Manager, Public Health Projects

As a community, the University of Rochester is defined by a deep commitment to Meliora - Ever Better. Embedded in that ideal are the values we share: equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect, and accountability. Together, we will set the highest standards for how we treat each other to ensure our community is welcoming to all and is a place where all can thrive.

Job Location (Full Address):

601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, New York, United States of America, 14642

Opening:

Worker Subtype:

Regular

Time Type:

Full time

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Department:

400626 Psychiatry M&D Research

Work Shift:

UR - Day (United States of America)

Range:

UR URG 112

Compensation Range:

$70,197.00 - $105,295.00

Responsibilities:

UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence (COE) is dedicated to addressing substance use disorder (SUD) and the overdose crisis through innovative, evidence-based programming that supports prevention, treatment, and recovery for substance use disorder (SUD). The COE’s initiatives, referred to as "Pilot Projects," are discrete programs designed for national implementation across the US and its territories. These projects focus on prevention, reducing stigma, improving access to care, and enhancing outcomes for individuals and communities affected by SUD. Senior Project Manager plays a critical, overarching role in ensuring that all projects are supported, aligned, and executed successfully.

The Senior Project Manager is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive methodology to support each Pilot Project, ensuring alignment with the COE’s standards, rules, and goals. This role requires advanced judgment, autonomy, and specialized skills in planning, writing, and strategizing to meet the needs of rural audiences, healthcare providers, faculty contributors, and program funder (HRSA). The Senior Project Manager applies deep knowledge of these diverse stakeholders to create tailored approaches that maximize the reach, relevance, and impact of the COE’s initiatives. Additionally, the Senior Project Manager provides direct guidance and oversight to outreach and dissemination staff, ensuring that their efforts align with strategic priorities and contribute to the successful execution of project goals.

The Senior Project Manager oversees and coordinates the efforts of 7 key contractors and vendors, managing their contributions to deliver high-quality materials and services that advance the COE’s initiatives. To effectively support these projects, they collaborate closely with a diverse network of stakeholders, including 9 COE staff members, 20 key faculty contributors, and 7 partnering experts or subject matter experts.

The Senior Project Manager also leads collaboration with key stakeholders, such as HRSA and external partners, to maintain strategic alignment and foster partnerships that amplify the COE’s impact. By synthesizing complex information and directing the creation of high-quality materials (such as federal reports, toolkits, and multimedia content) the Senior Project Manager ensures clarity, consistency, and alignment with evidence-based practices. This role is instrumental in ensuring that all materials and strategies are adapted to meet the needs of rural communities and other target audiences, while maintaining compliance with federal and institutional standards.

In addition to process development and stakeholder engagement, the Senior Project Manager provides critical oversight of cross-project progress, proactively addressing risks and barriers to ensure effective execution. This role is essential for maintaining the integrity of evidence-based methodologies, adapting processes to meet evolving priorities, and ensuring that all projects remain on schedule, within scope, and aligned with COE goals. The Senior Project Manager’s leadership directly supports the COE's ability to achieve its mission, meet strategic goals, and secure $3.3 million in annual funding that sustains critical initiatives.

The pilot project summaries are provided below to provide context to the Senior Project Manager’s responsibilities, and how those duties are applied across the varying programming of the COE.

1. Community Conversations to Reduce Stigma This project focuses on reducing stigma associated with substance use disorder (SUD) through community conversations, including initiatives tailored to Indigenous communities. It evaluates whether the standard facilitation model works in different contexts and adapts it for broader use, integrating diverse voices into a national curriculum. Designed for implementation across the US and its territories, the project aims to foster understanding and reduce stigma nationwide.

2. Community-Driven Interventions for Trauma-Informed SUD Prevention in Rural Youth (Growing Resilience): Develops and implements interventions for trauma-informed substance use disorder (SUD) prevention tailored to youth. While the project engages rural communities, its resources and strategies are designed for adaptation and implementation across the US and its territories to address trauma and prevent SUD on a national scale.

3. Post-Operative Pain Management: Focuses on post-operative pain management by educating dental patients, providers, pharmacists, and dental perioperative care team members. This project develops tools and educational materials to support dissemination of evidence-based practices. While initially informed by data from the Finger Lakes Region, the project is designed for national dissemination to benefit communities across the US and its territories.

4. Pain Management in Primary Care: Expands opioid stewardship in primary care by adding practices to monthly case conferences, developing toolkits for national dissemination, and assessing the need for psychosocial resources and procedural training. Provides training, tools, and pilots selected procedures for pain treatment in primary care. This project is designed for broad implementation across the US and its territories, ensuring equitable access to innovative pain management strategies.

5. Rural Adolescent E-Cigarette Prevention and Cessation: Adapts and extends a virtual weekly urban group counseling program to prevent vaping initiation and support quitting among rural adolescents. The program aligns with school-based prevention efforts and incorporates social support and prescription nicotine-cessation aids. Activities include reviewing pilot data, conducting focus groups in rural regions to adapt the program format and content, and implementing curriculum modifications tailored to rural adolescent populations. Resources and strategies are designed for national dissemination across the US and its territories.

