Executive Assistant

The U.S. spends ~$11 billion daily on healthcare, but only ~20% of health outcomes are tied to clinical care. This disconnect is untenable, especially in the wake of COVID and a national reckoning on racial inequities. Pre-COVID, 24% of those with commercial health insurance lacked adequate food, housing, or other basics, driving up healthcare costs. COVID has exacerbated this cycle, especially for people from racial and ethnic minority groups who face disproportionate barriers to these drivers of health (DOH).

 The Health Initiative (THI) is an organization founded on the radical notion that while our country is divided on healthcare, we actually are united on health. Founded in January 2018, THI is an innovative not for profit/start up organization focused on catalyzing a new, nationwide conversation about investments in health. Specifically, THI's goal is to increase public and private investment in safe homes, healthy food and well-paying jobs, by reframing these issues as central to ensuring a healthy population and strong economic infrastructure. Shifting the country's discourse and how resources are deployed to achieve health will require major cultural, policy and allocation changes. Cultural change would require that these new investments in health are a shared value transcending politics, race, socio-economic status and geography across constituents that includes voters, candidates, policymakers and healthcare leaders. THI is driving this change via a rigorous campaign that includes six levers: 1) institutional leadership; 2) grassroots mobilization; 3) electoral engagement; 4) language and messaging; 5) policy and data and 6) tools.

THI values the power of transformative relationships, equity, and curiosity. THI’s role is to introduce people and ideas to each other, transforming both in the process, and enabling change at scale as a result. Relationships are at the heart of how we believe change occurs – specifically, achieving THI's aim to increase investments in the known drivers of health. 

Leading a growing team are THI are co-founders, Rebecca Onie and Rocco Perla, national leaders whose combined career experience offer critical insights into the drivers of health and healthcare policy. Onie spent over twenty years focused on the intersections of drivers of health, population health and healthcare delivery. She founded Health Leads in 1996 to enable physicians and other healthcare providers across the country to address the fundamental drivers of patients' health, such as healthy food and safe housing. Started in Boston, Health Leads is now a national organization that has armed thousands of healthcare institutions with the tools, technology, analytics and best practices to champion a healthcare system that addresses all patients' basic resource needs as a standard part of medical care. Perla served as the President of Health Leads with Onie, and before that he was part of the Leadership Team that established the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, where he was responsible for developing the national learning system to test new ways to pay for and deliver care through the Affordable Care Act.

THI is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to contribute their energy, passion, and skills to further implement critical organizational operations in support of the Co-Founders during a time of rapid growth. This position will report to the Chief of Staff.

Core Responsibilities:

• Manage Co-Founders’ calendars to ensure effective use of time while anticipating and responding to day-to-day developments, including coordinating meeting logistics, responding to meeting requests, making travel arrangements, and developing detailed itineraries
• Serve as the lead in taking detailed notes in all meetings with Co-Founders, ensuring clearly dictated records of interactions are available for future reference 
• Manage Co-Founders’ incoming communications, often serving as a primary point of contact (by phone and email) to external relationships
• Schedule and plan logistics for internal meetings, coordinating with both on-site and remote staff
• Maintain relationships with external partners on behalf of Co-Founders to ensure appropriate points of contact are available for scheduling as needed
• Coordinate meetings, tasks, and other activities with other members of the administrative team
• Develop materials, as needed, for meetings and calls (e.g., slide decks, emails)
• Partner with THI business management team (Finance, Development,  HR, IT & Database) to assure smooth and responsive internal operations
• Staff Co-Founders at critical meetings virtually and in person, as needed 
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Skills:

• Passion for our mission and a commitment to our shared values of transformative relationships, curiosity, and equity
• Previous experience representing an organizational leader, elected official, CEO or similar high-level principal to external stakeholders
• Organized and able to adapt with resilience to changing situations 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across organizational levels and across internal and external stakeholders
• Experience with and able  to problem-solve in high-intensity situations and to prioritize when faced with multiple time-sensitive needs
• Able to sustain a strong attention to detail in written documents and “live” (e.g., in meetings with multiple attendees) 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to engage with people from diverse backgrounds, communities, work environments (e.g., state government, corporate sector)
• Advanced technical proficiency (Google Office Suite and MS Office, especially Powerpoint, Word, and Excel; experience with Salesforce CRM a plus)
• Strong people orientation and commitment to a fun and inclusive team environment

This is a full-time position and while location is flexible, east coast is preferred. Other locations are negotiable. Additionally, significant travel may be required. The salary for this role begins at $65,000 and is commensurate with experience. THI offers a generous benefits package including: 

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance covered fully by THI 
• 401k retirement plan and employer contribution
• Paid, unlimited time off for vacations, personal time, and sick time
• Paid parental leave
• Life insurance and disability insurance

To apply, submit your resume and cover letter via the application link below.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

The Health Initiative values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, color, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual identity, veteran status or any other status protected by law. People of color, LGBTQ identified people, gender non-conforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English are encouraged to apply.