Health Professional Networks Lead

Reports To: International Climate Director

Supervises: None

Location: Remote/virtual, open to all candidates globally. Must be able to coordinate working hours with a core team in the Americas and Europe, as well as broader team around the world.

FTE Status: 1FTE, Exempt

Posting Date: 25 November 2024

Closing Date: 10 December 2024

Are you a health professional experienced in climate and sustainability advocacy? We are looking for a dynamic Health Professional Networks Lead to drive our strategy and initiatives, uniting health professionals to address pressing issues like climate change, pollution, and the transition to clean energy. Candidates should have a background in nursing or medicine, familiarity with key advocates, and experience in mobilization and advocacy on climate, plastics, and/or sustainability within the health sector. Join us in empowering health professionals to lead change on a global scale!

Organizational Overview

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to transforming the healthcare sector into a leader for environmental health and justice. Working globally, HCWH collaborates with healthcare professionals, hospitals, NGOs, governments, and international entities to promote environmentally healthy practices in healthcare. The organization focuses on reducing the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector and acting as a community anchor for sustainability. With regional offices in the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, a regional team in Latin America and a Global secretariat, and a network of strategic partners across continents, HCWH fosters global and regional collaborations to address climate and health issues, supported by a global team. Its Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network has over 2,000 members in 86 countries who represent the interests of more than 70,000 hospitals and health centers. The network serves as one of the key vehicles through which the organization and its partners engage directly with the health care sector on the ground around the world and supports facilities in their transformation to becoming low carbon, resilient and sustainable.

Position Description

The Health Professional Networks Lead will guide, in coordination with key stakeholders in the global team and with strategic partners and Health Care Without Harm offices, the development and execution of the international network’s strategy and initiatives for health professional networks and organizations. The role’s primary aim will be to execute Health Care Without Harm’s health professional networks’ strategy, working with the different technical areas of the organization to develop resources and build partnerships needed to mobilize health professionals. Focus for action includes climate change (both through mitigation and adaptation) including plastics and air pollution and fostering a transition from fossil fuel combustion and other sources of health sector emissions. The Health Professional Networks Lead will work with other networks and organizations to advocate for a just and equitable transition to clean renewable energy. They will co-create mobilization and advocacy strategies, and build capacity and alignment around HCWH international goals.

Primary Objectives

The Health Professional Networks Lead will execute and provide direction to our health professionals network strategy, working closely with climate and sustainability teams.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Lead the collaborative implementation of the health professional network strategy
   1. Deepen engagement with health professionals by leading the development of a cohort of health professional champions engaging in climate and sustainability campaigns, while developing partnerships with educational institutions and campaigning organizations.
   2. Mobilizing existing country and regional networks of health professionals and fostering new ones where needed, while supporting the cross-pollination and horizontal learning amongst the networks.
   3. Develop and/or refine strategies, tactics, and positions to mobilize health professionals through HCWH’s network to advocate for key topics: fossil fuels, plastics, and air pollution – in collaboration with the international climate program and the international sustainability program, and when appropriate the Global Green and Healthy Hospital network team.
2. Support regional/national/global campaigns and initiatives, working closely with HCWH’s network of partners, offices and communications teams
   1. Work with health professionals to influence public opinion and actions on fossil fuels, clean air, and plastics.
   2. Work with strategic communication and campaigning experts in training health professionals as media spokespeople on these topics and how their geographies and globally climate change negatively affects health.
   3. Co-create resources and tools required by health professionals, including articulating positions and researching for data to inform recommendations.
3. Collaborate with other organizations and networks engaging with health professionals in climate, plastics, and health policy
   1. Collaborate with external stakeholders and implement partner organizations in key initiatives that advance our work on climate, plastics, and health, particularly around air pollution, plastics pollution and fossil fuels.
   2. Collaborate with national, regional, and global professional associations and federations, as well as other health, sustainability, and climate organizations, to strengthen advocacy in fossil fuels, air pollution and plastics, including medical, public health, nursing, and medical student associations.
   3. Build relationships and develop joint initiatives with other climate, sustainability and/or health organizations in the advancement of our climate, plastics, and air pollution agenda.
4. Represent HCWH and its network of partners in international fora, while mentoring health professionals to take on the stage as advocates for climate, plastics, and health.
   1. Work with health professional cohorts and leading health professional advocates to open up spaces within the climate, plastics pollution, and health in international fora, while also exploring spaces for health professionals to speak on these topics in fora for other sectors.
5. Support fundraising efforts led by international Climate and Supply chain directors and development team by engaging with current and potential donors in the fossil fuels, air and plastic pollution space.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education: BS degree in nursing or medicine. Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum education.
• Minimum Experience: 3**-**5 years of experience working in mobilization and advocacy on climate, plastics, and/or sustainability and the health sector. Familiarity and good relationships with key advocates in this space.
• Preferred Experience: Multiple languages. Professional experience in multiple countries and/or world regions; experience engaging multiple levels of governance; experience working in a virtual organization preferred.

JOB-SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

• Ability to collaborate on highly effective campaigns and initiatives.
• Effective communicator of our mission, vision, and our work.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively while organizing time efficiently and prioritizing work tasks.
• Experience in health and/or climate and/or sustainability policy. Experience in the global south.
• Strong familiarity with climate, sustainability and/or health issues and institutions in multiple countries and/or globally.
• Experience working with health professional associations and/or organizations that mobilize health professionals.
• Strong cross-cultural competency.
• Fluent in English; additional languages (especially Spanish) a plus.
• Strong writing, public speaking, and networking skills.
• Ability to travel and work in multiple time zones and outside of regular business hours.
• Ability to remain attentive to details and identify resources for projects while maintaining deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work successfully within a team including members and partners as well as the ability to work independently.
• Ability to engage at a high level with government officials, policy makers and the media.
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Asana, and Google Drive.

What’s In It For You?

• Join an organization where your colleagues share a profound commitment to the mission, and a global network of partners work collaboratively to support it.
• Play a vital role in helping drive growth, influence impact, and further advance our efforts to create a more sustainable health care sector and planet.
• Be part of an inspirational global network.
• Flexible and supportive work environment.

How to apply

To Apply or Inquire

Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth are committed to cultivating and sustaining culturally and ethnically diverse organizations and to the principles that promote inclusive practices. We believe systems can only be transformed when a diversity of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences are a part of the movement for change. We are dedicated to building a diverse staff with expertise and interest in addressing systemic racism within our organization and to serve the mission of the organizations in respectful ways. Health Care Without Harm/Practice Greenhealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To apply, upload a cover letter along with your resume via this link. Questions can be addressed to jobs@hcwh.org. Only competitive candidates will be invited to participate further in the recruitment process. Closing date to apply is 10 December 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.