Managing Director of Youth Behavioral Health

The Opportunity

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is seeking a Managing Director of Youth Behavioral Health to lead the strategy and implementation of initiatives to ensure children and youth in North Carolina grow up in strong and supportive communities that provide them and their families with the best opportunity to be mentally healthy and thrive.

The Managing Director will work closely with other senior leaders to create an enterprise-wide strategy, partnering with internal teams and external organizations to make a meaningful impact on youth behavioral health through activities that both leverage the tools of the business and demonstrate a high value for prevention and promoting resilience and well-being at the community level. The Managing Director will oversee grantmaking efforts, manage a team, and foster cross-sector collaborations to achieve the organization's goal of improving youth mental health.

Learn more about the Foundation’s youth mental health approach at https://www.bcbsncfoundation.org/grants-programs/current-opportunities/….

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Partnership

• Design and implement a stakeholder-informed and purpose-driven strategy that leverages tools of the Foundation and company including grantmaking, convening, partner development, and the business to improve youth behavioral health and resiliency in NC.
• Partner with leaders across Blue Cross NC to lead an enterprise-wide strategy that leverages all assets of the company, including data, volunteerism, and products and services, to improve youth mental health and wellbeing.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, tracking and monitoring best practices in youth behavioral health, resiliency, and trauma-informed care.

Grantmaking & Program Management

• Manage a team that supports and develops a dynamic portfolio of grants, contracts, and consultant relationships.
• Manage grantmaking activities, including designing relevant funding opportunities and soliciting, reviewing, and awarding grants to organizations aligned with strategic priorities.
• Engage directly with grantees to support their work through capacity building, thought partnership, connections to resources, and facilitating introductions to support their goals.
•  Work with a team to develop feedback loops to monitor and assess the progress and impact of programs and other strategies to share learning and provide insights for program improvement and decision-making.

Budget Oversight

• Oversee the budget and policy compliance for assigned programs, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and adherence to financial guidelines and policies. Cross-Sector Collaboration
• Build and leverage cross-sector relationships to identify and promote collaborative efforts and coalitions to advance solutions across the state. Build and exercise deep connections and collaboration with community and state leaders including potential applicants, grantees, advocates, policy makers, and other funders working in the field.
• Coordinate with partners in the business to leverage enterprise resources.
• Collaborate with partners in the business on communications and convenings to support Youth Behavioral Health.
• Partner with the business to improve products and services to increase access to high quality care.
• Represent the organization at community events, conferences, and forums related to our mission to improve health for all.

Team Leadership

• Develop project plans and recommendations in support of the company and Foundation’s objectives. Lead implementation and track and report on the status of projects.
• Manage and support a team of two, providing guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to ensure success in meeting organizational goals.

The Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a leader who will thrive in and contribute to a collaborative environment, working cross-functionally and across leaders at the Foundation and Blue Cross NC and with a network of grantees, organizations in the field, business leaders, and other partners to develop, implement, learn from, and refine both grantmaking programs and other enterprise level strategies to transform the conditions and systems that support youth mental health in the state.

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications, skills, and competencies:

• Bachelor's degree with advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in related field; in lieu of degree, 12+ years of experience in related field
• Leadership experience managing teams, programs, and multi-stakeholder collaborations
• Background in grantmaking, public health, health promotion, or community health strongly preferred
• Experience in a corporate environment or working with the private sector
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing cross-department or cross-sector initiatives or strategies
• Strong communication and storytelling skills
• Strong strategy and project management skills
• Excellent PowerPoint and Excel skills
• Outstanding judgement and independent decision making

While this position is remote, the selected candidate must live in or relocate to North Carolina.

About Blue Cross NC Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is a private, charitable foundation established as an independent entity by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in 2000. Over the past two decades the Foundation has invested more than $200 million in North Carolina through grants, collaborations, and special initiatives. The Foundation established a new focus on Youth Mental Health in 2024.

The Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of everyone in North Carolina, with a vision to help make NC one of the healthiest states in the nation, in a generation.

While there are a number of avenues to becoming a state where everyone has an opportunity to be healthy, the Foundation’s focus in this pursuit is centered on the following:

• Access to Care, so that everyone in North Carolina is connected to, and receives, quality care that allows them to live healthy lives.
• Health Through Food, so that everyone in North Carolina’s health is supported through access to nutritious food.
• Youth Mental Health, Connectedness, and Resilience, so that every young child and youth in North Carolina grows up in strong and supportive environments that provide them with the best opportunity to be mentally healthy and thrive. Want to know more?

Visit the Foundation’s website at https://www.bcbsncfoundation.org/.

How To Apply

Join the Blue Cross NC Foundation and play a critical role in shaping its future while driving impactful change in the community. If you are committed to improving the mental health of youth in NC, we encourage you to apply. 

To apply, click on the link to the Managing Director of Youth Behavioral Health – Blue Cross NC Foundation position profile at https://jobs.armstrongmcguire.com/. You will see instructions for uploading your compelling cover letter, resume, and salary requirements. Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact talent@armstrongmcguire.com.  No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites.

Salary is commensurate with the requirements of the position and begins in the $173K range. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability insurance; voluntary life, accident, and critical illness insurance; 401(k) retirement plan with 3% automatic annual contribution and up to 5% match; prepaid legal services; paid time off plus 2 well-being days; 10 paid holidays; access to health and wellness resources; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy assistance and paid caregiver leave; and tuition reimbursement and career development opportunities.

About Armstrong McGuire

Armstrong McGuire is a leading executive search, fundraising, and strategic advising firm that believes in unlocking the potential of nonprofit leaders and the communities they serve. Founded in 2004, our diverse team of advisors work with clients and leaders to align strategy, optimize operations, build capacity, and lead nationwide searches that bring supremely talented individuals to high-impact organizations. Learn more about our services in talent acquisition, fundraising counsel, and strategic planning.