Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships and Programs

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of individuals suffering from headache and migraine? Do you possess excellent writing and organization skills? The National Headache Foundation (NHF) is seeking a dynamic professional to support our organization in its mission to enhance the healthcare of individuals in the community living with headache and migraine and promote education and access to care and treatment.

About the National Headache Foundation (NHF):

The National Headache Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that for over 50 years has been committed to building bridges needed to ensure that everyone affected by headache and migraine are able to fully engage and thrive in their best lives. Join the National Headache Foundation in cultivating connections and partnerships that inspire action and instill hope.

The National Headache Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and commit ourselves to creating an inclusive environment for everyone.

Summary of Position:

You will be responsible for identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships, optimizing program engagement, and overseeing collaboration outreach that aligns with NHF mission and principles. This position reports to the CEO/Executive Director.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with people, patients, care partners and healthcare practitioners. Creating initiatives that cultivate engagement and empowerment while optimizing patient centered shared decision-making conversations. Connections and initiatives will encompass ensuring awareness, education, advocacy and research opportunities are maximized for people suffering with headache and migraine.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Development and Impact

• Create, manage, and scale initiatives—at various stages of development—to ensure ongoing growth, measurable impact, and alignment with NHF’s mission. Programs include Women’s Health, Migraine University©, and Primary Care Migraine™.
• Project manage all aspects of program execution, including timelines, deliverables, stakeholder communication, and cross-functional coordination.
• Partner with NHF’s marketing team to ensure consistent, strategic promotion of programs and partnerships across digital, print, and live platforms to reach and engage target audiences.
• Lead the development and maintenance of program outreach, events, and resources (such as webinars, toolkits, communications, and educational materials)
• Collaborate with the Military Community Partnerships Lead to ensure programs effectively reach and reflect the experiences of women veterans, civilian families, caregivers, and veteran-connected communities.
• Shape program strategy, secure funding, monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), and report outcomes and impact to internal teams, external partners, and funders.

Partnership Development and Relationships

• Lead and oversee all aspects of outreach partnerships and programs that are focused on the balance between people, patients, care partners and loved ones and healthcare practitioners focused on patient-centered principles.
• Identify and manage mission-aligned nonprofit and for-profit partners, coordinating with the CEO as needed, and lead partner calls and virtual meetings
• Cultivate and manage relationships that advance NHF’s mission to support the broader headache community, including collaborating on initiatives, events, and/or educational campaigns.
• Maintain and update database; coordinate with leadership to ensure accurate tracking of outreach, communications, and partnership outcomes.
• Partner with Finance and Operations lead in managing the salesforce.org NHF database and optimizing the existing and future opportunities of this database.

Organizational Strategy and Team Support

• Serve as a key advisor and operational partner to the CEO in support of high-level organizational planning, internal alignment, and cross-departmental initiatives.
• Collaborate with staff to define annual goals, monitor progress, and identify opportunities to streamline systems and workflows.
• Support internal communication and alignment across NHF’s mission-driven departments and initiatives.
• Help build a collaborative, results-driven team culture and contribute to onboarding, mentoring, and—eventually—supervising team members and contractors.
• Collaborate with the CEO to seek funding opportunities that will help sustain and grow key programs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
• Demonstrated organizational and project management skills, meeting deadlines, attention to detail, and working well with a sense of urgency.
• Proven record of successfully developing and managing external for-profit and non-profit partnerships
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans aligned with the vision, mission, and focus of the NHF.
• Experience leading, managing, or collaborating with teams, staff, or external partners
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, management, technology, and public speaking skills, with the ability to engage diverse internal and external stakeholders effectively.
• Demonstrated experience in leading initiatives and working independently.
• Data-driven mindset with proficiency in executing KPI strategy, impact, and data analysis.
• Willingness and ability to travel, including overnight stays.
• Computer skills, including Word, Excel, Zoom (or other webinar software), etc.
• Ability to lift 30-50lbs for event set up.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in healthcare patient advocacy relations or healthcare practitioner relations.
• Experience in marketing, including digital marketing, campaign development, public engagement, and promotion of health-related programs to target audiences.
• Understanding of the neurology and/or headache and migraine therapeutic area, with a commitment to improving patient and caregiver navigation to diagnosis, care, and treatment.
• Interest or experience in fundraising and resource development is a plus.

Location Requirements:

This is a Hybrid role – Remote Mondays/Friday and in the office Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. Office is located at 162 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654.