Senior Fellow for Maternal Mental Health Policy

Location

Tulsa or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Employment status

Full time, exempt

Employment timeline

Two years

About Healthy Minds

Healthy Minds Policy Initiative is a non-profit, non-partisan policy organization that publishes research and analysis on mental health and substance use issues in Oklahoma, advocates for policy solutions that increase Oklahomans’ access to care, and convenes community partners to build stronger local mental health systems. The organization was founded in 2019 by The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation and has offices and staff members in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Since its inception, Healthy Minds has published dozens of pieces of original research and analysis, helped secure tens of millions of dollars in competitive funding for Oklahoma’s behavioral health care system, and initiated more than a dozen community-based partnerships committed to ending untreated mental illness and substance use. Healthy Minds provides data, consultation, and education on best practices to Oklahoma legislators and other leaders committed to improving the mental health of all Oklahomans.

About the fellowship

Over the course of a two-year, full-time fellowship, the Senior Fellow for Maternal Mental Health Policy will apply their experience in maternal, children’s, behavioral, or public health systems to lead research, policy analysis, technical assistance and stakeholder engagement to improve maternal mental health outcomes in Oklahoma.

Designed for established professionals and high-performing individuals with recent post-graduate degrees, the fellowship experience is diverse and professionally enriching. It exposes fellows to the most pressing issues facing behavioral health and offers training and support for fellows’ own personal and career goals. Over the course of two years, fellows serve as full-time staff who work on high-impact projects while receiving dedicated professional development.  

This is a policy and systems-level fellowship; it is not a clinical internship or supervised practice program of any sort, and fellows may not engage in any form of clinical service during their fellowship.

Responsibilities

The following duties may represent the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Lead a maternal mental health landscape analysis in Oklahoma, including screening, treatment, access, reimbursement, state reporting and behavioral health integration.  
• Identify national evidence-based practices to address gaps and opportunities in maternal mental health services.
• Research and develop strategies to improve reimbursement for maternal depression screenings and follow-ups.
• Collaborate with the state’s Medicaid agency to advance statewide use and reporting of prenatal depression screening and follow up (PND-E) and postpartum depression screening and follow up (PDS-E).
• Increase behavioral health integration in obstetric settings by coordinating with Healthy Minds’ Integrated Care Resource Center to engage OB clinics and monitor progress.  
• Coordinate with OPQIC, state agencies, managed care entities, and providers around opportunities to improve maternal mental health.
• Develop and deliver outreach and technical assistance to state regulators and advocates regarding maternal mental health issues and progress in the state.
• Draft and present research findings and recommendations to inform a policy agenda for Healthy Minds and stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

• Commitment to the organization’s mission and values.
• Experience in maternal health, children’s health, behavioral health, or public health systems.
• Experience or demonstrated interest in public policy or legislative and regulatory affairs
• Experience working with goal-oriented working groups
• Bachelor’s degree is required; graduate degree is preferred.

Essential strengths

• Analytical thinking and research skills — Strong ability to research, analyze, and synthesize complex information. Applies critical thinking to analyze policy issues and develop evidence-based recommendations.
• Effective communication — Comfortable engaging with diverse populations and possesses broad subject matter expertise in mental health, public health or policy; ability to present complex policy and public health issues in a way that is accessible to a variety of audiences with diverse backgrounds and experiences.  
• Strategic thinking and innovation — Ability to reason and solve problems in high pressure situations; recognize strategic opportunities for systems change; introduce innovative tactics or approaches that significantly improve or revise existing systems; ability to coordinate and prioritize work on multiple projects.  
• Self-motivation and independence — Results oriented, takes initiative, and works effectively with minimal supervision. Committed to continuous learning and growth (personal and professional), able to take in and incorporate feedback into efforts at continuous improvement.  
• Collaboration — Understands the importance of inclusion and buy-in from partners, policymakers and relevant stakeholders.
• Detail oriented and organized.  
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

Work environment and physical requirements

• This is a hybrid position, with 2.5 days each week required at the Tulsa or Oklahoma City office.
• Reliable internet access is required for at-home workdays.
• Occasional travel between Tulsa and Oklahoma City offices is required. Statewide travel may be assigned for meetings or events outside of the two metro areas.
• Regular work hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Candidates must be able to work in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time.

Compensation and benefits

• Salary range is $62,400 to $75,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
• Medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability insurance: 100% employer-paid for full-time employees; dependent coverage available with employee cost-sharing for health insurance (currently approximately 22% employee-paid).
• Automatic employer-funded 401K contributions with no vesting schedule.
• Three weeks PTO and two weeks paid sick leave.
• Paid company holidays and employee-directed floating holidays.
• Employer-paid AD&D and life insurance, with optional supplemental employee-paid life insurance.
• Opportunities for professional development.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Healthy Minds Policy Initiative is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and accessible workplace. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply.

Please apply by sending your resume and cover letter to careers@healthymindspolicy.org with the subject line "Senior Fellow for Maternal Mental Health Policy Application." We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.