Statewide Director of Community Engagement

Position Summary

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation seeks a Statewide Director of Community Engagement who will create opportunities for the Foundation to serve as a leader and trusted partner in solving New York’s complex community health challenges. The ideal candidate will be an experienced community organizer and manager with a blended background in both New York State government and nonprofit leadership. This Director will have the ability to navigate public systems and community networks in a way that will advance the Foundation’s mission of providing grants to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of diverse communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.

Reporting to the Vice President of Communications and Engagement, the Director will develop and implement strategic initiatives that: Provide community members with meaningful opportunities for engagement with the Foundation and other partners; Create forums for community members to learn about emerging community health needs; Organize events and represent the Foundation in public settings; Lead, motivate, and develop the Community Engagement team, strengthening individual capabilities and evolving the team into a high-performing, mission-aligned unit.

Qualified candidates will have demonstrated experience building community collaborations, strong communications skills, and a deep understanding of the vitality and diversity of New York State—particularly the issues affecting the communities served by the Foundation. Success in this role requires a high level of integrity, sound judgement, and a strong commitment to community service, as well as alignment with the mission and values of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Community Engagement/Partnerships

• Leverage government and nonprofit experience to build strategic relationships with community stakeholders, elected officials, and public agencies across New York State.
• Design and implement feedback mechanisms that inform grantmaking and shape the Foundation’s broader support strategies beyond funding.
• Organize events, campaigns, and programs that build community and foster collaborations to address health challenges facing underserved New Yorkers. Represent the Foundation at community meetings, public forums, and policy discussions, ensuring visibility and credibility across sectors.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of engagement programs, using insights from both government and nonprofit contexts.

Management and Communications

• Collaborate with internal teams to align engagement efforts with organizational goals.
• Together with the communications team, develop and execute communications strategies—including newsletters, alerts, social media, and reports—to support internal and external collaborations and engagement.
• Supervise and mentor four Community Engagement professionals, managing day-to-day operations and nurturing team growth.
• Create and implement a team development plan to build skills in community engagement, regional health knowledge, and strategic collaboration.
• Support professional development by creating opportunities for the Community Engagement team to deepen their understanding of New York’s regional demographics and emerging health needs across the 10 Empire State Development Regions.
• Foster a team culture of continuous learning and shared ownership, encouraging innovation and cross-regional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required—advanced degree in public health, political science, public administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in community-building and organizing within New York State government and non-profit sectors.
• Proven leadership with excellent critical thinking, decision-making, management, and team-building skills.
• Deep understanding of New York’s healthcare landscape, elected officials, and policy environment.
• Expertise with digital communication and project management tools such as Asana and Salesforce.
• Exceptional oral and written communications abilities, including effective listening and presentation skills for diverse audiences.
• Comfort and fluency with professional use of social media.
• Strong organizational skills, high attention to detail, and the ability to multi-task.
• Comfort with working efficiently and effectively in a remote environment as this role requires state-wide travel while managing a team.
• Experience working with culturally diverse stakeholders and communities.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and working relationship skills as well as the ability to work independently.
• Familiarity with customer relationship management strategies and systems.
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities.
• Willingness to travel periodically across New York State.

About the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation was formed in 2018 and is organized as a New York not-for-profit corporation and as a 501(c)(3) private foundation under the Internal Revenue Code. MCHF has a $3.5 billion asset base and distributes approximately $150 million in annual grant awards.

Based on the dignity of the human person and guided by the principles of justice, compassion, and solidarity, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation focuses its efforts to provide for the health and well-being of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of diverse communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.

MCHF operates in accordance with the ethical principles, tenets, and teachings of the Roman Catholic faith — it exists to help New Yorkers of all faiths or no faith at all. Through the proper stewardship of its resources, the Foundation’s work is motivated by the example of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, who worked tirelessly toward social justice and dedicated her life in service to the poor.

Core Values

In the concrete engagement of the mission in both individual and organizational performance, staff culture is grounded by the following core values: Health | Preferential Option for the Poor | Community | Dignity | Justice | Compassion | Stewardship | Servant Leadership

The Foundation’s diverse staff shares a commitment to promote these core values which inform the flourishing of the lived culture and mission of the Foundation to build a brighter future for generations of all New Yorkers.

Job Location

This is a full-time, 40-hour/week hybrid position based in New York City. The role requires on-site presence at MCHF’s NYC office at least three days per week. Occasional travel across the state of New York is expected, along with evening and weekend work as job duties demand.

Compensation:

Salary in the range of $200,000k to $250,000k plus benefits.

Conditions and Requirements

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation will provide any reasonable accommodation required to perform the essential duties of this role.

EEO and Diversity Statements

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. MCHF is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, discipline, terminations, layoff, leaves of absence, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. All employment decisions at MCHF are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, family or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. MCHF will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is committed to diversity and encourages applicants of all ages and backgrounds. Members of underrepresented communities are especially encouraged to apply. We recognize and value lived experience as an important asset, and welcome candidates whose personal journeys and perspectives enrich our mission, in addition to their professional qualifications.

MCHF is also committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, MCHF will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Human Resources at hr@cabrinihealth.org.

For more information on MCHF, visit www.cabrinihealth.org