6. Reducing Stigma Related to Methadone Treatment (Welcoming Recovery): Conducts a national listening tour with community stakeholders and individuals with lived experience to understand stigma related to methadone treatment in rural areas. Expanded flexibility around methadone dispensing has been proposed by SAMHSA, but stigma remains a significant barrier to access. This project develops and pilots an educational program informed by qualitative interviews and focus groups conducted across the US and its territories. Findings are disseminated through a toolkit and academic publications to ensure broad impact.

7. Stigma Posters and Naloxone Leave-Behind Program: Combines two initiatives to address opioid use disorder (OUD). The poster intervention places stigma-reducing informational materials in emergency departments (EDs) and makes them available online for national dissemination. The naloxone leave-behind (NLB) program works with first responders to distribute naloxone and educate communities. Activities include recruiting agency administrators and frontline staff, producing educational videos and presentations, distributing materials, and gathering user data to revise programs based on feedback and best practices. Designed for implementation in rural communities across the US and its territories.

Essential Functions:

Supervision, Content Development and Oversight:

• Directly supervises, leads, and mentors writing, outreach, and dissemination staff to ensure content is developed effectively and appropriately for successful reception and adoption by rural communities throughout the U.S. Additionally, provides direct oversight and coordination for seven content vendors essential to these areas, including managing the allocation and utilization of these external resources.
• Leads the creation, assignment, and review of high-quality content across various formats, including web pages, articles, infographics, videos, print materials, and training tools.
• Exercises autonomy and specialized writing and academic research expertise to ensure that all content is accurate, engaging, and tailored to meet the needs of diverse audiences, including rural communities and healthcare providers.
• Strategically collaborates with vendors and project teams to ensure deliverables align with program goals, evidence-based practices, and organizational priorities.

Editing, Compliance, and Quality Assurance:

• Edits and consults on compliance for all materials developed by project teams, ensuring adherence to federal standards, regulatory requirements, and programmatic goals.
• Applies high-level judgment leveraging strong understanding of all projects, including their evidence-based research, to maintain consistency, quality, and alignment with the mission of the COE.
• Ensures that all materials meet the highest standards of accuracy, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity, particularly when addressing specialized topic areas such as stigma, trauma, and substance use disorder (SUD).

Framework Development and Expert Consultation:

• Develops and refines program frameworks, internal needs assessments (program summaries,) and preliminary content, leveraging specialized knowledge and independent judgment to ensure alignment with evidence-based practices and program objectives.
• Provides expert feedback on literature reviews, peer-reviewed articles, and other materials, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and alignment with program goals.
• Consults and directs project teams to guide the development of materials, such as training resources, community event materials, and visual reports, ensuring they meet the needs of diverse stakeholders and adhere to compliance standards.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

• Serves as the primary publications liaison with HRSA and other key stakeholders, leveraging deep knowledge of COE programming along with strong understanding of research and academic rigor to navigate the review and approval process for materials.
• Ensures that all communications align with federal and URMC standards and strategic priorities, fostering strong relationships with standards experts and stakeholders while successfully leveraging their input.
• Drives strategic communication of internal and external project progress, outcomes, and impact to national and rural audiences through tailored updates, such as newsletters, reports, and presentations.

Strategic Representation Across Published Materials and other Media:

• Ensures that projects are accurately and effectively represented in center-wide materials across various media platforms, including websites, newsletters, social media, and print publications.
• Exercises strategic oversight and deep knowledge of evidence-based content areas, research, and rural audiences to align all communications with the COE’s mission, goals, and branding.
• Works collaboratively with internal and external teams to ensure consistent messaging and effective audience engagement.

Project Monitoring and Impact Analysis:

• Independently develops methodology and process for tracking project progress, tailored to the specific needs and deliverables of each project. Tracks and evaluates project progress using advanced organizational skills, ensuring that milestones are met and deliverables are completed on time.
• Develops detailed reports for HRSA and other stakeholders, providing clear and actionable updates on project status and outcomes.
• Collaborates on the dissemination of completed products across diverse channels and applies expertise to analyze their impact and effectiveness in reaching and engaging target audiences, particularly rural communities.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of related experience required
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience managing large project budgets and complex resource allocation preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Extensive computer literacy to include experience in Excel, Word, Teams, Web CMS platforms, and Powerpoint required
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and stakeholder management skills required
• Detail-oriented with a proven ability to manage projects required
• Strong leadership and strategic thinking skills
• Effective presentation, analytical, and problem-solving skills required

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving an inclusive and welcoming culture to advance the University’s Mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, Create – and Make the World Ever Better. In support of our values and those of our society, the University is committed to not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law (Protected Characteristics). This commitment extends to non-discrimination in the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates, for all persons consistent with our values and based on applicable law.