Manager, THRIVE Institute

Description:
Job Description Summary:
The Manager of the THRIVE Institute provides programmatic and operational leadership for the Trauma-Informed Health Education, Research and Innovation on Violence and Exploitation (THRIVE) Institute within Samuel Merritt University’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE). Reporting to the Director of the Center for Community Engagement, this position leads the day-to-day implementation of THRIVE initiatives and serves as a key lead for grant management, community and institutional partnerships, and program execution and evaluation.
The Manager coordinates a portfolio of grant-funded and community-engaged initiatives focused on human trafficking prevention and response, trauma-informed healthcare, violence and exploitation, survivor-centered care, birth equity, workforce education, simulation, community services, and research and dissemination.
The position works closely with faculty, students, community-based organizations, healthcare systems, survivor-serving organizations, government agencies, funders, and internal university partners to ensure projects are implemented on time, within scope, and in alignment with funding requirements and the Institute’s mission.
Duties and Responsibilities:
45% Program Management
● Lead day-to-day management and implementation of THRIVE Institute programs; Coordinate implementation of programs across THRIVE’s core areas, including education and workforce development, simulation, community services, birth equity, research and dissemination, and scholarships.
● Develop and maintain project workplans, timelines, deliverable trackers, implementation calendars, and systems to ensure grant and program requirements are completed accurately and on time.
● Monitor grant milestones, scopes of work, participant targets, subrecipient and consultant deliverables, and other performance requirements across the Institute’s portfolio.
● Partner with CCE leadership, Finance, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to monitor project budgets, expenditures, invoicing, and compliance with grant and institutional requirements.
● Oversee logistics and implementation for professional trainings, student education, community programs, simulation activities, workshops, conferences, and special initiatives.
● Coordinate the work of faculty fellows, student fellows, student employees, interns, consultants, contractors, and other project personnel, as assigned.
● Identify implementation barriers, resolve operational issues, and recommend improvements to strengthen program quality, efficiency, and sustainability.
● Support development of new proposals, scopes of work, budgets, partnership plans, and other materials to grow and sustain THRIVE programming.
● Recruit, onboard, supervise, and support THRIVE Institute Faculty Fellows, including establishing scopes of work, coordinating deliverables and timelines, facilitating collaboration across programs, and ensuring fellow activities align with Institute priorities and grant requirements.
25% Partnership and Institute Operations
● Serve as a primary relationship manager for designated THRIVE community, healthcare, government, academic, and survivor-serving partners.
● Cultivate and maintain effective, mutually beneficial relationships with community-based organizations, healthcare systems, public agencies, survivor leaders, funders, and other stakeholders.
● Coordinate partnership meetings, advisory groups, workgroups, and collaborative planning processes; document decisions, action items, and follow-up responsibilities.
● Work with partners to develop and implement referral pathways, training collaborations, clinical or community placements, behavioral health initiatives, perinatal and birth equity programming, and other coordinated services.
● Coordinate human trafficking prevention and response education for current and future healthcare professionals, including practitioner trainings, student education, faculty development, continuing education, and train-the-trainer initiatives.
● Support development and expansion of trauma-informed and survivor-centered simulation-based education in collaboration with the Health Sciences Simulation Center and academic programs.
● Facilitate cross-university collaboration among faculty, staff, students, academic programs, the Health Sciences Simulation Center, Finance, Research and Sponsored Programs, Marketing and Communications, and other units involved in THRIVE initiatives.
● Ensure Institute programming reflects trauma-informed, survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and community-driven principles and incorporates survivor and community expertise in meaningful ways.
● Represent the THRIVE Institute and CCE at university, community, regional, and professional meetings and events.
● Contribute to strategic planning and operational systems that support the long-term growth, visibility, and sustainability of the Institute.
20% Evaluation, Reporting and Dissemination
● Lead systems for collection, management, and analysis of program and grant data, including participation, reach, outputs, outcomes, and partner engagement.
● Develop and maintain evaluation tools, tracking systems, surveys, dashboards, and reporting processes in collaboration with faculty, evaluators, and project partners.
● Use quantitative and qualitative data to assess program effectiveness, identify trends, support continuous quality improvement, and inform programmatic decisions.
● Coordinate preparation of evaluation summaries, impact reports, funder reports, presentations, and other internal and external communications about Institute outcomes.
● Support research and dissemination activities, including abstracts, posters, manuscripts, conference presentations, toolkits, case studies, and other scholarly or professional products.
● Ensure evaluation and reporting practices appropriately reflect trauma-informed, ethical, and community-engaged approaches, particularly when working with sensitive data or populations impacted by violence and exploitation.
10% Administration and Other Duties
● Participate in Center for Community Engagement planning, team meetings, university committees, events, and strategic initiatives.
● Maintain current knowledge of emerging practices and research related to human trafficking, trauma-informed care, violence prevention, survivor-centered services, healthcare education, evaluation, and community engagement.
● Assist with communications, presentations, outreach materials, and stakeholder updates that increase awareness of THRIVE programs and impact.
● Perform other duties as assigned.
Skills and Abilities:
● Strong grant and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives, funding streams, partners, deadlines, and deliverables simultaneously.
● Demonstrated ability to build and sustain collaborative relationships across academic, healthcare, government, nonprofit, and community settings.
● Experience with program evaluation, data collection, outcome tracking, quality improvement, and preparation of reports for funders and organizational leadership.
● Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail, documentation, timelines, compliance requirements, and follow-through.
● Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with faculty, students, healthcare professionals, community organizations, survivors, government agencies, funders, and university leadership.
● Ability to facilitate meetings, coordinate collaborative projects, manage competing priorities, and move complex work from planning through implementation and evaluation.
● Knowledge of trauma-informed, survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and community-engaged approaches.
● Ability to work effectively and sensitively with individuals and communities impacted by trauma, violence, trafficking, exploitation, and health inequities.
● Ability to exercise discretion, sound professional judgment, diplomacy, and appropriate confidentiality when working with sensitive information and subject matter.
● Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of interdisciplinary and interprofessional teams.
● Ability to develop and facilitate trainings, presentations, workshops, or educational programming for diverse audiences.
● Strong problem-solving skills and ability to adapt programs based on data, participant feedback, partner needs, and changing project requirements.
● Proficiency with standard office, data management, and project management technology, with the ability to learn university systems.
● Ability to travel to other SMU campuses and community partner locations as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education and/or Experience:
● Bachelor’s degree in public health, social work, nursing, healthcare administration, education, community health, psychology, public administration, sociology, or a related field required.
● Preferred: Master’s degree in public health, social work, healthcare administration, education, nursing, sociology, or a related field preferred.
● Minimum of three years of progressively responsible

Skills
Project Management, Documentation