Community Development Specialist

Community Development Specialist I | NC Rural ROOTS Region 4 Hub

Community & County Engagement Lead

Granville Vance Public Health

Location: Oxford, North Carolina, with extensive travel throughout a seven-county service area

Salary Grade: 70

Salary Range: $58,035 - $107,592

Build Partnerships That Strengthen Rural Health Across North Carolina

Granville Vance Public Health is seeking a collaborative and community-focused leader to serve as a Community Outreach & County Engagement Lead for the North Carolina Rural ROOTS Region 4 Hub.

This newly created position will lead community outreach and county-level engagement within an assigned seven-county service area. The person selected will serve as the Hub’s primary point of contact for county-level stakeholders, coordinate implementation across multiple Rural ROOTS initiatives, identify barriers affecting local communities, and help ensure consistent program delivery throughout the assigned region.

This is a highly visible, relationship-driven opportunity for someone who understands how to bring county governments, healthcare organizations, public health agencies, and community partners together around a shared regional mission.

About Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health is dedicated to promoting health, preventing disease, and improving quality of life throughout the communities it serves. The organization works collaboratively with local, state, and community partners to address public health priorities and support healthier outcomes for residents across the region.

Granville Vance Public Health is a District Health Department with offices in Oxford and Henderson, NC. More online at https://gvph.org/.

About the Position

The Community Outreach & County Engagement Lead will serve as a Community Development Specialist responsible for engagement efforts across a seven-county region over the following 14 counties:

• Alamance County


• Franklin County


• Chatham County


• Granville County


• Johnston County


• Nash County


• Wake County


• Vance County


• Caswell County


• Person County


• Durham County


• Warren County


• Orange County


• Wilson County

A second Community Outreach & County Engagement Lead will support the other 7 counties. Together, the two positions will provide consistent county-level implementation and engagement capacity across the NC Medicaid Region 4 service area.

County assignments may be adjusted as the Hub Action Plan, regional needs assessment, initiative workplans, and county-level workload requirements are finalized.

What You’ll Do

Lead County and Community Partnerships

• Serve as the Rural ROOTS Hub’s primary point of contact for stakeholders in the assigned counties.


• Build and maintain meaningful relationships with county governments, local health departments, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, EMS agencies, school systems, faith communities, and community-based organizations.


• Coordinate county-level implementation across Rural ROOTS initiatives, helping partners work together efficiently and avoiding duplicative outreach.


• Identify barriers involving healthcare access, transportation, broadband, workforce capacity, facilities, eligibility, and other community needs.


• Work with Rural ROOTS leadership and regional partners to identify practical solutions to implementation challenges.


• Represent the Hub at county commission meetings, boards of health, community collaboratives, regional councils, and other community or government convenings.

Plan and Facilitate Community Engagement

• Plan, schedule, and facilitate community listening sessions, stakeholder meetings, and public engagement events.


• Coordinate locations, participant outreach, target audiences, accessibility needs, documentation, and follow-up activities.


• Capture community feedback, concerns, emerging themes, and recommended action items.


• Ensure local input is incorporated into the regional needs assessment, Hub Action Plan, and initiative workplans.


• Help ensure public-facing activities meet applicable civil-rights, nondiscrimination, and accessibility requirements.

Expand the Rural ROOTS Partner Network

• Recruit and onboard healthcare and community partners across the assigned counties.


• Support the development and adoption of standardized referral pathways for clinical, behavioral health, and social-care services.


• Assist clinical partners with onboarding to NCCARE360 closed-loop referral processes.


• Monitor partner participation, referral activity, completion rates, and barriers to adoption.


• Coordinate with appropriate Rural ROOTS leadership when engagement involves Tribal communities or Tribal-serving organizations.

Coordinate Programs, Staff, and Resources

• Coordinate the work of program support staff, community health workers, contractors, temporary employees, and interns supporting county engagement.


• Establish performance expectations, assign work, provide coaching, and support staff development.


• Participate in the recruitment, onboarding, and training of engagement personnel and community partners.


• Make county-level engagement decisions within established budget, program, and policy parameters.


• Coordinate engagement-related expenses, supplies, travel, and service payments with the Granville Vance Public Health finance team.

Track Outcomes and Maintain Compliance

• Monitor county-level engagement measures and contributions to Rural ROOTS key performance indicators.


