Program Associate, Medicare
Job Description
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE
ADVANCING MEDICARE PROGRAM
THE COMMONWEALTH FUND
THE ORGANIZATION
The Commonwealth Fund — among the first private foundations started by a woman philanthropist, Anna M. Harkness — was established in 1918 with the broad charge to enhance the common good. Today, the mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, and people of color. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. An international program in health policy is designed to stimulate innovative policies and practices in the United States and other industrialized countries.
ADVANCING MEDICARE PROGRAM
For almost 60 years, Medicare has helped older adults and disabled people of all ages obtain the health care they need while protecting them from the financial burden of excessive medical bills. The Commonwealth Fund’s Advancing Medicare program identifies ways in which this crucial program can serve its beneficiaries more effectively, efficiently, and equitably while promoting improvement throughout the health care system.
Medicare has enormous capacity to leverage change in U.S. health care. More than 64 million older adults and disabled Americans access care through the program, many in private health plans that contract with Medicare to offer covered benefits. In all, the program accounts for a large and growing share of the federal budget.
The Fund and its grantees examine how Medicare can:
· Improve the affordability of care for beneficiaries and the federal government.
· Assess whether private plans, including Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap, are providing efficient, effective, and equitable care to Medicare beneficiaries.
· Examine how Medicare can reduce rather than perpetuate inequities in care.
SUMMARY POSITION DESCRIPTION
Reporting to the Vice President, the program associate is the staff member responsible for providing high-level daily programmatic and research support for the Advancing Medicare program. The program associate will be expected to perform a variety of duties ranging from research, writing, and editing blogs, issue briefs, and journal articles to daily administrative and grants management tasks.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
Research and Analysis
§ Contributes regularly and occasionally leads the research and writing for research publications pertinent to the program. This work includes conceptualizing and drafting Fund reports with minimal oversight, analyzing data, preparing tables and charts, and editing grantee publications for content and style.
§ Track policy developments in the Medicare landscape. This work includes attending relevant meetings, conferences, and webinars in support and as a representative of the program, as well as tracking journals, working papers, legislative developments, literature reviews, and public coverage of health policy issues.
Grants Management
- Provide a leadership role in the development of grants, including working with potential grantees to refine proposals and ensure completion of all required documents, working closely with the VP in internal reviews of proposals, and managing all aspects of the grant portfolio independently.
- Manage the drafting of proposed grants summaries, payment and reporting schedules, and letters of agreement; monitor timelines and track grantee products; track grant payments and program budgets; plan meetings, forums or conferences related to grantee work; and prepare memos analyzing completed projects.
- Maintain consistent and regular communication with grantees, including relaying information on the Fund’s goals and strategies, how the awarded grant fits into the Fund’s broader efforts, and how the Fund’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion fits into its work.
- Act as a liaison with the Fund’s Communications staff to ensure the dissemination of all grant products, including: managing the review of draft grantee publications by Fund staff and the promotion of grantee-published articles; tracking products as they progress in the publication process; reviewing and providing program updates to the Fund website as needed; coordinating with grantees and Communications staff to produce webinars, podcasts, and other multimedia to promote grantee work and publicize the program.
General Administrative Responsibilities
- Prepare correspondence to current and prospective grantees, consultants, and experts reviewing proposed projects; assemble and provide materials on Fund programs, projects, and other activities as requested by grantees and other individuals.
- Prepare documents for internal meetings, including the annual program plan, budget meeting, and proposal review meetings. This includes closely monitoring grantee work status and impact throughout the year, internet and library research and assembling materials and detailed information about projects. Produce and prepare materials, including PowerPoint slides, for public and internal presentations.
- Occasionally provide administrative support to the vice president: including the calendar, phone, travel, meetings, expense reports, correspondence, and distribution of program work
The Fund’s philosophy on successful performance in the job includes the willingness on the part of all staff members to handle any assignment necessary to further the goals of the institution. This may include taking on responsibility in other program areas or other job duties if the need arises.
QUALIFICATIONS
· Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree in public health or public policy preferred.
· Three to five years minimum of relevant work experience, preferably in health policy or policy research, and subject expertise in Medicare
· Adept at data visualization
· Strong technical skills, including proficient use of databases and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
· Experience in analyzing and interpreting data
· Meeting management experience
· Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and follow through to effectively manage work and meet multiple tight deadlines. Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
· Excellent written and oral communication skills
· Good judgment and the ability to act independently within standard guidelines
· Flexibility and skill in working as a team member
LOCATION
This position can be based out of our NYC or DC locations. The Commonwealth Fund offers flexible working arrangements. As of May 2022, The Commonwealth Fund Staff are free to work from home up to 3 days per workweek.
The Fund has a relatively small staff, and judgment, integrity, and the ability to listen with sensitivity to others are traits that are particularly important in an organization of the Fund’s size, where teamwork is essential to effectiveness. The ability to work collegially with a variety of Fund staff and interest in and strong commitment to the Fund’s mission and grants programs are key qualifications.