About Action for Healthy Kids
Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) is a national non-profit organization raising the bar on the health of the whole child to extraordinary levels across the country. AFHK mobilizes school professionals, families, and communities to take actions that lead to healthier children. We partner with dedicated volunteers— teachers, students, moms, dads, school wellness experts and more—from within the ranks of our 140,000+ constituency to create healthy environments for kids. We are committed to impacting holistic changes with a focus on serving students from underserved communities. Our new, exciting strategic vision will guide our work as our small but mighty team tackles some of the most important issues facing our kids.
RMC Health believes that healthy young people are more successful in school and in life. That’s why we partner with passionate advocates for the whole child to help them improve their practice. Every day, we provide professional learning and capacity-building that helps wellness champions transform their knowledge and skills into effective school health programs and policies, so students of every background and identity can live their best lives.
In fall 2022, AFHK and RMC Health completed a merger agreement to bring together their complementary programs and services to meet the urgent needs of America’s youth and families.
Action for Healthy Kids recently signed a cooperative agreement with the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to develop and implement the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative. To further enhance USDA’s ongoing support for the school meal programs, the initiative includes an allocation of $47 million for identifying and recognizing school districts that excel in providing healthy meals and for supporting small and rural schools in adopting best practices and innovative approaches.
Action for Healthy Kids will lead the overall implementation and management of the cooperative agreement. In partnership, RMC Health will design, lead and manage the overall training and technical assistance strategy. In addition, Action for Healthy Kids will partner with Chef Ann Foundation to provide in-depth individualized technical assistance to support and guide the school food authorities (SFAs) in implementing key strategies to improve school meal quality, meet the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award, and mitigate any potential roadblocks to success.
For more information on Action for Healthy Kids and RMC Health, please visit www.ActionforHealthyKids.org and www.rmc.org. More information about the cooperative agreement can be found on the Action for Healthy Kids blog.
The Opportunity
Action for Health Kids seeks a dynamic leader with a deep commitment to supporting and developing transformative change for the health of children to serve as its next Vice President, Programs (Vice President).
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Action for Healthy Kids, Rob Bisceglie, the Vice President is responsible for providing vision, leadership, and strategy for development, implementation, growth, and oversight of the organization’s holistic program model, with oversight spanning AFHK and RMC Health. In addition, the Vice President will be an engaged and supportive manager and member of the leadership team, with a deep focus on developing and coaching five direct reports as they work to enhance program delivery.
The Vice President’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Visionary Leadership
- Providing programmatic vision and leadership for strategic planning in partnership with the CEO and AFHK Board of Directors.
- Overseeing implementation of all programmatic aspects of the Strategic Plan, including the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, designing new initiatives, and sunsetting others, as appropriate, to accomplish goals and objectives.
- Leading, enhancing, and growing RMC Health’s fee-for-service model, in which members of the programs team facilitate professional learning and provide capacity-building training.
- Supervising and coaching program leads in developing their direct reports and growing their leadership skills.
- Coordinating program efforts with the Research and Evaluation, Marketing and Communications, and Development Teams, with an eye towards opportunities to innovate.
External Advocacy, Partnership and Fund Development
- Working in collaboration with the Active Schools Strategic Advisory Council to further develop the Active Schools initiative and visualize new strategies as needed to accomplish Active Schools’ goals and objectives.
- Provide leadership and strategy for the development and management of strategic programmatic partnerships.
- Supporting the development responsibilities of the Program and Field Team including identification of funding needs, prospect identification, conceptualization of funding opportunities, and support for proposal writing; partnering with the CEO and Development Team to steward funding relationships.
- Representing AFHK, RMC Health and Active Schools externally, serving as a key spokesperson to current and prospective supporters, partners, funders, and other interested parties.
Administration and Operations
- Participating in AFHK and RMC Health’s budget development processes, overseeing the Program and Field Team budget, and maintain a high level of fiscal responsibility.
- Serving as staff liaison to AFHK Board of Directors Program Committee.
- Participating on and coordinating with AFHK’s Executive Team, matrix teams for both AFHK and RMC Health, the Active Schools Strategic Advisory Council and task forces, as necessary.
Candidate Profile
While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, successful candidates will bring many of the professional qualifications and personal attributes:
Adaptability & Change Management
Working with the CEO as well as the leadership team, the Vice President will help to translate the organizational vision forward into the AFHK and RMC Health’s next chapter as a merged organization. This leader will be creative and resourceful, conceptualizing and operationalizing innovative solutions to organizational and environmental challenges. In addition, the Vice President will strive to make continuous improvements based on comprehensive learning and feedback. Most importantly, the Vice President will have a vision for AFHK and RMC Health’s roles in the school health and nutrition landscape and will understand the importance of effective operational and financial administration.