• Prepare accurate documentation and reports for GVPH, UNC Health, and other funding or oversight partners.


• Maintain complete and auditable records of engagement activities, partner participation, outcomes, and expenditures.


• Help ensure compliance with Rural Health Transformation Program requirements, federal grant conditions, and North Carolina reporting obligations.

What We’re Looking For

The strongest candidates will bring a combination of community engagement, program leadership, relationship management, and sound operational judgment.

This role may be particularly well suited for someone with experience in public health, rural health, healthcare, community development, local government, nonprofit leadership, coalition building, or regional partnership initiatives.

Successful candidates should demonstrate:

• Strong leadership, planning, and program-management skills.


• Experience building partnerships among organizations with different priorities and responsibilities.


• The ability to establish trust with county officials, healthcare leaders, community organizations, and residents.


• Experience facilitating public meetings, listening sessions, and multi-sector discussions.


• An understanding of rural communities and the systems that influence healthcare access and population health.


• The ability to identify implementation barriers and develop practical, collaborative solutions.


• Experience monitoring program outcomes, engagement measures, budgets, or grant deliverables.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills with both technical and nontechnical audiences.


• The ability to work independently while coordinating effectively across a large regional partnership.


• Experience supervising, coaching, or directing employees, contractors, volunteers, or project teams.

Minimum Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution and three years of program experience in the area of assignment, including two years of managerial experience in the public or private sector involving significant decision-making authority in planning, organizing, and directing program operations.

An equivalent combination of education and directly related experience may also be considered.

Preferred Experience

• Rural community outreach, community engagement, or coalition-building experience.


• Experience partnering with county or local government organizations in North Carolina.


• Background in public health, rural health, healthcare access, community development, or health-related social needs.


• Experience coordinating programs across multiple counties, organizations, or stakeholder groups.


• Experience with grant-funded programs, program reporting, quality improvement, or regulated public-sector environments.


• Familiarity with referral networks, healthcare navigation, or NCCARE360.

Travel and Work Schedule

This is a regional, community-facing position requiring regular travel throughout the seven-county region. Travel to other locations within the broader 14-county Rural ROOTS Region 4 service area may also be required. A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required.

The usual work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Board of Health meetings, state and local agency meetings, community events, and program needs may occasionally require evening or weekend hours.

Flexibility within the role is allowed and encouraged. A regular schedule of work-from-home days may be arranged when it supports the responsibilities of the position and the management of competing priorities. This role will still require a strong in-person presence throughout the assigned communities.

About NC Rural ROOTS Region 4

Granville Vance Public Health holds a lead role in the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program for NC Medicaid Managed Care Region 4.

Through a subrecipient agreement with UNC Health, the NC Rural ROOTS Region 4 Hub Lead, GVPH serves as the Hub’s Eastern Sub-Region public-health anchor partner and supports community operations and network management across the region.

The Community Outreach & County Engagement Lead will concentrate on a seven-county service area while collaborating with partners across the larger regional footprint.

Employment and Funding Structure

This position is embedded within Granville Vance Public Health and funded primarily through Rural ROOTS. GVPH is the employer of record and retains responsibility for hiring, compensation, benefits, supervision, and performance management.

Because the position supports the regional Hub, it will also operate in close coordination with UNC Health as the Hub Lead and will be accountable for applicable program requirements, federal grant conditions, and North Carolina reporting obligations.

The initial Grant Activity Period runs from June 2026 through October 2027, with potential renewal through October 2031. Continued employment is subject to the availability of federal funding.

This funding structure should be communicated transparently, but the opportunity is substantial: the selected individual will help build a highly visible regional initiative intended to strengthen healthcare access, community partnerships, and rural-health infrastructure throughout NC Medicaid Region 4.

Why Join GVPH?

• Meaningful work that supports community health initiatives.


• Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven public organization.


• Collaborative and supportive team environment.


• Exposure to complex financial operations across government and nonprofit funding sources.


• Professional growth and development opportunities.

Benefits

Granville Vance Public Health offers:

• Paid group medical insurance


• Membership in the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System


• Thirteen paid holidays


• Vacation and sick leave


• Optional 401(k) and 457(b) plans


• Dental, vision, life, and flexible-spending account options

Selection Process

The process includes a review of qualifications, structured interviews, reference checks on qualified applicants, and successful completion of pre-employment drug screen. This position is open until filled.

Granville Vance Public Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer