Columbia University
Director, Direct Services
🇺🇸 Hybrid - New York, NY
🕑 Full-Time
💰 $98K - $108K
💻 Other
🗓️ July 16th, 2025
Edtech.com's Summary
Columbia University is hiring a Director, Direct Services. The Director leads strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of early intervention and health education initiatives, manages a team of professional and student staff, and collaborates across university departments to promote student well-being. They also oversee compliance, provide subject matter expertise, and contribute to campus-wide health promotion efforts.
Highlights
- Provide leadership for evidence-informed health education and prevention services.
- Manage teams focused on substance use, mental health, sexual health, peer education, and wellness coaching.
- Supervise professional and student staff, including performance management and training.
- Oversee budgets and administrative operations related to direct services.
- Develop partnerships within Columbia Health and the broader university community.
- Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and university policies.
- Conduct assessment, evaluation, and research on health promotion services.
- Required: Bachelor’s degree in public health or related field, 5+ years of relevant experience, budget and personnel management skills, strong communication, and proficiency in Microsoft Office and Windows environment.
- Preferred: Master’s degree, CHES/MCHES or CPH certification eligibility, NBC-HWC eligibility, project management, website content management, marketing, evaluation, and grant writing experience.
- Salary range: $98,000 - $108,000 annually.
Director, Direct Services Full Description
- Job Type: Officer of Administration
- Regular/Temporary: Regular
- Hours Per Week: 35
- Building: John Jay Hall
- Salary Range: $98,000 - $108,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Senior Executive Director, the Director will provide strategic leadership and daily oversight of Alice! Direct Services and manage a team of professional staff along with graduate and undergraduate student staff. The Director will work with the Senior Executive Director to provide subject matter expertise, vision, advocacy, planning, implementation, promotion, evaluation, and reporting for early intervention strategies and health education initiatives. The incumbent will facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-informed initiatives to address priority health issues among undergraduate, graduate, professional, non-degree, and visiting students. The Director will initiate and contribute guidance and leadership to campus-wide efforts to address compliance with federal and state regulations and University policies and procedures. The Director and their team will create initiatives and strategies focused on connecting students to information and resources and building student self-efficacy through individual and small group education, advocacy, and coaching. The Director will develop partnerships across Columbia Health and Columbia University to build a healthier community. The Director, along with the Director of Well-being and Health Promotion, will assume operational leadership for Alice! Health Promotion in the absence of the Senior Executive Director.
This is an essential, on-site role that require some evening and weekend hours. Some hybrid work options may be considered.
Responsibilities
Health Education and Prevention Services (40%)
- Lead strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of evidence- informed, student-centered, equity-minded indicated and selective health education and prevention services.
- Lead teams focused on substance use and recovery, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, resource navigationa nd wayfinding peer education, and wellness coaching.
- In partnership with the Senior Executive Director, develop a comprehensive approach for indicated and selective health education and prevention services that complements other resources available through Columbia Health.
- Identify opportunities to expand and re-envision existing resources as tools to better support and increase access to services, information, and resources.
- Manage the training of health education and prevention service (e.g., Wellness Coaching, BASICS, Tobacco/Nicotine Cessation, Naloxone, and health education visits) providers.
- Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of a peer health education program in partnership with Health Promotion Specialists.
- Work with Resource Specialist to streamline referral and triage processes for health education and prevention services.
- Partner with Heath Promotion Specialist to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives for students in recovery.
- Provide trainings, with the Well-being & Coaching Specialist, on the Wellness Coaching program and for the Well-being Advocates.
- Partner with the Well-being & Coaching Specialist to implement and evaluate the Wellness Coaching program.
- In collaboration with Health Promotion Specialists manage the sexual and reproductive health peer advocacy program.
- Manage the creation and maintenance of infrastructure for training Columbia Health and Columbia University staff in accessing and referring to health education and prevention services.
- Oversee development and implementation of evidence-informed, student-centered, and equity-minded workshops and trainings to increase students’ knowledge and skills related to priority health topics.
- Conduct ongoing evaluation efforts to ensure services are best meeting students’ needs.
- Generate regular and annual reports documenting health education and prevention services requested and provided as well as health concerns impacting students.
- Regularly review, update, and introduce policies to govern the delivery of health education and prevention services in accordance with requisite federal and state regulations and professional guidelines for service delivery.
- Assist with the delivery of health education and prevention services.
Staff supervision and administration (30%)
- In partnership with the Senior Executive Director and Manager-Alice! Operations, supervise all business functions for direct services activities, including monitoring budget and expenditures.
- Assume functional and procedural supervision including performance management, mentoring, training, scheduling, and oversight of direct reports.
- Identify professional development for team members, including assessing needs of staff and coordinating trainings in collaboration with other departments.
- In partnership with the Senior Executive Director and the Director of Well-being and Health Promotion, lead strategic planning efforts for the department.
- Manage staffing related human resources activities including recruitment, interviewing, hiring, and orienting new staff.
- Ensure that documentation, management, and retention of health information obtained via health education and prevention services are in alignment with the highest confidentiality standards.
- In partnership with Manager of Operations, develop and maintain streamlined infrastructure for utilizing electronic health records for health behavior services.
- Partner with web developers and Columbia Health IT to ensure electronic health record functionality.
- In conjunction with the Manager, Research & Grants seek funding and professional collaboration opportunities for health promotion activities; Research and prepare grant proposals and development proposals for submission to funding agencies.
- Provide training on direct services and other professional development as needed.
Community engagement and capacity building (20%)
- Consult with and cultivate collaborative programs and working relationships with constituencies within Columbia Health and across the campus community.
- Develop collaborative working relationship with schools and departments within the University and outside organizations as appropriate to facilitate Direct Service initiatives.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders on and off campus to contribute to a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to support student well-being.
- Lead and participate in administrative, committee meetings, and task forces to advance and contribute to the needs of students.
- Serve as subject matter expert for inquiries about health information and health education and prevention services from students, staff, and faculty, referring when appropriate to campus resources or community organizations.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate workflow processes and tracking mechanisms to drive partner and campus stakeholder alignment with vision and action strategies to enhance initiatives.
Assessment, evaluation, and research (5%)
- Design and conduct assessment, evaluation, and research studies about health education and prevention services.
- In collaboration with the Sr. Executive Director and Alice! leadership team identify trends and needs of students, seek feedback from diverse groups, and collaboratively develop health education and prevention strategies to address student needs.
- Identify strategic and innovative opportunities for new initiatives and supports their research, planning, and development.
Perform other duties as assigned (5%)
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required in public health, health education, health promotion or closely related field.
- A minimum of 5 years of related experience, preferably in planning, implementing, and evaluating evidence- and theory-informed health promotion initiatives
- Experience with managing budgets and personnel (professional and student staff)
- Knowledge of health promotion theory-and evidence-informed practice, and ability to translate and apply that theory with a university population, and ability to design health promotion initiatives that reflect the social, cultural, political, and economic diversity of students
- Demonstrated understanding of college students’ development issues, health needs, and interests
- Strong writing, editing, group facilitation, public speaking, and communication skills
- Must be detail-oriented with strong organizational and follow-up skills
- Strong computer skills required, including PC literacy in a Windows environment, Microsoft Office Suite, and ability to learn technology quickly.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in health promotion/education, public health, or other closely related field
- CHES/MCHES or CPH certified (or eligible with intent to become certified)
- NBC-HWC (or eligible with intent to become certified).
- Project management experience
- Experience in web site content production and management, program development, marketing, evaluation, and grant writing
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
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