Policy Impact Strategist

Overview

"Every day, we work to support and build inclusive, powerful, and healthy communities characterized by racial equity and economically just systems." With this as our purpose, Health Forward Foundation is building the future of our region by grasping the issues that cause health injustice at their roots. Health Forward's mission is to achieve health equity and secure a fair and just region through leadership, advocacy, and resources.

We support direct services and systems change for healthy people, community power, and equitable and just places through our grant and gift funding, advocacy, and leadership. We support and partner with community-based and cross-sector organizations to improve health on all fronts through our purpose plan. Our work includes supporting equitable health services; working to advance safe and affordable housing, pathways to home ownership and broadband access;

amplifying the power that exists in our communities through civic engagement; and increasing the effectiveness of small community-based nonprofits. Health Forward was created in 2003 from the sale of Health Midwest, a nonprofit hospital system, to Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). Health Forward's service area encompasses Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson, Cass, and Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Johnson, Wyandotte, and Allen counties in Kansas.

The foundation is governed by a 21-member board of directors and is managed by a professional staff of around 40 employees. Health Forward is driven by the data evidencing health inequities and is committed to the process and the outcome of equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in our grant and gift funding, policy and advocacy, community engagement, employment practices, talent management, investments, vendor selection, and governance.

Health Forward is currently looking for a Policy Impact Strategist to help advance the Health Forward policy agenda. With a strong commitment to health equity, this position engages with community, policymakers, and funded partners to advance the systems change needed to accomplish Health Forward's Purpose Plan through our policy and advocacy work and our funding opportunities. This position will work across the Purpose Areas of People, Power, Place and Platform and cross-departmentally to integrate and align with other functional areas.

For more information, visit our website Policy - Health Forward Foundation

Strategy and Execution

• Stay abreast of current and emerging policy issues related to Health Forward's policy agenda and purpose plan on the state level in Kansas and Missouri for all our Purpose Areas, and work particularly closely with our Platform and Power Purpose Area teams on the integration of policy and advocacy in the advancement of those strategies.
• Draft and record Health Forward's legislative update vlogs with an emphasis on Missouri and Kansas State policy.
• Provide Health Forward's communications team with timely policy agenda related content and articles to support both internal and external communications, ensuring consistent and informed messaging across networks.

• Support the Chief Policy and Impact Officer in the management of relationships with lawmakers.
• Track legislation and support testimony on the state levels (MO and KS) related to Health Forward's policy agenda.
• Maintain organizational relationship with state policy government affairs and advocacy support services.
• Organize and staff panels, forums, summits, public round tables, and convenings related to Health Forward's policy agenda.
• Organize and staff our creation of and participation in coalitions to advance our state policy priorities.
• Provide research, drafting support, and preparation for Health Forward policy-related testimony, op-eds, public comment, and public presentations.
• Support issue identification, drafting, and socializing of policy issue briefs.
• Participate in policy related funding and technical assistance opportunities.
• Organize and staff external learning opportunities for our Health Forward team related to policy and advocacy.

• Maintain working relationships with advocacy…