Program Manager, Suicide Loss Support

Job Title: Program Manager, Suicide Loss Support Organization: SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education)
Location: Bloomington, MN
Reports To: Director of Programs

Scope of Position

The Program Manager, Suicide Loss Support will lead SAVE’s suicide loss support pillar and help expand access to meaningful, compassionate, and evidence-informed support for individuals, families, and communities impacted by suicide loss.
The Program Manager will lead a portfolio of loss support programs and services. This includes serving as a primary point of contact and resource connector for suicide loss survivors who reach out to SAVE; planning and leading SAVE’s annual International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day memorial event; overseeing the HelpMeBounce program partnership with Spare Key; and supervising a full-time Program Coordinator supporting the loss support pillar.
As one component of this work, the Program Manager will serve as an information and technical assistance resource for communities and organizations interested in the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Teams model developed by Dr. Frank Campbell. LOSS Teams are independently established, owned, and operated by the communities they serve. SAVE does not manage, operate, or oversee local teams. SAVE’s role is to help interested communities learn about the model, connect with appropriate training and resources, and think through what it takes to launch and sustain a team.
This position requires a balance of strategic program development, community partnership, direct survivor support, project management, and compassionate leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Provide Support and Connection to Suicide Loss Survivors

• Serve as a primary point of contact for individuals seeking support from SAVE following a suicide loss.
• Respond to survivor inquiries with empathy, compassion, and appropriate boundaries.
• Connect survivors with relevant local, state, and national resources, including support groups, LOSS Teams where they exist, grief resources, crisis resources, and other community supports.
• Maintain appropriate follow-up and referral practices.
• Develop and maintain a current resource network for suicide loss survivors.
• Identify gaps in available resources and opportunities for SAVE to improve support and connection for survivors.
• Ensure survivor interactions are handled with appropriate confidentiality, privacy, cultural responsiveness, and trauma-informed practices.

Lead International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Event

• Plan and execute SAVE’s annual International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day memorial event in November.
• Develop the event strategy, timeline, budget, partnerships, programming, logistics, communications, and volunteer engagement.
• Coordinate with internal SAVE staff and external partners to ensure a meaningful and accessible event.
• Incorporate survivor voice and feedback into event planning.
• Evaluate the event and identify opportunities for improvement and expansion in future years.

Serve as a Resource to Communities Interested in the LOSS Teams Model

• Act as a knowledgeable point of contact for communities and organizations exploring or implementing the LOSS Teams model.
• Provide information, consultation, and referrals, including connection to training and resources associated with the model, without assuming responsibility for the management or operations of local teams.
• Clearly define the scope, expectations, and boundaries of SAVE’s supporting role with each community or organizational partner.
• Build relationships with national, state, and local organizations working in suicide postvention that can support communities pursuing this work.
• Track and evaluate SAVE’s technical assistance activities to ensure they are useful, appropriate, and aligned with SAVE’s mission.

Oversee SAVE’s Partnership with HelpMeBounce (a financial assistance program of Spare Key)

• Review stories for safe messaging best practices submitted by HelpMeBounce participants (Up to 20 per year) and coordinate updates or improvements as needed.
• Monitor program participant numbers, address issues that require attention, and maintain a small budget allotted to the program.

Supervise and Develop the Program Coordinator

• With the Director of Programs’ support, recruit, hire, onboard, supervise, and support one full-time Program Coordinator, Suicide Loss Support.
• Establish clear goals, responsibilities, workplans, and performance expectations.
• Provide regular supervision, coaching, feedback, and professional development.
• Delegate appropriate program coordination, survivor support, administrative, outreach, and event responsibilities.
• Ensure the Program Coordinator’s work aligns with SAVE’s broader suicide loss support strategy.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive, and sustainable team environment.

Program Strategy, Evaluation, and Organizational Collaboration

• Contribute to SAVE’s overall suicide prevention strategy and organizational planning as a member of the Programs team.
• Develop annual goals, objectives, workplans, budgets, and performance measures for the suicide loss support pillar.
• Track program outputs and outcomes and use data and feedback to improve programs.
• Contribute to grant applications, reports, presentations, and other funding-related activities as requested.
• Collaborate with SAVE’s Education and Training, Lethal Means Safety, Advocacy, Communications, Development, and other teams to advance organizational priorities.
• Represent SAVE at relevant conferences, meetings, coalitions, and community events.
• Stay current on suicide bereavement research, survivor support practices, postvention models, and emerging approaches to supporting suicide loss survivors.
• Participate in organizational planning, staff meetings, and other activities as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, public health, psychology, counseling, nonprofit management, community health, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in program management, community engagement, suicide prevention, suicide loss support, behavioral health, public health, social services, or a related field.
• Experience developing or managing community-based programs or initiatives.
• Experience developing partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders.
• Experience supervising, coaching, or managing staff.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with individuals and communities impacted by suicide loss.
• Strong understanding of confidentiality, privacy, professional boundaries, and trauma-informed approaches.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a small nonprofit organization.
• Willingness to travel periodically for meetings, conferences, training, and community engagement.

Preferred

• Experience working directly with suicide loss survivors.
• Experience with LOSS Teams or other suicide postvention programs.
• Experience providing technical assistance, training, or implementation support to community-based organizations.
• Experience working with volunteers and community-based organizations.
• Experience planning and executing community events.
• Knowledge of suicide prevention, postvention, grief, and suicide bereavement research and best practices.
• Experience working in a national nonprofit or multi-site program environment.

Key Competencies

• Compassionate and survivor-centered: Approaches suicide loss with empathy, respect, humility, and an understanding of the complexity of grief.
• Program development: Able to take an emerging idea and build the infrastructure, processes, tools, and partnerships necessary to make it sustainable.
• Technical assistance mindset: Understands that supporting communities means building the capacity of local organizations rather than doing the work for them or directing it.
• Relationship building: Builds trust with survivors, volunteers, community organizations, funders, and professional partners.
• Strategic thinking: Connects day-to-day program activities to SAVE’s larger mission and long-term goals.
• Project management: Can manage multiple projects, timelines, events, and relationships while maintaining attention to detail.
• Boundaried support: Able to provide compassionate support to survivors while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and recognizing when referral or additional support is needed.
• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a growing nonprofit where programs and systems continue to evolve.

Compensation and Benefits

$75,000 to $95,000 annually, commensurate with experience, plus a competitive benefits package, including health and dental insurance, paid time off, and flexible working arrangements. Regular full-time employees at the executive level are eligible for a four-week paid sabbatical after three consecutive years of service, subject to advance approval by the CEO and organizational staffing needs.

To Apply

Phone screens will be conducted on a rolling basis through the position closing date of September 28, 2026. Candidates selected to move forward will be invited to participate in an in-person interview, anticipated to take place in early October. The anticipated start date is mid- to late October 2026.