Project Director

General Summary:

The National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment and the National Dementia Care Collaboratory within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston seeks a Project Director. The National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment (NCAEM), Phase IV: Integrating Elder Mistreatment Prevention and Intervention in Mainstream Health and Social Care for Older Adults. NCAEM is a national initiative designed to embed elder mistreatment (EM) prevention and intervention within mainstream health systems, state aging networks, and Medicare Advantage health plans. The National Dementia Care Collaborative (NDCC) aims to improve access to comprehensive dementia care. The NDCC serves as the coordinating unit for the promotion and expansion of evidence-based comprehensive dementia care.

The Project Director will work with a high degree of independence and in close collaboration with the Principal Investigator(s) and national partners to execute project deliverables as outlined in the project plans. This position in close collaboration with the Principal Investigator(s) is responsible for achieving the activities outlined in the project plan and ensuring adherence to the budgets.

This role requires strong project management and leadership expertise, the ability to engage national stakeholders and advisory board members, and experience translating research into policy and practice.

Examples of Duties:

• Provide executive-level project leadership and operational oversight for two national aging initiatives-the National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment (NCAEM) and the National Dementia Care Collaborative (NDCC)-ensuring successful execution of multi-year strategic workplans, alignment with funder priorities, and achievement of measurable outcomes.
• Serve as the primary operational lead in collaboration with the Principal Investigator(s), translating strategic vision into actionable implementation plans; co-develop project priorities; monitor milestones; proactively identify risks; and implement course corrections as needed.
• Supervise and mentor senior project staff, research associates, consultants, and graduate assistants across initiatives; establish clear roles, manage workloads, and support professional development.
• Oversee budget management and resource allocation in collaboration with Director or Finance, Grant and Operations; monitor expenditures across multiple funding streams; ensure fiscal accountability and compliance with university and foundation requirements.
• Drive integration across aging initiatives, identifying opportunities to align elder mistreatment prevention, dementia care dissemination, payment reform, and health systems transformation efforts to maximize national impact and reduce duplication.
• Ensure high-quality deliverables to funders, including progress reports, strategic summaries, evaluation reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
• Contribute to development efforts including grant applications, partner engagement, and fundraising.
• Maintain correspondence with key partners, sub-awardees, consultants, and funders.

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in public health, health services research, gerontology, public policy, social work, nursing, psychology, or a closely related field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience leading complex, multi-site research, dissemination, technical assistance, or systems-change initiatives in health care, aging services, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience directing large-scale, grant-funded projects, including responsibility for strategic planning, implementation oversight, performance monitoring, and funder reporting.
• Significant experience managing interdisciplinary teams, including supervision of professional staff and coordination across institutional and partner organizations.
• Experience working with national stakeholders such as federal agencies (e.g., CMS, ACL, NIH), health systems, physician groups, community-based organizations, advocacy organizations, or professional associations.
• Demonstrated expertise in health systems change, implementation science, quality improvement, payment reform, or dissemination of evidence-based models.
• Proven ability to oversee budgets and manage multiple funding streams in collaboration with finance and sponsored programs offices.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including preparation of reports for funders, policy briefs, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations for national audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and strategic decision-making in complex and evolving policy and payment environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with project management and data tracking systems.

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link:

Grade: 34

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. This is a grant funded position with a current end date of Dec 31, 2027, subject to renewal contingent on funding and university needs.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.