Senior Manager, PIC, NBHN

Position Summary

The Practice Improvement and Consulting Department (PIC) is central to the National Council's goal of providing timely and meaningful technical assistance and consulting to community mental health and substance use services organizations and other key stakeholders.?

The Senior Manager, PIC will play a crucial role in the Practice Improvement and Consulting (PIC) Department, managing complex projects to achieve strategic goals. This position requires a highly skilled individual with a proven record of effectively managing project planning and execution, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and delivering high-quality results.

This is a project management role (75%), in addition to a supervisory role (25%) with direct reports. While this position can be done remotely from anywhere in the U.S., you may occasionally travel to our Washington, D.C. office. Business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

Project Summary

This position within the PIC department will serve as a leading Project Manager on multiple projects funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically focused on youth and adult tobacco control programs. In addition to project efforts, this position will also serve as a supervisor to staff in PIC. Key projects include:

• National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco & Cancer Control (NBHN): A CDC National Network that addresses tobacco- and cancer-related disparities among individuals with mental health or substance use challenges, serving as a resource hub for health and public health professionals.
• Youth Tobacco Control & Mental Health Policy Initiatives: Funded by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, this project advances local, state, and national policies to reduce flavored tobacco use among youth and young adults with MH/SU challenges.

This position is contingent upon continued project funding. After the end of these initiatives (December 2026 for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and September 2028 for the NBHN project), or if there are changes in project funding, this position will be shifted to support additional projects in the PIC department as needed.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Development & Capacity Building

• Partner with the Director, PIC cohort and PIC leadership to strengthen department infrastructure. This may include developing and updating policies, procedures, templates, and operational standards that enhance efficiency and clarity.
• Create scalable staff development frameworks that build long-term departmental capacity in project management, facilitation, and supervisory skills.
• Evaluate internal workflows and recommend improvements to optimize team functioning and operational effectiveness.
• Champion a department-wide culture of learning through internal communities of practice, skill-building workshops, and cross-project coaching opportunities.
• Participate in organization-wide or department-wide leadership trainings as needed.
• Support interviewing and onboarding for new hires and new positions as needed.

Staff Development & Leadership Growth

• Model and teach best practices in staff management, workflow oversight, cross-team collaboration, and decision-making.
• Develop guidance documents, internal training modules, and management resources to prepare staff for future supervisory roles.
• Create individualized development plans and provide hands-on coaching, shadowing, and stretch assignments to build skills in project oversight, supervision, and operational decision-making.
• Identify high-potential team members and engage them in leadership development activities and cross-departmental workgroups.

Supervision & Performance Management

• Establish strong supervisory relationships through regular check-ins and open communication.
• Create a positive, supportive work environment that values employee well-being, inclusion, and continuous learning.
• Manage conflict effectively and implement resolution strategies to maintain team cohesion.
• Support recruitment and onboarding for assigned projects.
• Collaborate with Project Directors to identify skill gaps, gather feedback, and support growth.
• Develop SMART performance goals aligned with organizational priorities and provide timely, constructive feedback, including during annual reviews.
• Implement performance improvement plans as needed and document progress.

Project Management & Technical Assistance

• Lead the development and implementation of complex project strategies, work plans, timelines, and budgets.
• Develop and refine project management policies, procedures, templates, and SOPs to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Monitor project performance, identify areas for improvement, and ensure adherence to timelines, budgets, quality standards, and funder requirements.
• Conduct regular project reviews and communicate status updates to internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide strategic guidance and coaching to project managers and coordinators on advanced project management techniques, including scoping, risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, and federal grant compliance.
• Coach staff in creating high-quality training materials and technical assistance products.
• Build and manage relationships with subject matter experts.

Quality Monitoring & Improvement

• Develop and implement data and evaluation strategies to ensure accurate and timely data collection, management, and reporting.
• Lead the project management team in applying evaluation and monitoring frameworks, including KPIs and performance metrics.
• Analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and insights that inform decision-making and strategic planning.
• Facilitate the production of regular progress, financial, and evaluation reports using clear data visualization techniques.
• Train and mentor staff on evaluation literacy, dashboard interpretation, and KPI tracking to support continuous quality improvement.
• Create accessible process guides and SOPs for accurate data collection, reporting, and quality assurance practices.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Support relationship building with key stakeholders, including clients, partners, and internal teams.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external partners and consultants.
• Lead development of partner and consultant contracts and scopes of work.
• Monitor partner and consultant performance, ensuring timely deliverables and addressing risks or concerns proactively.

Financial Management

• Manage complex project budgets, including monitoring spend-down, identifying risks and opportunities, and supporting cost allocation strategies.
• Provide guidance to project managers and coordinators in developing and managing project budgets.
• Ensure adherence to financial policies, procedures, and regulations.

Technical Expertise

• Stay current on industry trends, best practices, and tools in project management and supervision.
• Apply technical skills to address complex project challenges and produce high-quality deliverables, including reports, presentations, and training materials.
• Serve as an internal resource for professional development by sharing expertise through structured learning sessions, resource libraries, and peer mentoring.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors' degree in related field required; public health, mental health and substance use services with 4-6 years of project management experience, or Masters' degree with 2-4 years of experience.
• Background in public health, mental health and substance use services or related fields is desirable.
• Familiarity with grant writing and compliance requirements.
• Experience building and managing workplans to meet deadlines and respond to stakeholder needs.
• Experience with data analysis and reporting.
• Experience with in-person and virtual meeting planning and coordination.
• High level proficiency in Microsoft Office-MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Exceptional written, oral, and interpersonal skills.
• Results-oriented with high attention to detail.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in virtual meeting/collaboration, project management, and survey software (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Asana, Survey Monkey, Higher Logic).
• Ability to quickly learn new software platforms and programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with managing and/or supervising (directly or indirectly) individuals or teams in a professional setting is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing training and technical assistance programs in the behavioral health field.
• Experience managing large federal or philanthropy grants and/or contracts with multiple external partners.
• Experience designing and delivering staff training, professional development, or capacity-building programs.
• Experience developing or implementing organizational policies, procedures, or operational frameworks.
• PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or other professional project management-related certification.

Salary & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $98,730 to $120,665. Salary decisions within the range are based on experience, education and internal equity.

The National Council offers a comprehensive benefits package, which includes (but is not limited to):

• Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions after 1 year of service
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick, personal, floating holiday, bereavement and observed federal holidays
• Parental support benefits, including adoption, fertility and surrogacy reimbursement and two weeks paid parental leave
• Free unlimited Relias professional development courses
• Annual professional development and tuition reimbursement funds
• Calm Premium access

About Us

The vision of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone. Despite overwhelming need, nearly 30 million people across the U.S. do not have access to comprehensive, high-quality, affordable mental health and substance use care when they need it.

Founded in 1969, the National Council is a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of nearly 3,200 mental health and substance use prevention, treatment and recovery organizations and the more than 15 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services and supports. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 4.5 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

The National Council is growing to meet this moment. We've more than doubled our dedicated team to 240+ employees since 2020. Although we have office space in Washington, D.C., we operate as a remote-first organization, with employees working from their various locations across the United States.

The National Council is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We embrace individuals from all backgrounds and perspectives, welcoming people of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and ages, as well as veterans, people with disabilities, and those with lived experiences in mental health and substance use challenges to apply. We are committed to fostering a welcoming environment and recruitment process for everyone. If you require accommodation during the application process, please contact us at Recruiter@thenationalcouncil.org.