Program Specialist VI in Austin, TX

Description

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Medicaid CHIP Services (MCS) department seeks a highly qualified candidate to fill the position of Program Specialist VI. MCS is driven by its mission to deliver quality, cost-effective services to Texans.

The Program Specialist VI position will serve as the program lead on the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model, an initiative to transform the delivery system and improve continuity of care for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder (OUD). This innovative state / federal partnership has the potential to save lives and impact one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States.

The Program Specialist VI position will have considerable autonomy and work closely with federal partners and community stakeholders as the model enters its final year of implementation and explores options for long-term sustainability. This is a time-limited position, funded with a federal grant through the spring of 2026.

The Program Specialist VI is selected by and directly reports to the Manager in the Delivery System Quality & Innovation (DSQI) Unit. The DSQI Unit is part of the Medicaid Quality & Program Improvement Division. The mission of DSQI is to incentivize, innovate, and educate to improve health care quality. We develop and implement innovative requirements and financial incentives, provide education & technical assistance to increase the adoption of best practices, and evaluate the effectiveness of quality programs & interventions.

The ideal candidate has a passion for women's and maternal health, and/or behavioral health, and thrives in an environment that emphasizes: teamwork to achieve goals, excellence through high professional standards and personal accountability, curiosity to continuously grow and learn, critical thinking for effective execution, and integrity to do things right even when what is right is not easy.

This position offers considerable exposure to the inner workings of health delivery and policy development.