Senior Director, Syndemic Approaches

NASTAD is a leading non-partisan, non-profit association that represents public health officials who administer HIV and hepatitis programs in the U.S. Our mission is to advance the health and dignity of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics by strengthening governmental public health systems and leveraging community partnerships. Our vision is a world committed to ending HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics. 

NASTAD represents public health officials in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, seven local jurisdictions, and the U.S. Pacific Island jurisdictions.

Job Description

NASTAD seeks a visionary leader with exceptional management and collaboration skills to lead and grow its Syndemic Approaches portfolio, which includes Drug User Health, Hepatitis, and HIV Prevention. This role will lead NASTAD in developing a vision and strategy for implementing syndemic approaches to HIV in public health, oversee more than $18 million in complex braided funding, and expand and diversify the portfolio in a sustainable way. 

The Senior Director, Syndemic Approaches will also lead NASTAD’s approach to collaboratively integrating syndemics work throughout the organization. This includes big-picture thinking, stakeholder alignment, strategic planning, and managing implementation projects, timelines, and workflows that build concrete deliverables and measurable results. Ideal candidates will demonstrate their ability to uphold NASTAD values while navigating a dynamic political landscape. 

The Senior Director, Syndemic Approaches will supervise a large staff, including the Drug User Health team, the Hepatitis team, the HIV Prevention team, and syndemic technical assistance staff. 

Essential Duties:

• Lead the collaborative development of a vision and strategy for NASTAD’s Syndemic Approaches portfolio of work, advancing people-centered integrated approaches to HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, drug user health, and other intersecting public health priorities. 

• Establish and drive a cohesive vision for syndemic approaches, translating emerging public health needs, evidence, and opportunities into organizational strategy and action. 

• Lead integration across teams, funding streams, and work products to strengthen coordination, reduce fragmentation, and maximize collective impact. 

• Coach and develop Directors and Associate Directors to excel in their roles, build their leadership skills, and facilitate their ability to develop and implement a vision and strategic priorities for their teams. 

• Ensure strong collaboration, accountability, innovation, and shared ownership across teams.

• Lead the development and management of complex budgets and staffing models. 

• Ensure NASTAD’s syndemic work remains responsive to the evolving needs of state, territorial, and local health departments and strengthens integrated approaches within governmental public health. 

• Provide strategic oversight of major federal cooperative agreements, grants, and initiatives within the syndemic portfolio, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and intended outcomes. Serve as principal investigator (PI) on federal grants. 

• Grow and diversify NASTAD’s portfolio of funding by identifying emerging partnerships, funding opportunities, and new areas of work that strengthen the organization’s mission, vision, and strategy. 

• Serve as a senior organizational voice with federal agencies, health departments, funders, national organizations, community partners, and other stakeholders on syndemic and integrated public health approaches. 

• Establish measures of success and use data, evaluation, implementation experience, and stakeholder feedback to assess impact and inform data-driven syndemic strategies. 

Qualifications

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities 

• Cross-cutting subject matter expertise in HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, overdose prevention and drivers of health 

• Strong organizational leadership skills 

• Strong management, supervision, and coaching skills 

• Strong grant writing and new business development skills 

• Highly collaborative by nature and skilled at bringing a wide variety of viewpoints or stakeholders into the decision-making process for projects you own 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment   

• Excellent oral and written communication skills  

• Excellent facilitation and conflict resolution skills 

Experience/Education  

• Bachelor’s degree or higher or any equivalent combination of training, education, and experience that demonstrates the candidate’s ability to perform the position’s duties 

• At least 15 years, preferred, of progressive leadership responsibilities and related work experience in syndemic or integrated program approaches, HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, and/or drug user health 

• At least 5 years of experience leading complex federal cooperative agreements 

• At least 5 years of experience supervising large teams of people and managing people-leaders

• Experience managing or working closely with staff across varying disciplines and technical areas 

• Experience working in a governmental public health department, preferred 

NASTAD Competencies 

• Leadership – Integrates in their work and at the team level a strategic vision and critical analysis that optimizes success for projects, staff, and organizational priorities as applicable. 

• Communications – Strategically communicates internally and externally in a transparent, concise, respectful, and trauma-informed manner; simplifies complicated concepts and communicates them regardless of the situation or audience. 

• Teamwork –Proactively contributes toward the completion of team tasks and team building. Champions a collaborative, and supportive organizational team culture. 

• Reliability and Adaptability –Takes ownership of own objectives and performance. Independently completes tasks in a timely and consistent manner. Adapts to, and integrates in own tasks, changes in work environment, priorities, and organizational needs. 

• Problem-solving and analytical thinking – Takes a solutions-focused approach to problem-solving: identifies a problem, finds the root cause, and structures logical solutions. Able to solve problems by analyzing situations and applying critical thinking to resolve them. 

Additional Information

• Full-time, 40 hours/week role. 
• Willing to travel as needed, up to 30% 
• Remote work is possible. 
• Interest in working with a national HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis public health organization and with the communities most impacted by these epidemics. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and we comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.