Category: Uncategorized

Job Title: Vice President, Customer Engagement and Operations
Location: Remote
Job Type: Half- to Full-Time
Supervisor: Reports to the President

Job Summary

The NIATx (Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment) Foundation is seeking a dynamic and results-driven professional to lead new client engagement, nurture and expand existing client relationships, and oversee the implementation of NIATx tools into the operations of treatment/recovery programs, as well as health systems.  This multifaceted position requires a strong focus on customer service, effective organizational skills, creative problem-solving, and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in developing growth opportunities; establishing and sustaining client relationships; managing projects; assessing new markets, partnerships, and grant funding; and working with health systems/services, health insurance plans, Federal, State, and Local Healthcare entities, health-related philanthropies, and Federal, State, and Local Healthcare authorities.

Key Responsibilities

The Vice President of Customer Engagement and Operations is responsible for:

• Developing and initiating relationships with new clients, stakeholders, and partners to increase the adoption of NIATx solutions and effectively address clients’ critical delivery system needs.
• Negotiating client engagement contracts on behalf of the President.
• Developing outcome and milestone measures to assess progress toward project deliverables.
• Setting up and monitoring a system for client onboarding by consultants.
• Frequently assessing client satisfaction with NIATx products.
• Obtaining referrals from existing, satisfied clients to expand the reach of NIATx to additional organizations (e.g., community-based providers, health systems, providers, city, county, and state government, etc.).
• Reporting to the President on progress being made relative to client engagement, execution of project strategies, and achievement of project deliverables.
• Serving as a single point of contact for clients to resolve interfaces between client and NIATx staff.
• Representing NIATx at networking events and conferences to increase awareness of NIATx.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree preferred.
• Proven experience in business development and a passion for helping client organizations to grow, succeed, and provide better services.
• Experience with nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and the public sector.
• Engagement scoping and budgeting.
• Familiarity with behavioral health systems and services.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills.

Why Join Us?

• Work in a supportive, collaborative environment where your ideas are valued.
• Develop meaningful projects that make a positive impact on organizations, patients, and communities.
• Work with a wide range of clients, including stand-alone community agencies, healthcare providers, networks of service providers, and State and Federal governmental agencies.

Benefits

• Flexible work environment, including remote work options.
• Opportunity to work with a spectrum of service providers working in diverse settings and across multiple areas of business.
• Competitive compensation package with performance-based bonuses..

Apply Now

Email your resume to niatxfoundation@gmail.com.

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Challenge

Excessive paperwork burden is one of the leading causes of burnout among behavioral health providers, reducing the time they can spend on patient care and creating inefficiencies in the timely delivery of services. Nearly every step in the process of caring for an individual with substance use disorder (SUD) comes with multiple documentation requirements for counselors.

Solution

To address regulatory paperwork challenges, the team of NIATx and Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) has developed a process that evaluates the following types of paperwork-related issues: lengthy intake assessments, duplicate intake questions, duplicate assessments triggered by co-occurring conditions, group therapy requiring multiple entries in different places, and comprehensive assessments repeated upon readmission.

The AHP-NIATx team implemented the following steps to develop recommendations focused on helping the State of Minnesota minimize regulatory paperwork for counselors, while improving SUD systems:

• Assessed the current state of paperwork requirements.
• Conducted an environmental scan of alternative licensing approaches.
• Performed site visits and key informative interviews with stakeholders.
• Reviewed existing statutes and regulations.
• Assessed and mapped processes and requirements.
• Consulted with stakeholder groups.

Outcomes

Once recommendations from the process are implemented, counselors will be less burdened with inefficiencies related to regulatory paperwork, while consumers will have quicker access to treatment and receive more patient-centered treatment. 

Virtual 2-Day Event | April 29-30, 2025 | 9:30 am – 4:30 pm ET

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About the Event

Through partnership with the NIATx Foundation, Train for Change will provide an ASAM Implementation Guide training that helps organizations utilize NIATx’s evidence-based process improvement model to help treatment programs and systems improve care and find a balance between fidelity to standards and the flexibility to meet the needs of patients. This training is essential for leadership to implement the Criteria and make organizational changes that support its fidelity.

Focusing on the NIATx Five Principles, the training provides a science-based foundation for evolving a culture of continuous improvement within the organization, not only for The Criteria but for any improvement or implementation project, Trauma Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, CBT, Decreasing “no shows,” EHR, Treatment Plan Quality, Documentation, etc.

Key Takeaways

Participants will:

• Learn a system of change through the NIATx methods
• Understand how to use the ASAM Criteria Guiding Principles to identify and initiate improvements
• Understand the role of a Change Leader in facilitating implementation and improvement
• Conceptualize how to support the “neutral zone” and how to rethink “resistance”
• Develop strategies for addressing staff needs during implementation and change
• Develop additional expertise and understanding of the ASAM Criteria so they can supervise, educate, and coach others.

