Description

Note: This is a new grant funded, benefit-eligible position with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2026.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Guilford County and Cone Health are partnering to improve the health of the whole community through community-based design and social innovation. The Social Innovation Team (iTeam) will work, in collaboration with their Cone Health counterpart, to learn what matters most to residents and uncover opportunities for working with residents from the hardest-hit communities by the pandemic. Through this partnership with Cone, the Social Innovation Director will lead the iTeam in building solutions to address the whole picture of physical, mental, financial and social wellness for County residents.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Guilford County is a high-performing local government organization that maintains a culture embracing diversity, striving for equality, and inspiring individual and organizational excellence. Social Innovation refers to the design and implementation of new solutions that imply conceptual, process, or organizational change which ultimately aim to improve the welfare and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

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GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
This position will manage strategic planning, process improvement, performance measurement and human-centered design to measure and produce systemic changes in County priorities, investments, programs, public policy, resident engagement, and service delivery for programs and initiatives supported by the American Rescue Plan and related funding.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS
The position serves as a subject matter expert and project manager for highly visible and complex organizational and community projects as well as public policy initiatives. The incumbent will lead teams in the development of detailed project charters and implementation plans; prepare and manage research and project plans; prepare and implement communication strategies; identify key stakeholders and partners, and establish and maintain relationships; conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to include interviews, focus groups, observations, and contextual inquiry; build and manage partnerships with universities to increase research capacity; monitor project progress; evaluate outcomes and performance; manage budgets.

Examples of Duties

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Duties and Tasks

• Manages highly visible and complex community and public policy projects that creatively and effectively improve outcomes for residents in program and geographic areas supported by the American Rescue Plan and related funding; leads project teams in the development of detailed project charters and implementation plans; prepares, manages, and implements research, project plans, and communication strategies; identifies key stakeholders and partners; and monitors project progress.
• Conducts quantitative and qualitative analyses, to include identifying appropriate data sources and participants; and conducts interviews, including contextual inquiry, focus groups, and observation.
• Designs evaluations to assess new initiatives; evaluates outcomes and performance; recommends corrective action; and ensures effective and appropriate tools, methods, and systems are used to monitor performance.
• Manages program budgets to ensure appropriate spending; monitors expenditures; prepares cost estimates; and identifies funding sources when required.
• Collaborates with County departments, external government officials, private and non-profit sector leaders, universities, residents, and other internal and external stakeholders, to build partnerships; identifies needs; develops, tests, and implements solutions; coordinates project operations; communicates technical and general information; and analyzes problems and develops solutions.
• Leads a team of two Design Strategists and one Data Analyst in collaboratively producing and measuring systemic change in resident outcomes.

RECRUITMENT STANDARDS
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of public sector innovation concepts, activities, programs, and supporting institutions and associations.
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research and visualization techniques and interpretation.
• Knowledge of supervisory principles, practices, and techniques, including group facilitation, building consensus, and conflict resolution.
• Knowledge of organizational development, change management, training, and/or facilitation.
• Ability to produce/provide qualitative and quantitative analysis, data visualization, and data communication to multiple audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, often with numerous stakeholders and non-direct line authority.
• Ability to work with government, private/non-profit, and/or higher educational leaders.
• Ability to supervise, coordinate, and develop other employees, including those outside direct line authority and in more senior positions.
• Ability to maneuver through complex political and organizational structures effectively.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts to diverse audiences through a variety of communication methods with an ability to develop constructive and effective relationships around a shared vision for achieving different future states and improved results.
• Ability to engage others in respectfully questioning, analyzing, and evaluating current policies, procedures, standards, and assumptions about county services to encourage innovative thought and action that improve outcomes.
• Ability to help others understand and develop comfort and competency with new concepts, procedures, skills, and ideas.
• Ability to understand and balance multiple perspectives in open, honest dialogue.

Typical Qualifications

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in Public Policy, Public or Business Administration, Social Science Research, Design, or a related field. In addition, the ideal candidate will have at least five years of experience in human-centered design, behavioral economic research or other research methods applied in a non-lab setting, to include project management experience for research, design and evaluation studies.

Supplemental Information

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

Special Note: This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions, and recommended job requirements. However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job questionnaire with a physical abilities checklist which can give further details about that one specific position. Those documents should be reviewed before initiating a selection process. They can provide additional detailed information on which to base various personnel actions and can assist management in making legal and defensible personnel.