The Tennessee Department of Health’s Division
(TDH)
of Family Health and Wellness
(FHW)
is hiring a contract Public Health Program Director
1
(PHPD1)
to lead the
Rural Fetal and Infant Health Initiative (RFIHI), which is funded by the
Centers
for Medicaid and Medicare Rural
Health Transformation
(RHT)
Program. This position will provide strategic leadership and oversight for rural infant mortality reduction initiatives across
West and
South
east
Tennessee.

This role
is responsible for
overseeing contracts, guiding implementation of funded
activities
, and supporting community-based collaboratives working to improve birth outcomes and reduce fetal and infant mortality. This position will report to the
Director of
Child Safety and Brain Injury Programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• 
  Provide leadership and oversight for the Fetal and Infant Mortality Reduction Rural Health Transformation Program across assigned rural regions

• 
  Manage and
  monitor
  grant-funded contracts, including reviewing scopes of work, budgets, expenditures, and deliverables to ensure compliance with State and federal requirements

• 
  Serve as the
  primary
  liaison to funded grantees, providing technical
  assistance
  , guidance, and ongoing support to ensure
  the
  suc
  cessful implementation of program activities

• 
  Support the establishment and sustainability of multisector
  , community-based collaboratives that include healthcare, public health
  , community organizations, and individuals with lived experience

• 
  Ensure grantees are implementing data-driven planning processes, including the use of vital statistics, Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) data, and other relevant data sources

• 
  Guide and support
  the development and execution of data-informed action plans aligned with the
  T
  DH
  Infant Health Strategic Plan

• 
  Oversee implementation of evidence-informed and community-driven strategies, including initiatives related to:

• 
  Community Health Access and
  Navigation
  in Tennessee (CHANT) and Tennessee Community Compass

• 
  Count the Kicks fetal movement awareness program

• 
  Priority areas such as prenatal care, safe sleep, breastfeeding, smoking cessation, and preterm birth prevention

• 
  Promote coordination and systems integration across healthcare, public health, and community-based services to improve access and continuity of care

• 
  Monitor program performance through shared measurement approaches, including review
  of process and outcome data, quarterly reports, and evaluation activities

• 
  Participate in and support state-led evaluation, reporting, training, and technical
  assistance
  efforts

• 
  Ensure meaningful community engagement, including integration of individuals with lived
  experience in planning, implementation, and evaluation activities

• 
  Support development of sustainability plans
  , including identifying funding opportunities and strategies to
  maintain
  program impact beyond
  the grant period

• 
  Conduct site visits,
  facilitate
  meetings, and represent the program in regional and statewide stakeholder engagements

• 
  Collaborate with internal TDH programs and external partners to align efforts and advance maternal, fetal, and infant health priorities

Minimum
Requirements:

• 
  Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public health or
  a
  related field

• 
  Experience equivalent to substantial (5 years or more) of full-time, increasingly responsible professional health program work

• 
  Experience
  in program or grant management, including contract oversight, budgeting, and reporting

• 
  Demonstrated ability to lead or support multi-partner initiatives or community collaboratives

• 
  Strong understanding of public health data and experience applying data to program planning and evaluation

• 
  Excellent organizational, project management, and
  problem-solving
  skills

• 
  Strong communication
  and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including community members and individuals with lived
  experience

• 
  Experience
  providing training or technical
  assistance
  is preferred

• 
  Knowledge of maternal, fetal, and infant health
  and rural health systems is preferred

• 
  Ability to travel within assigned regions and statewide as needed

• 
  Ability to work
  remotely
  with periodic in-person meetings in Davidson County and
  assigned rural locations