Director of Higher Education and Workforce Strategy

**To be considered for the Director of Higher Education and Workforce Strategy position, you MUST submit a Cover Letter with your application. Paylocity only accepts one attachment. Please include the Cover Letter within your Resume attachment.**

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (Meadows Institute) seeks a Director of Higher Education and Workforce Strategy (Director) to directly support the Children, Youth, and Families higher education portfolio overseen by project leads across the team and the broader Meadows Institute. The Director is responsible for advancing the implementation, growth, and sustainability of the portfolio by overseeing strategic initiatives, cultivating partnerships, supporting business development, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality technical assistance and consulting services to post-secondary institutions. Working collaboratively across the Meadows Institute, the Director serves as a trusted partner to colleges, universities, community colleges, foundations, and public sector leaders to strengthen campus mental health systems, improve student well-being, and advance evidence-based practices. 

This position requires a collaborative, solutions-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced nonprofit environment and can successfully manage multiple complex initiatives while contributing to the continued growth of the Minding College Minds portfolio. This role focuses on practical implementation and technical assistance — working alongside educators, administrators, and staff to build and improve mental health systems and supports, solve day-to-day challenges, and strengthen student outcomes. The ideal candidate is experienced within educational settings and is comfortable providing on-the-ground support, coaching, and problem-solving. The Director will be expected to work collaboratively with staff, contractors, partner agencies, and stakeholders while remaining aligned with the mission and strategy of the Meadows Institute. The preferred work location for this position is in Texas. This position may not be filled or performed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, or Washington at this time. Statewide travel (up to 25%) may be required. Some duties may require access to reliable personal transportation. 

Key Responsibilities

• Partner directly with colleges/universities to support program delivery and system-level improvement.
• Provide on-site or virtual coaching to faculty, administrators, and staff on student mental health support and alternatives to exclusionary discipline strategies.
• Help education institutions identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based and best practice mental health interventions and supports.
• Troubleshoot operational, implementation, and systems-level challenges (e.g., student engagement, staffing gaps, program rollout issues).
• Assist with advancing the Minding College Minds Postsecondary Mental Health Framework to guide colleges nationwide in developing mental health systems that are comprehensive, implementation-focused, and tailored to their communities.
• Provide leadership to and management of project teams, as assigned. 
• Draft updates, reports, and recommendations for project deliverables. 
• Incorporate the expertise and perspectives of education partners, colleagues, and subject-matter experts into project design and implementation to enhance relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability.
• Contribute to development efforts, including identifying funding opportunities, generating project ideas, conducting research, and assisting with proposal preparation and submission tracking.
• Build strong relationships with schools, higher education, and cross-sector partners and serve as a trusted advisor on student mental health program implementation.
• Supporting K-12 projects as needed.
• Other job duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in social work, counseling, policy, Education, or related field.
• Direct experience in higher education systems.
• Ability to translate research/best practices for implementation across various community settings.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience designing and developing learning materials, trainings, and facilitating external meetings with a variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with colleagues. This includes overcoming geographic and other potential barriers to communicating with and making contributions to the team’s work. 
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
• Capacity to think strategically, critically, and respond analytically.
• Flexibility in working with new issues, topics, and approaches.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 7+ years of professional-level experience in a related role.
• Experience with implementing student mental health, campus climate, Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) crisis response, alternatives to exclusionary discipline, and/or school improvement initiatives.

Eligibility Requirements:

The preferred work location for this position is in Texas. This position may not be filled or performed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, or Washington at this time. Relocation assistance is not available. Successful candidates must show proof of eligibility to work in the United States.

About Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute:

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is a data-driven, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that supports the implementation of policies and programs that help Texans obtain effective, efficient mental health care when and where they need it. The Institute’s vision is for Texas to be the national leader in treating all people with mental health needs. For more information about the Meadows Institute, please visit: www.mmhpi.org.

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and provides full and equal employment opportunities to all employees and potential employees without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, age, citizen status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.