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About Us

The vision of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone. Despite overwhelming need, nearly 30 million people across the U.S. do not have access to comprehensive, high-quality, affordable mental health and substance use care when they need it.

Founded in 1969, the National Council is a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of nearly 3,300 mental health and substance use prevention, treatment and recovery organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services and supports. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 3 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

The National Council is growing rapidly to meet this moment; both our budget ($77M) and passionate staff (250+) have grown more than 50% since 2020.

Position Summary

With a genuine commitment to the National Council’s mission and goals, the Strategy Lead, Substance Use (Strategy Lead, SU), in this newly reconfigured role, will: serve as a subject-matter expert to and resource across the National Council; develop medium- and long-term strategies to integrate organization-wide substance use knowledge, approaches and positions; and solidify the organization’s role as a thought leader in the substance use field. A highly visible leader, the Strategy Lead, SU will regularly represent the National Council and its members in advocacy coalitions and public meetings, including with members of Congress, congressional staff and agency and administration officials. Within the National Council organization, this position currently reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and will oversee the work of the Senior Advisor, Substance Use (direct report), with significant collaboration across the organization. Key responsibilities include:

 Substance Use Strategy

• Develop a strategy to increase the quality, accessibility and affordability of SU programs and treatment options in the United States.
• In collaboration with the CEO and Senior Vice President, Public Policy, analyze SU policies and regulations and support shaping federal and state legislative approaches.
• Through field learning/connections, identify future trends that require attention and build anticipatory strategies with the CEO and Senior Vice President, Public Policy and other colleagues.
• Engage and lead the National Council’s Addiction Committee.

• Seek to better understand members’ needs as providers and define approaches that allow them to see a path forward toward improved care and outcomes for those they support.
• Develop annual workplans and an agenda that align with the National Council’s overarching goals.

• Leverage insights gleaned from the Medical Director Institute, members of the National Council and program teams.
• Keep National Council leadership, staff and members current in knowledge of rapidly emerging new treatments and funding approaches.
• Increase understanding, awareness and knowledge of the needs of uninsured and  Medicaid/Medicare recipients with substance use disorders (SUDs) who receive care from Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).

Messaging, Partnerships and External Affairs

• Articulate and represent the National Council’s position on the future of SU prevention, treatment and recovery.

• Facilitate dialogue internally, with member providers and with external stakeholders regarding the SU field – its trends, promising new research and practices, etc. -- while simultaneously representing and refining the National Council’s position.
• Support development of integrated, cohesive mental wellbeing/substance use messaging.
• Represent the National Council and its membership externally, at press conferences, coalition gatherings, etc.
• Spearhead development of papers, events, campaigns or other avenues that anchor the National Council as a leading voice and advocate in SU, in partnership with the SVP, Marketing, Communications and Events.

• Evaluate and qualify potential partnerships (corporate, philanthropic or governmental, and supporting the National Council’s members) that align with the National Council’s medium- and long-term vision for improving SU awareness and care.
• Build and cultivate relationships with external stakeholders, e.g., government agencies, advocacy organizations or coalitions and other associations focused on SU to position the National Council as a deeply engaged partner in advancing SU policy and practice.
• Support development of proposals and RFPs that allow the National Council to advance its substance use strategy and member goals.

 Collaboration and Culture

• Collaborate across the National Council, as both a subject matter expert building a strategy and a collaborative colleague who coaches and advises.
• Provide professional development and mentorship to the Senior Advisor, Substance Use.
• Define substance use project accountability, timelines and deliverables. 
• Support efforts to develop products and tools to support our members and health care in general through technical reports, webinars, blogs, member meetings and annual conferences.
• Promote an organizational culture of excellence, adaptability, efficiency, continuous improvement and innovation.

Qualifications 

• Deep understanding of the substance use field and trends, gained through a significant leadership position in this field, ideally with knowledge at four levels: policy, treatment, practice and through personal/family experience. Additional experience supporting uninsured or underinsured people is a plus.
• Ideally, brings a compelling mix of the following tangible skills:
  • Able to synthesize a broad array of information, research and trends into a cohesive and compelling medium-/long-term strategy.
  • Effectively communicate stories that highlight strategic need and urgency to act across a diverse array of stakeholders.
  • Contribute to the broader work of an organization that incorporates expertise, varied experience and a national scope.
  • Identify and build mutually beneficial partnerships that have advanced access or treatment.
  • Champion a culture of belonging and inclusion.
• Ability to travel up to 30%. 

Leadership Characteristics 

• Passion for the National Council’s mission and vision, with a demonstrated commitment to accessing and providing quality care, preferably with knowledge of the needs of people living with or experiencing substance use challenges.
• An entrepreneurial, future-leaning and innovative mindset.
• Exceptional written, oral, public presentation and interpersonal skills and able to engage colleagues at all levels of an organization, including the board and external stakeholders. 
• Able to facilitate constructive dialogue among stakeholders with a range of views and approaches to SUD.
• An orientation to life-long learning, ideally as a student of leadership (possibly including the work of Patrick Lencioni).
• A collaborative, authentic, high integrity partnership style; able to ensure diverse perspectives are heard.
• Sound judgment and humility as both a thought partner and hands-on decision-maker.