Rural Operations Specialist

at  North Carolina Dept of Health and Human Services

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The Rural Health Operations program provides technical assistance & support and acts as a liaison for information and resources for State Designated Rural Health Centers and other safety net providers (examples include: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Free and Charitable Clinics, Rural Health Clinics, Local Health Departments, School-based Health Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, Small Rural Hospitals, etc.) across North Carolina to improve access to high quality health care, with emphasis on population health and integrated healthcare services. The team leads and coordinates the efforts of the ORH Service Area Teams.
The primary purpose of the position is to support the implementation of evidence-based strategies that assist rural safety net (examples include Federally Qualified Health Centers, Free and Charitable Clinics, State Designated Rural Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Local Health Departments, School-based Health Centers, Critical Access Hospitals, Small Rural Hospitals, etc.) partners to provide access to quality primary and behavioral health care. This is one of three regionally assigned positions that engages in local, state, and federal initiatives to improve population health, provides technical assistance to community partners, surveys the needs of stakeholders, and develops plans to address those needs. Position provides direct support with administering funding to an assigned region that supports the State Designated Rural Health Centers (and other healthcare safety net sites as applicable) including the development and monitoring of contracts to ensure compliance with DHHS and funding agency requirements and expectations.
Position will act as a team lead for one of the ORH Service Area Teams (SAT). SATs consist of representation from each ORH Program within a geographic region with the goal of increasing communication, developing a regional collaborative approach, and providing better response to the needs of the safety-net community. The Team Lead position organizes the Regional Team’s efforts to accomplish these goals.

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS, AND APPLICATION MUST CLEARLY REFLECT WORK EXPERIENCE THAT DEMONSTRATES THE FOLLOWING:

• Demonstrated experience providing clear communication verbally (including public speaking), and in writing (including technical documents including grant applications and RFAs).
• Demonstrated knowledge of population health, value-based health care, and social drivers of health.
• Proven knowledge of insurance, operations, programs, policy, and procedure along with experience or insight into provider contracting and operations.
• Proven knowledge of the varieties of primary health care delivery systems and their operation; the principles of community organization; and/or the principles and practices of managed health care, particularly as applied to Medicaid programs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of contract monitoring, preferably in a healthcare or insurance environment.
• Proven experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, agencies, and individuals.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for detail.
Bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, political science, business administration, public administration or related field, from an appropriately accredited institution and four years of experience related to the specific program assignment;
OR
an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SUPPLEMENTAL AND CONTACT INFORMATION

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is an Equal Opportunity Employer who embraces an Employment First philosophy which consists of complying with all federal laws, state laws and Executive Orders. We are committed to reviewing requests for reasonable accommodation at any time during the hiring process or while on the job.
DHHS uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act with the most qualified individuals. Hiring salary will be based on relevant qualifications, internal equity, and budgetary considerations pertinent to the advertised position.

It is critical to our screening and salary determination process that applications contain comprehensive information. Information should be provided in the appropriate areas to include the beginning and ending dates of jobs worked, education with the date graduated, all work experience, and certificates / licenses. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing this application. Answers to Supplemental Questions must refer to education or work experience listed on this application to receive credit. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

• Applicants seeking Veteran’s Preference must attach a DD-214 Member-4 Form (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to their applications.
• Applicants seeking National Guard Preference must attach a NGB 23A (RPAS) if they are a current member of the NC National Guard in good standing. If a former member of the NC National Guard, who served for at least 6 years and was discharged under honorable conditions, they must attach either a DD256 or NGB 22.
• If applicants earned college credit hours but did not complete a degree program, they must attach an unofficial transcript to each application to receive credit for this education.

Applicants may be subject to a criminal background check. All candidates selected for positions considered “Positions of Trust” will be subject to a criminal background check.
Applications for positions requiring specific coursework must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s transcript. Applicants with degrees not conferred at a United States college or university must attach verification that their degree is equivalent to a similar degree from a U.S. institution. The Office of State Human Resources uses the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) as a referral resource for applicants who need to have their credentials certified as equivalent. For a list of organizations that perform this specialized service, please visit the NACES membership website at https://www.naces.org/members. Transcripts, degree evaluations and cover letters may be uploaded with your application.
NOTE: Applicants will be communicated with via email only for updates on the status of their application or any questions on their application. If there are any questions about this posting other than your application status, please contact HR at 919-855-4930.
For technical issues with your application, please call the NeoGov Help Line at 877-204-4442. If you have a technical issue with your Government Jobs account, please call their Help Line at 1-855-524-5627.

• Collaborate with communities to develop new state-designated rural health centers or improve existing centers. Work also includes conducting practice assessments to gauge an organization’s readiness to become a state-designated rural health center.
• Process and/or monitor contracts, amendments, contract budgets, contract scopes of work, performance measures, reimbursement requests, and other agreed upon deliverables within established ORH timeframes and according to the ORH monitoring plan.
• Provide technical assistance in the form of education, performance feedback, and monitoring to state-designated rural health centers and their boards of directors, CMS Rural Health Clinics, and other safety net healthcare sites to assist in meeting internal and external partners’ needs and grant goals through regular contact with sites/contractors.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of initiatives designed to increase access to health care, dental care, behavioral health services and/or prescription medications. This involves conducting needs assessments, evaluation of related data, grant writing, partnership development, and project monitoring.
• Assist the Program Manager in researching federal and state rules and regulations and public and private funders’ policies and procedural requirements for opportunities for financing healthcare services, eligibility criteria, coverage limitations and waiver options; analyzing the implications of these on project design strategies and products; and recommending options for consideration and project design.