staff / volunteers and senior managers and present to various stakeholder groups at all levels
  • Effective and committed team player
  • Ability to work independently
  • Effective organizational skills with proven ability to multi-task and manage multiple priorities / projects simultaneously and to prescribed,and sometimes competing, deadlines
  • Excellent time management skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to foster new contacts and build and maintain strong, effective relationships with partners
  • Extensive experience of facilitating face-to-face meetings, delivering presentations, and communicating by telephone, skype / webinar and email to ensure effective operations
  • Ability to effectively engage a diverse group of people
  • IT literate, with solid working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
/
  • Budget management / cost control / financial record keeping
  • Management and maintenance of administration and contact management systems
  • Ability to use project management software a plus

Knowledge and understanding /
  • Thorough understanding of MEND’s values and ethos
  • Experience of building relationships with organizations from a variety of sectors, particularly the health sector and local government offices
/
  • Knowledge of public sector agencies and public policy in relation to health & social care
  • Experience of teaching and curriculum knowledge

Personal attributes /
  • Self-motivated
  • Able to work under pressure, make sound decisions and exercise mature judgements
  • Positive, enthusiastic & able to motivate others

Qualifications /
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (or Bachelor's degree in related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience)

Other Specifications /
  • Travel within Colorado
  • Part time contracted position
  • Working from home/at own site
  • Remuneration commensurate with experience

Please provide cover letter and resume to:

Teresa Earle, MEND Foundation

tel: 818/879-0493