Director for School Mental Health

**To be considered for the Director position, you MUST submit a Cover Letter with your application. Please include the Cover Letter within your Resume attachment.**

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (Meadows Institute) seeks a knowledgeable and experienced professional to serve as Director for School Mental Health (Director). This position is ideal for professionals with a proven track record in implementing evidence-based mental health best practices and experience with school-based exclusionary discipline programs. The Director will provide subject matter expertise in addition to designing and implementing priority projects. They will work in partnership with Meadows Institute teams, school districts, institutions of higher education, health systems, and other stakeholders to support the ongoing success of current and future projects. The required work location for this position is in Texas. Statewide travel (up to 20%) may be required. Some duties may require access to reliable personal transportation.  

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Education and Workforce Team and the broader Institute to build out a statewide strategy to support best practices in school mental health across Texas. 
• Support the development and implementation of a body of school mental health work aimed at deepening the Meadows Institute’s impact at the state and local levels through collaborative partnerships with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Education Service Centers (ESCs), school districts, institutions of higher education, statewide education associations, and local and regional community-based providers and nonprofits working in school mental health.
• Provide professional development and technical assistance/implementation support to various community stakeholders to enhance school mental health and cross-systems mental health work in Texas and nationally.
• Conduct outreach and build and steward relationships with a variety of school mental health stakeholders in Texas and nationally to build capacity for school mental health supports and resources.
• Serve as a subject matter and implementation support specialist for evidence-based school mental health programs and systems.
• Support the design, implementation, and day-to-day management of multiple school mental health-related projects and initiatives at the K-12 and post-secondary educational levels.
• Develop and maintain expertise about best practices and key trends for improving student mental health and identify policy and community-level opportunities to support these efforts. 
• Assist with development and submission of grant proposals, track and monitor grant deliverables and timelines, and support completion of grant reports.
• Liaise with other staff on project efforts that span across the Meadows Institute.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Public Policy, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, or other related field.
• A minimum of five-seven years of professional experience in education settings directly related to school mental health program leadership, alternative education programs.
• Experience working collaboratively, in a team-based setting to achieve shared goals and outcomes. 
• Content expertise in school mental health programs and practices, such as school counseling, social emotional learning, school discipline and restorative practices, multi-tiered systems of support and others. 
• Knowledge and/or experience with implementing exclusionary discipline programs and mitigating exclusionary discipline through proactive behavioral interventions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in fundamentals of implementing and scaling discrete programs, aligned with a strategic vision, in school settings.
• Interest and commitment to stay up-to-date on current school mental health best practices and research literature that may prove useful in project work with education partners.
• Passion for improving the mental health of children, youth, and families. 
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with colleagues. This includes communicating effectively with team members in various geographic regions and making contributions to the team’s work, as well as showing personal initiative to ensure the best work products possible.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Proven history of working strategically and critically to develop proactive solutions to challenges.
• Flexibility in working with new issues, topics, and approaches.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Education, Public Policy, Psychology, Social Work, Government, or other related field.
• Experience using Monday.com or other project management tools.

Eligibility Requirements:

This is a remote, full-time position. Required work location for this position is in Texas. Statewide travel up to 20% may be required. Some duties may require access to reliable personal transportation. Relocation assistance not available. Successful candidates must show proof of eligibility to work in the United States.