Senior Policy Officer

We are looking for an expert health policy professional with a passion for improving the health care system and making care more just to join the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) as a Senior Policy Officer.

About the California Health Care Foundation

The California Health Care Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need. We focus especially on making sure the system works for Californians with low incomes and for communities who have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to care. We partner with leaders across the health care safety net to ensure they have the data and resources to make care more just and to drive improvement in a complex system.

CHCF is especially focused on driving improvement in four main areas:

stark reminder of the vital importance of California’s health care workforce. It also underscored the imperative of solving ongoing shortages of critical health professionals and ensuring that our workforce has the cultural and language competencies needed to serve California’s diverse population.

Make care just. There is an urgent need to remove the structural barriers that prevent people of color from getting the care they need. CHCF is working to document inequities in the health care system, hold system leaders accountable, and transform care to uphold each Californian’s dignity.

State Health Policy Office Overview

The State Health Policy Office (SHPO) works closely and collaboratively with the Foundation’s other team members to provide strategic policy guidance to achieve CHCF’s goals. SHPO also provides Sacramento policymakers and stakeholders with a valuable local resource and serves as a link to experts and resources at the Foundation’s Oakland headquarters.

Position Overview

The State Health Policy Office (SHPO) is seeking a Senior Policy Officer (SPO) to serve as a policy thought partner to help CHCF advance its grantmaking and policy goals and ensure that CHCF’s grantmaking is informed by relevant events, themes, and opportunities at the state policy level. The role also involves building strong relationships with Sacramento-focused policymakers, their staffs, and stakeholders, and making and supervising SHPO grants.

We envision the SPO working to support multiple health policy topics in collaboration with the CHCF team. These topics may include, but are not limited to, the following: Medi-Cal, CalAIM, behavioral health, homelessness, and older adults.

This is a full-time exempt position reporting to the Director of State Health Policy and is a member of the State Health Policy Office Team (including the Director, another Senior Policy Officer, and the Sacramento Office Manager/Program Associate). This role is based in our Sacramento office and will be required to work in-office two days per week. Additionally, the SPO would be expected to travel to Oakland approximately two times per month for meetings and trainings.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to help CHCF advance its programmatic and policy goals
  1. Take the lead in the identification, development, and execution of prioritized opportunities for CHCF staff to work with policymakers, their staff, stakeholders, and other thought leaders to advance the Foundation’s strategic goals and initiatives. This includes identifying tactics to advance this work and either carrying out the tactics or advising those who are leading them.
  2. Identify and prioritize the information needs of policymakers and their staff and work with CHCF staff to produce and tailor information and other materials in response to those needs.
  3. Serve as an internal resource regarding the Foundation’s Internal Revenue Services/Fair Political Practices Commission (IRS/FPPC) compliance work.
• Provide expertise on key trends and activities in the California health policy environment.
  1. In coordination with the other SHPO team members and SHPO consultants, track the development of health-related legislation, budget proposals, legislative hearings, and executive branch policy initiatives that link to the strategic goals and objectives of CHCF and help internal staff understand the implications of these developments.
  2. Provide internal expertise on key trends and activities in the California health policy environment. Advise CHCF staff on the legislative and regulatory process and opportunities to inform the discussion and development of policy.
  3. Identify obstacles to reform and work with CHCF staff to identify and assess a range of potential activities to address these obstacles.
• Teamwork and Organizational Collaboration
  1. Play a lead role in cross-cutting program activities including the development of the policy strategy.
  2. Represent CHCF at meetings, hearings, and other forums.
  3. Participate in CHCFs peer review sessions and other CHCF activities, including all staff meetings and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings.
  4. Participate in the work of cross-cutting program activities and teams.
  5. Work with other California foundations on areas of shared interest.
• Develop and manage health policy-related relationships and educational efforts in Sacramento
  1. Build strong, collaborative relationships with Sacramento-based policymakers and stakeholders.
  2. Conceive and convene meetings, briefings, and events to facilitate learning and sharing of knowledge and ideas.
  3. Monitor Sacramento policy audience interests and needs and suggest content to address these needs.
  4. Manage grant(s) with vendors providing logistical support for these efforts.
• Grantmaking
  1. Produce and present written summaries, analyses and recommendations for proposed projects and initiatives.
  2. Review proposals, both solicited and unsolicited, and make funding recommendations.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least seven years of relevant work experience in health policy and/or public service.
• Working knowledge of California’s health care delivery and financing systems, including Medi-Cal, commercial insurance, health care providers, and health plans. Additional expertise in Medi-Cal, CalAIM, behavioral health, homelessness, older adults, and county-based health is desired.
• Working knowledge of recent legislative history on health care topic(s) relevant to CHCF’s strategic goals.
• Undergraduate bachelor’s degree.

Skills and Competencies

• You have a demonstrated commitment to health equity, CHCF’s mission, and to diversity, equity, and inclusion through your previous education, work, and/or volunteer activities and focus.
• You have the ability to manage complex projects in collaboration with multiple partners, including in-house staff, consultants, and other outside vendors.
• You have exceptional writing and public speaking skills and a demonstrated ability to translate technical information and complex concepts and statistics into accessible, audience-specific materials.
• You have the ability to effectively work with and provide counsel to senior management, leadership teams, and advisory groups. And you can train and coach colleagues on how to effectively communicate through writing, interviews, and presentations.
• You are comfortable taking on new tasks or projects with little direction and possess the ability to adjust course quickly in response to information and feedback.
• You have an enthusiastic response to innovative ideas and the ability to operationalize those ideas after considering multiple perspectives and weighing opportunities, risks, creative alternatives, and the best paths forward.
• You have strong organizational skills, detail orientation, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects.
• You are a collaborative teammate with high integrity and a strong work ethic. You invite different perspectives into your work and are committed to improving yourself and others by seeking and providing specific feedback and guidance.

Salary and Benefits

The full salary range for this position is $164,024 to $246,036. The starting base salary for this role is $192,850 and is non-negotiable.

The foundation provides a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and long-term care insurance; commuter checks or paid parking; EAP and wellness programs; educational assistance; paid time off; and, retirement benefits.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The California Health Care Foundation is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff and will honor your experiences, perspectives, and unique identity. We believe the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. Read more about CHCF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion vision .

The California Health Care Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Employment offers will be contingent on a background check that is limited in scope and compliant with best practices for Fair Chance Hiring. We welcome formerly incarcerated people to apply for this role.