Workforce Program Manager

Position Summary

The Workforce Program Manager serves as the Montana Primary Care Association (MPCA) subject-matter expert on community health center workforce, providing training and technical assistance (T/TA) to member Community Health Centers and Urban Indian Organizations under MPCA's Primary Care Association cooperative agreement. A central focus of the role is advancing Health Professions Education and Training (HP-ET) - helping member health centers build, sustain, and staff clinical training programs - alongside broader support for how they recruit, develop, and retain their teams.

Working across a rural and underserved service area, this position leads the development and delivery of workforce resources, educational programming, and customized technical assistance.

This is a program-management role carrying broad workforce scope. It owns the full workforce portfolio

• HP-ET and clinical training partnerships, strategic relationships, trend and data monitoring, education and technical assistance, day-to-day HR-related member support, and recruitment-and-retention strategy - and aligns all activity with MPCA's strategic goals and grant deliverables. Because workforce needs surface differently across service lines, the role also carries an explicit internal-integration expectation: gathering discipline-specific workforce information directly from health center service line leaders and from the MPCA staff who support those teams. Success depends on relationship-building, practical resource and curriculum development, and the ability to translate statewide workforce data into usable support for individual health centers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Build and Sustain Strategic Relationships (~25%)

• Establish and maintain trusted relationships with member Community Health Centers and Urban Indian Organizations to understand their workforce goals and surface shared trends in recruiting, developing, and retaining staff
• Engage directly and regularly with health center service line leaders - clinical, nursing, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and practice operations - to gather discipline-specific workforce information at the source, rather than working from a single organization-wide or executive-level view
• Maintain standing working relationships with the MPCA staff who support those service lines, including clinical quality, behavioral health and SUD, data and HIT, and outreach and enrollment, so that workforce programming reflects what those teams are hearing from members and so that workforce needs identified elsewhere at MPCA are routed into this portfolio
• Cultivate partnerships with academic institutions, health professional training programs, the State Primary Care Office, work-based learning collaborative, workforce boards, and state, regional, and national organizations to align efforts and advance shared goals
• Partner with academic and clinical training programs to position member health centers as high-quality clinical training environments and expand student and trainee exposure to careers in community health
• Serve as a connector between member health centers and external stakeholders, fostering collaboration to address shared workforce needs

Monitor the Workforce Landscape and Advance HP-ET (~15%)

• Continuously assess member workforce needs to identify gaps and shape relevant programming, resources, and connections
• Identify barriers that prevent member health centers from advancing Health Professions Education and Training, and collect and disseminate evidence-based models and promising practices for sustainable HP-ET - including approaches to sharing costs, faculty, university collaborations, and clinical training sites
• Review and communicate state, national, and county-level workforce data and trends to inform MPCA initiatives and member work plans
• Maintain working expertise in federal and state workforce incentive programs - including the National Health Service Corps, state loan repayment, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations, and J-1 visa waiver programs - and advise member health centers on how to leverage them, connecting them to the State Primary Care Office, which administers provider-placement and loan repayment programs

Develop and Deliver Workforce Education, Resources, and Technical Assistance (~30%)

• Lead the design and delivery of workforce education sessions, learning communities, and toolkits tailored to member needs and grounded in evidence-based or proven, practical strategies
• Provide customized, one-on-one technical assistance to member health centers addressing specific HP-ET, recruitment, retention, and workforce-planning challenges
• Serve as a first-stop resource for the HR-related questions that routinely surface in the Workforce/HR peer group and other member forums - position descriptions and classification, onboarding, performance management, policy and handbook practice, and employee relations - fielding the question, sharing peer practice and available tools, and referring matters that require legal or compliance judgment to employment counsel or other qualified experts. This role is a knowledgeable connector on HR matters; it is not MPCA's internal HR function and does not provide legal advice
• Support the development of clinical training and pipeline programs - such as preceptor training, clinical rotations, and allied-health pathways (e.g., medical assistant, dental assistant, pharmacy technician, and billing and coding) - to grow the health center workforce
• Guide member health centers in developing, delivering, and monitoring strategic workforce plans
• Maintain and continue to develop MPCA's existing workforce program infrastructure, systems, and training curricula, ensuring continuity as the portfolio transitions into this role
• Host MPCA's standing monthly Workforce/HR peer group call, and facilitate session and program evaluations that measure impact and drive continuous improvement
• Capture and amplify member success stories, including "grow your own" and pipeline development initiatives, and develop workforce-related content for MPCA newsletters, social media, and website