This training includes:

• 1 copy of the ASAM Criteria Implementation Guide for each participant
• 1 hour of coaching post-training (must be completed within three months after training completion

Prerequisites

• Completion of a 2-day ASAM Criteria Skill Building Training (3rd or 4th Edition)
• Competency with ASAM Criteria
• Possession of the Third or Fourth Edition of the ASAM Criteria

About the Trainer

Scott Boyles is a licensed addiction counselor, MINT trainer and the Senior National Training Director for Train for Change Inc.® Mr. Boyles has spent more than three decades in the behavioral health field and has many years of experience working with the ASAM Criteria. Mr. Boyles is one of the original early adopters of the ASAM criteria, starting in 1991.Before becoming a full-time trainer, Mr. Boyles used the criteria professionally as a counselor and director. From 2007-2011, Mr. Boyles also served as a member of the ASAM Steering Committee for the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria. He also spent many years as a site reviewer, monitoring programs’ application of the criteria. Mr. Boyles’ experience at all levels of service and observation has enabled him to understand trainees’ needs in both education and application at different levels of the service system. Since 1993, he has trained more than 8,000 people in proper use of the criteria. Mr. Boyles has passion and expertise in system-change approaches to support effective implementation and use of the ASAM criteria. He is well-known for his information, engaging, and entertaining trainings, which include practical, real-world applications.

Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is a challenge in rural settings and communities of color due, in part, to the limited availability of healthcare providers equipped and willing to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Recent discussion has explored the role of pharmacies in enhancing access to MOUD within underserved areas. However, pharmacies face multiple obstacles related to expanded responsibilities in dispensing MOUD, especially in rural and other communities.

To address this issue, the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) funded a study (CTN-0124) to examine the practicality of expanding pharmacy roles in treating OUD in underserved communities.

The NIATx Foundation helped to lead the nine-month engineering systems analysis, assessing the existing system, envisioning an ideal future state, identifying gaps, and highlighting improvement opportunities. The study, Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Helped?, was published in the October 15, 2024 edition of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Challenge

The opioid and other substance use crises remain one of the nation’s most pressing public health challenges. Despite the recognized efficacy of pharmacotherapy, the challenge of implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) persists, with several barriers hindering the successful implementation of medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Combatting the substance use disorder (SUD) crisis requires effective approaches that employ a comprehensive strategy for implementing EBPs that work in conjunction with behavioral therapies.

Solution

States play a pivotal role as public policy champions in shaping and advancing transformative healthcare practices, such as the broad use of pharmacotherapies for SUDs. Hospital emergency departments (EDs) can further serve as a critical access point for individuals to start treatment for SUD.

The State of Vermont has become a trendsetter in treating OUDs by developing the Hub-and-Spoke (H&S) model of SUD treatment. Building on this foundation, Vermont introduced the Rapid Access to Medication (RAM) for OUD initiative and the subsequent Rapid Treatment Access (RTA) for AUD initiative to improve the responsiveness of the treatment system for individuals seeking SUD treatment.

Both initiatives leveraged team-based and individual learning collaborative sessions using change strategy tools, such as NIATx coaching, the walk-through, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Vermont’s implementation approach’s core components involved selecting a relevant aim, assembling dedicated teams, pilot testing, providing individual and group coaching to practitioners, and emphasizing continuous improvement.

The Time-to-Treatment Tracking Tool (T5) and Incentive Payment Opportunity (IPO) provided financial incentives for providers who accomplished items on a checklist within three days of treatment initiation, ranging from conducting community provider sessions to providing rapid treatment access. The T5 helped identify both real and perceived barriers to treatment access and pinpoint gaps in service provision.

Outcomes

In the RAM project, 13 out of 14 Vermont-based hospital EDs established protocols for starting individuals with OUD on MOUD, along with a warm handoff to a designated outpatient treatment provider for continuation after discharge. These individuals are also offered support from a recovery coach in the ED. In the RTA program, 92% of respondents engaged in improving access to AUD treatment, and 100% of respondents supported using medication to manage alcohol withdrawal.

The innovative approach used to refine and improve Vermont’s substance use treatment landscape has brought about transformative change in addressing OUD and AUD. The RAM and RTA initiatives are creating a paradigm shift in the provision of treatment, with the State taking the lead in promoting a timeliness standard for MOUD and AUD service initiation. These initiatives recognize and reward an integrated community-based treatment system responsive to individuals seeking treatment. They further support hospital EDs in starting individuals on medications to treat OUD and AUD during an ED stay and facilitating access to continued medication after discharge.

Vermont is well-positioned to proceed with the RAM and RTA initiatives. Of equal importance, these initiatives present a replicable framework for spreading and scaling up EBPs in other states to address three clear aims:

• Initiate treatment for OUD or AUD, including medications, within three days of initial contact.
• Eliminate barriers to access.
• Ensure continuation of care.