Director of Health and Social Policy

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or [email protected]. For UNR Med professional job postings, please contact the Office of Professional Recruitment at (775) 784-6778. 

Job Description

The Kenny C. Guinn Center for Policy Priorities seeks qualified applicants for the position of Director of Health and Social Policy.The position is statewide and may be based in either Reno or Las Vegas, Nevada.The Director of Health and Social Policy develops and implements the Guinn Center’s comprehensive education-related policy research and analysis program. In consultation with the Executive Director and the Research Director, the Director of Health and Social Policy develops, conducts, and oversees health and social policy research for the Center. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Builds and maintains policy-related relationships and develops a network of stakeholders in the health and social policy fields at all levels (locally, statewide, and nationally);

• Serves as a spokesperson for all health and social policy-related matters;

• Reviews and develops methodologies to capture policy information for final publication;

• Scopes health-related and social policy research with various partners; and

• Oversees and guides select Guinn Center staff in their work relating to health and social policy.

The Director of Health and Social Policy also performs policy research and related work, including developing and writing research reports and policy briefs, employs mixed-methods in research design, monitors emerging and ongoing federal, state, and local health and social policy issues, and gathers relevant and current research from external partners and academic partners across Nevada and nationwide. Moreover, the Director of Health and Social Policy assists with grant writing and oversees the execution of grants and negotiated contracts, serves as the outreach and media spokesperson when responding to issues relating to health and social policy matters, and presents the results of policy briefs and reports to legislators, government officials, and community groups.

Knowledge of several policy areas and topics in the health and social policy specialty is a must. This includes:

• Health care matters generally, including, but not limited to public health administration, health care financing, maternal and child health, vital statistics, medical and related facilities, health care delivery, communicable diseases, and alcohol and other substance use disorder issues;

• Matters relating to mental health, including, but not limited to mental health facilities, child and senior mental health issues, community mental health programs, persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and applied behavioral analysis; and

• Social and public welfare matters, including, but not limited to, welfare and supportive services, foster care and support for dependent children, services to aging persons, individuals with disabilities, and indigent persons, and certain judicial and criminal justice matters impacting youth, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree and four years of related professional work experience; OR a master's degree and two years of related professional work experience; OR a Doctorate Degree/Juris Doctorate and one year of related professional work experience

Related Experience:

Policy research and analysis; Grant writing and management; Project and program management; Employee supervision and evaluation

Schedule

Occasional travel is required

Licensure

A valid driver’s license 

Compensation Grade

Administrative Faculty – C

The anticipated salary range for this position is $85,000-$125,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

Remarkable Retirement

Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University.   With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow!  All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada. 

Perks of Working at UNR 

• Health insurance options including dental and vision -Health Insurance

• Generous annual, sick leave, long term disability and life insurance –Faculty Benefits

• E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offersannual or semester memberships and spouse/domestic partner membership options.E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center

• Reno is proud to be a University town! Many local businesses offer discounts to WolfCard holders

• Mountain EAPsupports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.

• Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University.Faculty Senate

• No state income tax!

Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner. Faculty Grants-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada.Dual Career Assistance Program

About the Guinn Center
TheKenny C. Guinn Center for Policy Prioritiesis a nonprofit, independent, statewide, nonpartisan policy research center that seeks data-driven policy solutions and well-researched best practices in numerous topic areas important to the State of Nevada and the Intermountain West region. The Guinn Center is affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno, with researchers and collaborative partnerships at NSHE institutions across the state.

Since its inception in 2013, the Guinn Center has published over 150 policy reports on taxation, fiscal management, education, health care, social concerns, economic development, workforce development, governance, climate, and energy. The Center analyzes key issues, collaborates with stakeholders, and evaluates policy solutions implemented in other states to offer concise, practical, and sound policy recommendations for the public, the Nevada Legislature, and other government agencies. 

Contact Information

Exempt

Yes

Full-Time Equivalent

100.0%

Required Attachment(s)

Please note, once you submit your application, the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at 

Please attach the following documents to your application 

1) Resume/CV

2) Cover Letter

3) Contact Information for three professional references

This posting is open until filled

Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. This search will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received, or a hiring decision has been made.

Posting Close Date

Note to Applicant

A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes). 

About Us

The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.

Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”

Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.

The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.

Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.

Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.

The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.

For more information, please visit the University’s website.

University of Nevada, Reno