This leader will also possess an acute level of foresight, being able to react and shift strategic goals as needed. With an ability to analyze challenges and develop appropriate solutions, the Vice President will have experience ensuring that there are ongoing assessment systems in place to actively confirm that existing services are meeting the needs of AFHK and RMC Health’s partners. To this end, the Vice President will be a catalyst for change and growth, inspiring others to think entrepreneurially and inject new ideas.
Operational Acumen
The Vice President will set priorities decisively but collaboratively, delegating responsibilities, ensuring accountability, and effectively allocating resources to ensure results. This leader will have a strong data and analysis orientation and a proven ability to use metrics to drive decisions and achieve strategic objectives, with consideration of resources, constraints and where necessary, alternative courses of action.
In particular, the Vice President will demonstrate proficiency in building and overseeing infrastructures and systems for program administration. This leader brings a proven track record of developing and leading high-performing teams, drawing the best out of each individual to achieve goals, utilizing continuous improvement methods and metrics.
Collaboration & Relationship Building
Taking a deliberate and inclusive approach to both internal and external collaboration, the Vice President will be skilled at building and sustaining excellent relationships across all levels, including the leadership team, staff, funders, external allies and partners, and the media. The Vice President will bring a compassionate and empathetic approach in their leadership and stakeholder interactions, with a focus on fostering collaboration and building community. Understanding the value of diverse and inclusive organizations, the Vice President will bring enthusiasm for having a leadership role in a racially diverse, multi-generational organization, as well as a capacity and willingness to engage in conversations around inclusion and equity.
This leader will foster a culture of trust among team members, where all voices are heard and valued, and will possess the ability to manage through change with flexibility and poise. The Vice President will be a leader known for honesty, transparency, strong diplomacy, and for being an engaged and active listener. Both internally and externally, this individual will build and enhance the work of AFHK and RMC Health through strong partnerships. With a focus on strengthening national visibility, the Vice President will be skilled at continually strengthening AFHK and RMC Health’s powerful sense of shared purpose by engaging staff, long-time advocates, and new potential supporters to face the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Emotional & Cultural Intelligence
Skilled in building and strengthening organizational culture to create a sense of belonging for all staff, the Vice President will continue to support the identification, communication, and integration of shared values across AFHK and RMC Health’s integrated programs team.
The Vice President will bring a strong sense of empathy and exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop strong working relationships with staff across all levels and geographies, regardless of background or lived experience. Passionate about DEIJBA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Belonging and Access) work, this leader will also prioritize compassion and self-awareness, empathy, and understanding in day-to-day interactions.
Engaged and Inclusive Management
The Vice President will be an authentic and inclusive culture builder, demonstrating an ability to effectively engage people across identities and perspectives. This leader will have a collaborative, trusting and open approach to leadership that fosters innovation and experimentation. As an influential leader, the Vice President will have an ability to inspire the team to achieve ambitious results while also driving accountability.
Continuously prioritizing a thoughtful and engaged approach to team management, the Vice President will also have experience successfully hiring and retaining outstanding talent, including a passion for creating pathways for continuous learning and professional development opportunities among staff across focus areas and geographies. In addition, the Vice President will also bring experience supporting multiple aspects of an organization, including the leadership team, Board members, HR function and staff during periods of growth and change.
In addition, strong candidates will offer:
- Leadership experience in health and/or education.
- Proven track record of success with program visioning, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation; human resource management; fund development; and budget management.
- Experience working with underserved communities.
- National network of relationships with health and education organizations and professionals.
- Technical proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and Salesforce.
Compensation & Benefits
While AFHK is targeting a salary range of $140,000 - $160,000, commensurate on the candidate’s skills and experiences, AFHK is open to feedback from the market and would welcome the ability to connect with potential candidates who may be outside of the compensation band. AFHK is committed to equity in pay practices. AFHK offers health, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance, parental leave, a Wellness/Connective/Home (WHC) office reimbursement, retirement savings with a company match, a flexible time off plan, and 14 paid office closure days.
Contact
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Chartise Clark and Tabatha Skelton of Koya Partners are leading this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials to the Koya applicant portal. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Action For Healthy Kids is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.
