Description

Apply by sending a cover letter and resume to careers@healthymindspolicy.org with the subject line “Research and Insights Director Application”

The Research and Insights Director gauges the status of mental health trends in Oklahoma and ultimately demonstrates the impact of these trends on issues of key interest to the state’s policymakers and private-sector leaders. A member of the Healthy Minds leadership team reporting to the CEO, this position manages a division charged with public health data surveillance, researching key mental health issues, and producing data-driven storytelling to connect with a broad spectrum of policy, business and philanthropic leaders.  

This position’s primary function is to lead, oversee, and contribute to impactful analyses of behavioral health data to educate Oklahoma leaders about large-scale trends, challenges, and opportunities. As such, a successful candidate brings an ability to translate the implications of public health findings to leaders outside of the public health space — communicating complex public health concepts to lay audiences and assessing the impact of behavioral health trends on issues like the economy, education and overall health.

This position will supervise a small team of direct reports and work with Healthy Minds’ established consultants to gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative data; assess the population-scale mental health of Oklahomans and effectiveness of mental health interventions; provide insights that inform and support Healthy Minds’ policy and community-level work; and evaluate the macro-level impact of Healthy Minds over time.

Responsibilities
The following duties may represent the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Explore and propose impactful ways for Healthy Minds to regularly educate audiences on the status of mental health in Oklahoma, including novel ways of gaining the interest of business community, community leaders, and legislators.
• Lead and contribute to publications on key, relevant mental health issues in Oklahoma using public health data and novel research methods.
• Collaborate with Healthy Minds’ policy and public health experts and communications staff to produce publications, reports, and fact sheets
• Conduct regular public health data surveillance to alert internal staff and key external audiences of important insights.
• Provide project oversight for consultant-led research in coordination with internal experts in other divisions.
• Ensure research standards, practices, and methodologies are adequate and consistent in the Research and Insights Division and across the organization.
• Oversee and develop Healthy Minds’ internal data functions, including the organization’s data inventory, databases of relevant public health information, and data governance policies, with support from a lead data staff member.
• Ensure consideration of Oklahomans’ lived experiences of mental illness and involvement with the state’s behavioral health treatment system across all relevant areas of Healthy Minds’ work, including the development and management of a lived experience advisory council.
• Produce community needs assessments in consultation with community and communications team staff and third-party contractors.
• Supervise the maintenance of the Healthy Minds’ online data explorer in collaboration with communications staff.
• Oversee program evaluations in coordination with community team staff;
• Contribute as needed to policy analysis and local community research projects.
• Assess the impact of Healthy Minds’ policy and community successes over time.

Compensation and benefits

• Salary range begins at $120,000, commensurate with experience.
• Medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability insurance: 100% employer-paid for full-time employees; dependent coverage available with employee cost-sharing for health insurance (currently approximately 22% employee-paid).
• Automatic employer-funded 401K contributions with no vesting schedule.
• Three weeks PTO and two weeks paid sick leave.
• Paid company holidays and employee-directed floating holidays.
• Employer-paid AD&D and life insurance, with optional supplemental employee-paid life insurance.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Relocation assistance available to candidates moving from outside Oklahoma.

Requirements

Required qualifications

• Master’s degree, J.D., or Ph.D.
• At least eight years of directly relevant professional experience.
• Deep expertise in behavioral health and/or public health topics.
• Experience leading and managing projects.
• Familiarity with key concepts in public health data.
• Strong familiarity with research processes, methods, and program evaluation concepts.
• Strong writing, editing, and analytical skills.
• Passionate about improving mental health outcomes in Oklahoma.
  

Essential strengths

• Thinks strategically about the implications of their work to the organization’s goals.  
• Communicates clearly, concisely, and persuasively.
• Self-motivating and results oriented.
• Experience managing staff.
• Experience communicating complex concepts to lay audiences.
• Thinks creatively about how to use data to inform and persuade.
• Thrives when collaborating with diverse groups of internal and external partners.
• Curious and comfortable with a trial-and-error approach to problem solving.
• Adapts quickly and calmly to urgent situations and changing circumstances.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development.

Work environment and physical requirements

• This is a hybrid position, with 2.5 days each week required at the Tulsa or Oklahoma City office.
• Reliable internet access is required for at-home workdays.
• Occasional travel between Tulsa and Oklahoma City is required.
• Regular work hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.  
• Candidates must be able to work in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time.