Chief Program Officer

RIZE Massachusetts (RIZE) is an independent nonprofit foundation working to end the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts and reduce its devastating impact on people, communities, and the economy. Partnering with the President & CEO, the Chief Program Officer (CPO) will lead and manage strategic growth of RIZE’s grantmaking and programmatic initiatives, helping scale the foundation’s efforts to achieve its vision of zero stigma and zero deaths. This new position will ensure bold, effective investments in meaningful, evidence-based solutions that will save lives and reduce harm.

 

As a champion of strategic grantmaking, the CPO will bring thought leadership to a board-level program strategy committee, and work collaboratively with external partners and organizations to gain exposure and buy-in for maximum mission impact. Key areas of focus are program leadership, external relationship building, and knowledge management.

 

As a contributing member of RIZE’s executive team, the CPO will embrace the following core values: be willing to disrupt status quo approaches to opioid use disorder (OUD), improving results and building evidence for sustainable, scalable approaches; promote independence and impartiality; embed learning and evaluation in all work; collaborate with public and private stakeholders to facilitate a coordinated approach to addressing the opioid crisis; foster diversity and inclusion ensuring that those with lived addiction experience are members of teams and partnerships.

 

The ideal candidate is a seasoned program officer with a demonstrated history of innovative program design and implementation, knowledge of social and behavioral health issues and systems (ideally in the area of substance use disorders), community engagement, and strategic resource allocation. Other criteria include: excellent analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills; ability to innovate, with capacity to create or seize opportunities to improve program effectiveness and organizational outcomes; being an effective relationship-builder with superb interpersonal skills and an authentic comfort with a wide range of individuals and groups; able to listen, consider, and assimilate input and offer plans, solutions, deliverables that align interests; persuasive, credible, and polished communicator with solid writing and editing skills, comfortable serving as an external “face” with stakeholders. 

 

BA/BS, Masters preferred in public health, public/nonprofit administration, or related field with 8-10 years’ progressive management experience; experience with program planning and operations, grantmaking, and/or foundations; experience developing and maintaining substantial relationships and successfully working with diverse groups and populations; experience working with budgets, plans, timetables, and deliverables in an outcomes-driven environment.