Advance Recruitment and Retention Initiatives (~20%)

• Provide T/TA and resources to strengthen recruitment and retention, including workplace-culture and employer-of-choice strategies (value matching, employee messaging and branding, communication, and opportunity initiatives)
• Advise member health centers on employee compensation and benefit strategies, such as healthcare purchasing, gain sharing, and flexible benefit programs
• Build and maintain a practical HR toolkit for member use - sample position descriptions, interview and onboarding materials, stay- and exit-interview guides, and supervisor-development resources
• Establish MPCA's referral network for HR and employment matters, which does not currently exist
• identifying and vetting HR consultants, employment counsel, and relevant state and national resources, and maintaining those relationships so members have a reliable place to be directed when a question exceeds what MPCA can answer.
• Publicize and advise on tuition forgiveness, scholarships, and other incentives (including HPSA designations and the National Health Service Corps), helping centers understand why HPSA scores matter and how incentives affect recruitment and retention
• Steward MPCA's workforce recruitment infrastructure, including the member job board and related tools, and represent MPCA at career fairs, conferences, and recruitment events
• Research and advise on residency, apprenticeship, community health worker, and certification pathways, including feasibility, timing, and implementation approach

Lead Projects, Grants, and Team Integration (~10%)

• Lead and manage workforce projects from initiation through completion - defining goals, resources, timelines, and internal and external teams, and evaluating project impact and return on investment
• Support grants management by providing timely written and verbal reporting against MPCA's cooperative agreement work plan, deliverables, and timelines, and coordinating with staff on submission deadlines, reports, and budgets
• Participate in staff meetings, learning communities, conferences, and MPCA events; complete required documentation within established timeframes

Other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Programs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience (a minimum of five years of directly related experience may substitute for a degree)
• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience in workforce development, healthcare administration, training and education, human resources, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering training, technical assistance, or educational programming for professional audiences
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects independently and to build effective internal and external relationships

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in public health, healthcare administration, education, or a related field
• Understanding of Federally Qualified Health Centers, Urban Indian Organizations, and Health Professions Education and Training (HP-ET)
• Familiarity with HRSA-funded grant environments, work plans, and reporting
• Experience in rural health or frontier healthcare delivery contexts

Core Competencies

Relationship-building and partnership development · Training design and facilitation · Program and project management · Member/customer orientation · Data interpretation and application · Clear written and verbal communication · Sound judgment and discretion

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work autonomously with strong organization and accountability while managing multiple concurrent projects and shifting priorities
• Skilled at building relationships and collaborating across diverse groups, including health center staff, members, partners, and consultants
• Strong facilitation, curriculum-design, and adult-learning skills, including comfort hosting webinars and using web-based learning technology
• Comfort reviewing workforce data and trends to inform recommendations and member work plans
• Working familiarity with core HR practice - hiring, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, and employment policy - sufficient to field member questions confidently and to recognize when to refer out
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities
• Commitment to serving vulnerable and medically underserved rural populations
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; familiarity with SharePoint, Power Automate, and data/reporting tools is an asset; familiarity with use of AI-tools for program management and design.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Remote work environment within Montana, with prolonged periods at a computer, monitor, and keyboard and occasional lifting of lightweight materials. Regular statewide travel to member health centers, including rural communities, is required, with occasional overnight and out-of-state travel [estimate: 20-30%]. A valid driver's license is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: $85,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Benefits package.

This position is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a cooperative agreement. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Benefits: 401k Safe Harbor, Health/Dental/Life Insurance, Paid leave