Rooted in Health (RIH) Initiative Lead

Position Title: Rooted in Health (RIH) Initiative Lead

Salary: $120,000 - $130,000, depending on experience (plus benefits)

Position End Date: 6/30/2026

Location: Kentucky Department of Public Health (hybrid)

The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations, and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the sole entity authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has launched approximately 1,000 programs and raised over $740 million. The CDC Foundation managed over 300 CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 130 countries last year.

The CDC Foundation is seeking a mission-driven and highly organized Rooted in Health (RIH) Initiative Lead to support the Kentucky Department for Public Health. The RIH Initiative Lead will guide the statewide launch, rollout, coordination, and continuous improvement of an oral health initiative focused on expanding dental workforce capacity, creating new teledentistry infrastructure, and improving oral health access through innovative delivery models. RIH is one of the five new initiatives launching under the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a statewide effort to strengthen rural health access and outcomes.

The RIH Initiative Lead is a member of the A3 Transformation Team (Aspire → Activate → Attain), which functions as RHTP’s central “nerve center” for disciplined execution across all five initiatives. The current work environment is primarily hybrid (2-3 days a week in office). This role may require statewide travel.

· Bachelor’s degree in public health, health policy, health administration, dental hygiene, or related field

· 7+ years of experience in healthcare program management, oral health systems, or public health leadership.

· Strong knowledge of oral health delivery models, workforce development strategies, and telehealth integration

· Proven ability to manage large, complex oral health programs and coordinate across diverse stakeholder group

· Excellent communication and facilitation skills; ability to engage providers, academic institutions, and community leaders

· Advanced degree in public health, health policy, health administration or related field

· Experience with rural health systems and culturally responsive engagement strategies

· Understanding of teledentistry platforms, health IT interoperability standards, and mobile care delivery models

· Certification in quality improvement or healthcare management (e.g., CPHQ, PMP)

· Familiarity with Kentucky’s public health ecosystem, rural community needs, and social determinants of health

· Lead the development of RIH’s statewide vision, strategic priorities, and implementation approach, ensuring alignment with RHTP and state maternal health goals

· Translate statewide strategy into a clear implementation plan, defining key milestones, performance measures, and long-term sustainability pathways

· Ensure alignment with state and local efforts, integrating policy developments, partner perspectives, and emerging opportunities

· Provide strategic advisement to RIH programs, translating insights into recommendations that strengthen program direction and impact

· Assess and strengthen readiness among counties and regions for RIH’s geographic scaling, including operational feasibility

· Build and maintain relationships with statewide partners and institutions (e.g., University of Kentucky, LHDs, etc.) to support alignment and coordination

· Prepare the operational, workforce, and programmatic infrastructure needed to support future phases RIH implementation across rural communities

· Build and steward key partnerships across state agencies, health systems, LHDs, educational institutions, K-12 schools, and LTCs in support of RIH

· Lead statewide and regional convenings (e.g., workgroups, advisory bodies, provider collaboratives, multi-stakeholder sessions) to drive coordination and shared learning

· Align cross-sector efforts to ensure clinical, community, and government partners operate toward common goals and consistent implementation

· Represent the initiative externally, engaging partners and funders to strengthen collaboration, address barriers, and advance program impact

· Design and direct RIH’s performance management process, including Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), reporting workflows, and outcome monitoring

· Apply data insights to guide decisions, improve program quality, and address emerging challenges

· Oversee performance and reporting processes, ensuring accountability to statewide goals

· Provide strategic leadership on data governance and analytic priorities, ensuring consistent high-quality information

This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by both the CDC Foundation and Kentucky Department for Public Health in order to best support the Kentucky Department for Public Health in their public health programming.

This position is currently a hybrid position. CDC Foundation retains the right to make adjustments to this as required.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law. We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.