About the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
IBHE has been supporting higher education in Illinois for more than 50 years. We are a dedicated team of professionals, overseen by a Board appointed by the Governor, who are working for a strong, equitable higher education system, which we believe is essential for the state to thrive. We work with leaders in colleges, universities, state and federal government agencies, governors, legislators, and other entities to strategically further this mission.
In its strategic plan, A Thriving Illinois: Higher Education Paths to Equity, Sustainability, and Growth, IBHE has identified three goals and 25 strategies to help achieve its vision of a higher education ecosystem that ensures individuals, families, and communities across the state thrive.
- Equity – Close equity gaps for students who have been left behind.
- Sustainability – Build a stronger financial future for individuals and institutions.
- Growth – Increase talent and innovation that drives economic growth.
IBHE offers the state’s comprehensive benefits package.
About the position:
The Senior Associate Director for Healthcare Programs provides strategic leadership and oversight for statewide healthcare and behavioral health workforce initiatives in alignment with A Thriving Illinois, the state’s strategic plan for higher education. This role is instrumental in connecting higher education to workforce and economic development needs, advancing sector-based pathways, managing high-impact grant programs, and addressing systemic workforce shortages in the healthcare arena. The Senior Associate Director partners with the Managing Director of Talent & Workforce Development to guide priorities, represent IBHE on cross-agency and multi-stakeholder committees, and ensure effective use of data for continuous improvement and required reporting.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Creates and executes evidence-based, future-focused strategies to enhance the agency’s healthcare workforce development priorities in support of the goals outlined in A Thriving Illinois; Builds and maintains positive partnerships with industry groups, employer organizations, and other stakeholders in support of priorities
- Serves as the primary IBHE liaison to the Behavioral Health Workforce Center (BHWC), providing programmatic coordination, ensuring alignment with statewide behavioral health workforce priorities
- Leads strategy and innovation for agency healthcare workforce pathway development initiatives aligned with Illinois’ economic needs; Collaborates with institutions and external stakeholders, as the IBHE representative, to enhance career-aligned programs; Supports data collection and analysis related to employment outcomes; Collaborates with external agencies and workforce boards to strengthen cross-sector healthcare education and workforce development efforts
- Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement in healthcare education programs and statewide workforce pipelines
- Serve as a subject matter expert for workforce policy development in nursing, behavioral health, mental health, and allied health sectors; Provides guidance and support to staff assigned to healthcare initiatives
- Researches, reports, prepares board materials, and documentation related to healthcare and workforce programs; ensure timely data collection, performance tracking, and fulfillment of grant deliverables
- Oversees the agency’s portfolio of health care-related grant work, including nursing and behavioral health grants
- Represents IBHE in internal and external workgroups, coalitions, and conferences related to healthcare education and workforce development
- Other duties as assigned, within scope of position
Education and Experience
Required:
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution in workforce development, public administration/health, education, or in a related field
- 5+ years of workforce, career pathway, or economic development leadership experience
- 2+ years of management/supervisory experience
- Prior experiencing managing healthcare and/or behavioral healthcare programs
- Experience managing grants and external partnerships
- Experience building out new work in partnership with others: researching, conceptualizing, designing, identifying needs, implementing, and adjusting as needed
- Experience setting direction and executing projects and work
- Experience with cross organization, agency, sector, department work
Knowledge Requirements
- Knowledge of the Illinois higher education landscape
- Knowledge of workforce trends and higher education intersections
Skills and Traits
- Proven ability to set direction and execute work and projects
- Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills, with a strong focus on collaboration and teamwork with the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships
- Flexibility and the ability to shift priorities as needed
- Ability to work with multiple external partners and see things from a variety of perspectives
- Ability to facilitate groups and bring groups to agreement, consensus, or decision
- Strong problem-solving skills and a solution-oriented approach to the work
