Heluna Health is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and collaborative Senior Policy Advisor, Public Health to help strengthen our voice, influence, and leadership in California's public health landscape and beyond.
This position will play a central role in understanding and responding to the evolving public health policy and funding environment, coordinating policy engagement across Heluna Health's diverse portfolio of programs, partners, and clients, and identifying opportunities to amplify the collective impact of our work.
Reporting to the Director of Marketing & Communications, with a dotted-line relationship to the CEO, the Senior Policy Advisor will serve as a key resource and advisor on emerging public health trends, policy developments, and funding priorities at the state and federal levels. The position will work closely with Heluna Health's leadership, programs, partners, and clients to understand their policy and advocacy priorities and help shape a coordinated, strategic approach to public health policy engagement.
This is a highly collaborative role with significant opportunity for initiative, creativity, and professional growth. The successful candidate will have considerable latitude to develop the position, build relationships, identify opportunities, and help shape Heluna Health's evolving approach to policy engagement and sector leadership.
We are looking for a public health professional who is passionate about applied public health how programs are funded, administered, implemented, and delivered to improve health outcomes and help communities thrive.
This is an individual contributor role focused on policy analysis, strategic advising, and coordination. It is not a lobbying or government relations position: the role does not prepare regulatory comment letters on Heluna Health's behalf or manage legislative relationships. Any organizational advocacy activity is coordinated with the CEO and legal counsel to ensure compliance with nonprofit and public-funding requirements.
Salary range for this position is $107,000 - $115,000 annually depending on skills and qualifications. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES1. Public Health Policy Analysis & Strategic Intelligence - Monitor and analyze federal and California public health policy, legislative, regulatory, and funding developments, with particular attention to their implications for Heluna Health, its programs, partners, and clients.
- Conduct policy analyses, environmental scans, and landscape reviews to identify emerging trends, opportunities, risks, and potential impacts on public health funding and service delivery.
- Prepare timely, actionable briefings and strategic analyses for the CEO and senior leadership, translating complex policy developments into practical insights and recommendations.
- Advise the CEO on emerging public health issues, sector dynamics, and opportunities for Heluna Health to contribute to important policy conversations.
- Support business development efforts by providing intelligence on public health trends, funding priorities, emerging opportunities, and the evolving needs of public health agencies, funders, and partners.
2. Policy Coordination Across Heluna Health - Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the policy interests, advocacy priorities, and operating environments of Heluna Health's portfolio of programs, partners, clients, and funders.
- Build relationships across the organization to identify, coordinate, and track policy and advocacy priorities, activities, and opportunities for collaboration.
- Help develop and implement a coordinated organizational approach to public health policy engagement, aligned with Heluna Health's mission and strategic priorities.
- Identify opportunities for Heluna Health to support, connect, and amplify the policy and advocacy efforts of its partners and clients, while respecting their distinct missions and priorities.
- Facilitate information sharing and coordination across programs and partners, and, working with leadership and legal counsel, help ensure that any organizational policy or advocacy activities align with applicable legal, regulatory, and nonprofit requirements.
3. Organizational Positioning & CEO Thought Leadership - Work closely with the CEO and Director of Marketing & Communications to identify priority public health issues and opportunities for organizational positioning, visibility, and thought leadership.
- Provide research, analysis, and substantive content to support CEO speeches, presentations, articles, opinion pieces, policy statements, and participation in external forums.
- Help position Heluna Health as a knowledgeable, credible, and influential voice on public health infrastructure, funding, policy, and the delivery of effective, community-centered public health programs.
- Identify emerging issues and sector conversations where Heluna Health's experience and perspective can make a meaningful contribution.
- Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications and business development teams to translate policy insights, sector trends, and organizational expertise into compelling external communications, partnership opportunities, and strategic positioning.
4. Sector Engagement, Partnerships & Memberships - Coordinate and track Heluna Health's organizational participation in public health associations, policy coalitions, advocacy networks, and other relevant membership organizations.
- Evaluate opportunities for membership, participation, and engagement based on strategic relevance, organizational priorities, and potential value.
- Help ensure Heluna Health is effectively represented in relevant sector discussions, working groups, coalitions, and policy initiatives.
- Identify opportunities for the CEO and other senior leaders to engage in high-value policy discussions, partnerships, and public health leadership forums.
- Develop and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders and track the strategic value and outcomes of organizational memberships and external engagement.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES- Education: Master's degree in public health (MPH), Public Policy (MPP), or a closely related master's degree required, or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible experience.
- Professional experience: At least five years of progressively responsible experience in public health, public policy, advocacy, public health administration, government relations, or a related field.
- California public health expertise: Deep knowledge of California's public health systems, institutions, policy environment, funding mechanisms, and key stakeholders, with an understanding of federal public health policy and its implications for state and local programs.
- Public health practice: Strong understanding of how public health programs are funded, administered, and delivered, including the roles of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community-based partners, and funders.
- Policy analysis and strategic thinking: Demonstrated ability to research and analyze complex policy and funding developments, anticipate implications, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
- Communication and writing: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise executive briefings, policy analyses, and substantive thought leadership content.
- Relationship building and collaboration: Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships, navigate diverse stakeholder interests, and coordinate work across organizations and teams.
- Initiative and adaptability: An entrepreneurial, intellectually curious, and self-directed approach, with the ability to identify opportunities, exercise sound judgment, and work effectively with considerable autonomy.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE- First 90 days: Build a working map of policy and advocacy priorities across Heluna's programs, partners, clients, and funders, and inventory current memberships and coalition participation. Deliver a first briefing to the CEO and agree on a regular cadence for the intelligence they'll receive.
- By six months: Run a consistent policy and funding monitoring process that leadership finds useful, and complete a review of memberships and coalitions with recommendations to join, renew, or exit. Deliver research and drafts that support the CEO's external engagements, and put a policy tracking process in place.
- By one year: Publish an annual policy and engagement agenda aligned to Heluna's strategic priorities, and show that business development is using the intelligence to shape opportunities. Show that partners and clients have received concrete support, and that Heluna has a stronger external presence through thought leadership and coalition roles.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS- Stand: Frequently
- Walk: Occasionally
- Sit: Frequently
- Handling / Fingering: Frequently
- Reach Outward: Occasionally
- Reach Above Shoulder: Occasionally
- Climb, Crawl, Kneel, Bend: Occasionally
- Lift / Carry: Occasionally - Up to 25 lbs
- Push/Pull: Occasionally - Up to 25 lbs
- See: Constantly
- Taste/ Smell: Not Applicable
KEY
- Not Applicable = Not required for essential functions
- Occasionally = (0 - 2 hrs/day)
- Frequently = (2 - 5 hrs/day)
- Constantly = (5+ hrs/day)
WORK ENVIRONMENTGeneral Office Setting, Indoors Temperature Controlled
