Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Upstream USA is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ensuring equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is available to everyone. The Director of Strategic Initiatives & Expansion will identify, cultivate, and advance strategic partnerships and growth opportunities across the healthcare ecosystem. The role will develop relationships, monitor funding opportunities, conduct market intelligence, generate qualified leads, and expand access to reproductive healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain influential relationships with consortia and associations that convene healthcare organizations, including but not limited to: Primary Care Associations (PCAs), Hospital Associations, Medicaid agencies and payors, and state and regional healthcare collaboratives
• Develop long-term engagement strategies that increase awareness of Upstream's model
• Represent Upstream at conferences, meetings, webinars, and networking events
• Monitor federal, state, and private foundation RFPs, RFIs, NOFOs, and grant announcements
• Identify funding opportunities where Upstream could serve as a partner in implementation, technical assistance, innovation, or strategic collaboration
• Maintain an opportunity tracker with anticipated release dates, submission timelines, award announcements, and potential organizational impacts
• Share opportunity intelligence with internal and external stakeholders
• Following grant announcements, identify and research funded awardees to develop outreach strategies to introduce Upstream as a potential implementation partner
• Continuously identify potential partnership organizations and/or alliances that align with Upstream's mission
• Research health systems, Community Health Centers, rural hospitals and more
• Assess organization for strategic alignment and populations served
• Meet with individuals and organizations in a given region to learn about their roles in the landscape, foster new connections to more stakeholders, and leverage relationships for Upstream’s mission
• Develop relationships to create opportunities and build credibility before recruitment begins
• Attend conferences, coalition meetings, healthcare leadership events and other on-the-ground events to network and make connections
• Develop qualified opportunities through introductions and connections, touchpoints at in-person events, and landscape/market intelligence
• Transfer qualified opportunities to the Partnership team using standardized qualification criteria
• Additional duties as assigned

Skills

• • Must be located in the Western US: WA, OR, CA, MT, ID, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, WY, SD, NE, ND, IA, MN, AK, HI
• • 6-8+ years of progressive experience in healthcare business development, strategic partnerships, market development, healthcare consulting, public health, government relations, healthcare innovation, or a related field, with a demonstrated ability to build partnerships and advance organizational growth
• • Funding & Grant Landscape : Experience identifying, monitoring, and evaluating federal, state, and private funding opportunities, including grants, cooperative agreements, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), and grant award announcements
• • Healthcare Market Intelligence : Demonstrated experience researching and mapping the healthcare ecosystem, including provider associations, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), community health centers, public health agencies, Medicaid organizations, academic medical centers, residency and nursing programs, and other healthcare stakeholders to identify strategic opportunities and strengthen organizational partnerships; strong understanding of the healthcare ecosystem
• • Research & Opportunity Development: Demonstrated experience conducting strategic research and market intelligence to identify key healthcare stakeholders, executive decision-makers, partnership opportunities, emerging healthcare initiatives, policy developments, and funding trends that support business development and organizational growth
• • Relationship Development: Demonstrated ability to build and sustain strategic relationships with executive leaders across healthcare, government, public health, academic, and philanthropic organizations to advance partnerships, influence key stakeholders, and support organizational growth
• • Business Development: Demonstrated success developing strategic business opportunities through executive relationship building, industry engagement, market expansion, association partnerships, strategic outreach, and cross-sector collaboration
• • Healthcare Industry Knowledge: Demonstrable understanding of the U.S. healthcare delivery system, including Medicaid, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health, women's health, population health, healthcare quality improvement, reimbursement models, public health infrastructure, healthcare policy, and federal and state funding mechanisms
• • Bachelor's degree required in Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Business, Marketing, Health Policy, Communications, or a related field or equivalent in work experience
• • AI Fluency & Tool Integration: Ability to identify and leverage generative AI tools (such as LLMs, image generators, or industry-specific copilots) to streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and enhance overall output quality while maintaining the proper human checkpoints
• • AI Prompt Engineering & Critical Output Evaluation: Proficiency in crafting effective prompts to achieve desired outcomes and the critical thinking skills necessary to audit, fact-check, and refine AI-generated content for accuracy and brand alignment
• • Ethical AI Awareness: A foundational understanding of the ethical implications of AI, including data privacy, bias recognition, and the responsible use of company information in third-party AI environments
• • Demonstrates the ability to remain focused, adaptable, and solution-oriented in the face of challenges, setbacks, or ambiguity. Approaches obstacles with a growth mindset and maintains a steady commitment to goals, even under pressure or changing circumstances; resilient
• • While we are a remotely based organization, we maintain an on-camera culture during meetings to support connection, engagement, teaming and collaboration. Must be comfortable and able to participate in this environment
• • Valid Driver's License required
• This role will require up to 25% business travel. All Upstreamers can expect a minimum of 8 days of business travel per year to attend 1 annual organizational retreat and 1 or 2 annual team/department meetings
• • Naturally Curious: Proactively seeks out new information, uncovers emerging trends, and identifies opportunities before they become widely recognized. • Resourceful: Navigates complex challenges with creativity and persistence, leveraging available resources to maximize impact and drive results. • Strategic Thinker: Connects market intelligence, industry trends, and organizational priorities to identify opportunities for growth and long-term success. • Relationship Builder: Develops trusted relationships with healthcare leaders, strategic partners, and key stakeholders to advance organizational objectives. • Healthcare Navigator: Understands the complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and quickly identifies how organizations, stakeholders, and funding opportunities intersect. • Opportunity Seeker: Demonstrates a proactive mindset by identifying emerging funding opportunities, strategic partnerships, and new avenues for organizational growth. • Analytical: Synthesizes market intelligence, competitive insights, and industry research into actionable recommendations that inform strategic decision-making. • Growth-Oriented: Passionate about expanding organizational reach and creating innovative partnerships that advance mission-driven outcomes. • Connector: Brings people, organizations, and ideas together to create meaningful partnerships and unlock opportunities that others may overlook
• • Proficiency with CRMs, business development, market intelligence, and grant management tools, including Salesforce (or similar CRM platforms), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Grants.gov, SAM.gov, GovWin, HRSA funding portals, state procurement systems, funding databases, and Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• 401(k) with a match
• Generous vacation time off
• Personal time off
• Sick time off
• Holiday time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development
• Fitness allowance for all full-time employees and part-time employees who work a minimum of 24 hours per week
• Cell phone allowance for all full-time employees and part-time employees who work a minimum of 24 hours per week
• Organization-sponsored learning and development
• Remote work arrangement

Company Overview