Program Manager - Northwest - Reach Out and Read

The Opportunity

Reach Out and Read Northwest, an affiliate of the national Reach Out and Read program, reaches 200,000 families annually across Washington and Oregon, distributing over 330,000 books through 3,200 medical providers in nearly 400 clinics. Our focus is on serving underserved communities, where 62% of the children we reach are from low-income families, 42% identify as children of color, and 21% speak a home language other than English. Together, we contribute to the broader impact of the organization, which serves 4.4 million children across the country and distributes over 7 million books annually.

The Program Manager is an experienced professional who provides support and leadership to Reach Out and Read program sites by fostering engagement and assuring quality. The Program Manager is a valued contributor to the Northwest team and works closely with the Reach Out and Read Northwest Program Director and teammates in Oregon and Washington to sustain, expand, and support Reach Out and Read program sites. The Program Manager cultivates relationships with clinicians and strategic community partners to help further our impact and reach.

This is a highly relational job, both within a virtual team, and when working directly to support our medical clinic partners. The Program Manager is a problem solver eager to learn new skills and systems, adapt to an evolving and growing organization, and work as an effective team member with colleagues in virtual and in-person working environments. The Program Manager role requires a commitment to equity, ability to influence without direct authority, and diagnose systems challenges, while respecting and supporting clinic and family cultures. The position provides the opportunity to contribute to taking a nationally proven program to scale in the Northwest, while simultaneously providing creative, collaborative leadership to engage the health care system in broader efforts to support child, parent, and community well-being. This role reports to the Reach Out and Read Northwest Regional Program Director.

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include: 

Supporting High-Quality Program Implementation (60%)

• Develop relationships with clinical and administrative staff to cultivate Reach Out and Read champions and advocates.
• Collaborate with ROR clinic teams to ensure high-quality program implementation by assessing model adherence, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and developing action plans to enhance family support and overcome barriers
• Build partnerships with health systems through interactions with clinic contacts, articulating best practices for program sustainability, and supporting the engagement of system leaders and decision-makers.
• Guide new clinics through applying, training clinicians, implementing ROR, and adhering to best practice recommendations.
• Offer ongoing support, including regular communications, in-person and virtual connection opportunities, and technical assistance to all sites in the determined geography. 
• Partner with clinics and health systems to ensure the Reach Out and Read brand visibility within clinics

Program Data and Reporting (20%)

• Assure clinics' completion of twice-yearly progress reports. Analyze, understand, and address barriers to accurate and timely completion.
• Review progress report data and use it to inform improvement plans, quality ratings, and clinics' understanding of program performance.
• Continually track and document program data, using established tools and databases and maintain accurate data within the myROR database.
• Gather, analyze, and report data to support funding applications, partnership development, and advocacy activities.
• Collect anecdotal data, stories, testimonials, photos from ROR program sites and participants for use in development and communications.

Book Support and Funding (10%)

• Support clinics in book selection and ordering and guide the use of efficient book-tracking processes. 
• Steward the ongoing contribution of book funds from clinics and health systems who have made book purchasing commitments.
• Identify programs in need of book funding support and collaborate with the Regional Program Director to allocate funding to individual clinics using an equity lens. 
• Coordinate the distribution of book funds and/or books to clinics when funds are available. 

Partnership Development and Sustainability (10%)

• Assist the Regional Program Director in implementing local, regional, and statewide partnerships. 
• Provide information and support to clinics regarding partnership opportunities that help sustain and enhance their programs.
• Attend relevant community and coalition meetings as assigned and in alignment with organizational goals.
• Identify contacts and opportunities to engage clinic and health system marketing and communications staff to support Reach Out and Read's visibility in the community.

* This job description outlines the general nature and level of work expected but is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or tasks required.

Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and learn about the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We'll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate many of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Commitment to increasing equity in opportunity and outcomes for children, and to recognizing factors known to significantly impact differential outcomes for children, including race, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status.
• At least 5 years of professional experience, with 3–5 years preferred in healthcare, social work, early education, parenting support, or related fields. Equivalent education and lived experience will be considered.
• Experience in providing program implementation, continuous quality improvement, and/or professional development support. 
• Demonstrated ability to coach, influence, mediate, and deliver results through others using excellent interpersonal, oral, and written skills, creative problem-solving, and attention to detail and follow through.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, meet deadlines, take initiative and direction, and adapt flexibly within a growing organization and a changing healthcare environment. 
• Self-motivated worker who functions effectively in a virtual work environment while being an enthusiastic, collaborative team member.
• Success in fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders, with an emphasis on inclusive and culturally responsive engagement
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and utilize data to determine trends over time to develop plans and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using electronic communications, databases, and Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint). Intermediate Excel skills, including data sorting, conditional formatting, and pivot tables, are essential

Position Specifications

• Full time, exempt position. 
• Hybrid work from a home-based office and travel to medical clinics in their assigned geography 
• Candidates must reside in the Rogue Valley, OR (greater Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland area). 
• The role requires regular day and overnight travel throughout an assigned region to attend team retreats, site visits, and meetings in Oregon and Washington.
• In addition there are up to two national meetings a year that also require travel. 
• Valid driver's license and access to personal vehicle for reimbursed work travel is required.
• While Reach Out and Reach does not currently require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Reach Out and Read program sites may require vaccinations and will consequently require the individual in this role to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to perform the duties of the position.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary will be competitive with similar roles at non-profit organizations of comparable size, and you will receive a robust benefits package. The salary range for this position is $63,000-$68,000. We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid time off, and more.

Commitment to Diversity
Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.

About Reach Out and Read

Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization working to ensure all families have the opportunity to create meaningful everyday moments through shared reading aloud and building relationships. By leveraging pediatric care to champion the positive effects of reading daily and distributing books, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.4 million children across the county – half of whom identify as BIPOC and two-thirds of whom come from low-income families. 

Reach Out and Read's tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five. The daily practice of reading aloud with a parent supports children's literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Working together with our sites and providers, we leverage our three decades of expertise, build on our literacy foundations, and engage our shared networks as a catalyst for change, focusing on equitably strengthening and deepening our impact on the children, families, and communities we serve. 

The Impact:

• Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,200 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
• Reach Out and Read serves 4.4 million children and their families annually.
• More than 7.1 million new, developmentally appropriate books are integrated into well child visits with families annually.
• 36,000 clinicians currently participate in Reach Out and Read
• Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development.

To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org. 

ROR is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please email HR @ reachoutandread.org and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.