Associate Director, Obesity Association (OA) Professional Engagement & Collaboration

The Associate Director, Obesity Association (OA) Professional Engagement & Collaboration is a key role within the organization responsible for overseeing professional engagement initiatives in obesity along with high-impact partnerships that drive the adoption and implementation of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Standards of Care in Overweight and Obesity. This position will cultivate relationships and serve as the primary liaison between the ADA/OA and key obesity-centered stakeholders including national, and regional partners, professional societies, health systems, community-based organizations, public health entities, and industry collaborators. The ideal candidate will possess a unique skillset leveraging strategic vision, relationship management and a deep understanding of the obesity landscape to drive meaningful change through translating evidence-based guidance into practical, scalable engagement efforts.

This grant-funded position reports within the ADA’s Science & Health Care Division and will collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Professional Engagement and Collaboration

• Help lead a comprehensive obesity-focused strategy to promote engagement and collaboration efforts that aim to drive the adoption and implementation of the ADA’s Standards of Care in Overweight and Obesity across diverse professional clinical care and community settings. Identify, prioritize and cultivate alliances with national, regional, and local partner organizations to co-develop programs, tools, and initiatives that extend the reach of evidence-based obesity care guidance. Identify gaps, opportunities, and emerging needs among health care professionals, health systems, and community partners related to overweight and obesity care, and translate those insights into actionable collaborative programs.

Partnership Development and Relationship Management

• Develop a formal partnership framework that defines collaboration models, shared value propositions and measurable outcomes for each stakeholder group.
• Serve as the primary liaison to key external partners, including regional obesity organizations, national societies and associations, public-health entities and industry-collaborators.
• Negotiate and manage partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and collaborative work plans to ensure alignment with the ADA/OA’s mission and strategic goals.
• Convene and facilitate cross-functional advisory groups and/or coalitions to gather input and drive collective action focused on obesity related initiatives.

Program Implementation and Translation

• Oversee the design and delivery of partner-facing education and engagement activities, including virtual webinars, workshops, train-the-trainer programs, and in-person convenings, in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage advisory groups, planning committees, and working groups composed of clinical experts, researchers, and partner representatives to inform program strategy and content development.
• Manage external vendors and consultants as appropriate to support program development, evaluation, and dissemination.

Internal Collaboration and Representation

• Serve as a subject matter liaison on overweight and obesity for internal teams, supporting alignment between collaboration efforts, professional education, and ADA scientific guidance.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to support promotion strategies that amplify collaborative initiatives and increase awareness of the Standards of Care in Overweight and Obesity.
• Collaborate with internal ADA teams to align partnership activities with organizational priorities and ensure cohesive messaging.

Measurement and Reporting

• Help define key performance indicators (KPIs) to track reach, adoption, and impact of partnership initiatives on clinical practice and patient outcomes.
• Oversee project timelines, deliverables, and budgets; conduct post-program evaluation and analysis, including financial reconciliation and impact assessment.
• Contribute to proposal development, grant applications, and reporting requirements to secure and sustain funding for obesity-related engagement and collaboration initiatives.
• Prepare and present impact reports outlining partnership outcomes and insights to senior management as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned by manager in support of the ADA’s mission and strategic priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree with an advanced degree in public health, health policy, health sciences, or a related field is required, Master’s degree (MPH, MHA, MBA or MS) in a relevant discipline is strongly preferred.
• Expertise in overweight and obesity, diabetes, cardiometabolic health and chronic disease care.
• Demonstrated experience working with professional medical societies, health systems, or public health entities is highly desirable.
• At least five years of substantive experience in health care partnership management or collaborative initiatives within health care, public health, medical education, or a related nonprofit or professional association environment.
• Demonstrated experience building and managing relationships with external partners, coalitions, or stakeholders at the national, regional, and/or local level.

Leadership Skills

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with shifting priorities and accelerated timelines.
• Experience planning and executing virtual and in-person educational or engagement programs.

Relationship and Communication Skills

• Strong oral and written communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse internal and external audiences.
• Comfort and experience representing the interest of the organization at national conferences, speaking engagements, and high-level external meetings.
• Skilled in negotiating complex agreements and influencing external partners to achieve shared goals and objectives.

Technical and Functional Expertise

• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, budgets, and deliverables with a high degree of organization and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining focus on outcomes.
• Experience managing program budgets, and reporting key metrics, while ensuring fiscal responsibility and resource optimization.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and cloud-based collaboration tools.

Personal Attributes

• Dedication to the ADA’s mission, to improve the lives of those affected by diabetes, obesity, and all its complications.
• A team-oriented approach with the ability to work cross functionally internally while managing diverse external stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and take initiative in a fast-paced matrixed environment.
• Growth mindset willing to adapt to shifting priorities within a dynamic health care, and public health obesity-centered landscape.

WHY WORK HERE

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) offers a rewarding career working for one of the premier voluntary health organizations in the world supporting people with type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Our employees like working at the ADA because of our mission, the inclusive environment, work-life balance, our benefits and our culture:

• Industry competitive base pay ranging from $70,000 - $79,000 for this role. Base offers are determined by several factors including but not limited to your relevant work experience, education, certifications, location, internal pay equity, etc.
• A culture of recognition including new hire welcome announcements, service anniversary awards, referral bonuses, monthly All Employee Assembly, appreciation awards
• Generous Paid Time Off, including holidays, vacation days, personal days and sick days
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), disability & life insurance, pet insurance and retirement savings
• Guided by our mission, we provide top tier diabetes supply coverage through our medical benefits program
• A company focus on offering mental health programs and work/life balance with most of our employees working remote
• Joining our dedicated team affords the gratification of knowing beyond a doubt that you will impact the lives and well-being of millions