Early Engagement Coordinator

Tennessee Department of Health; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A state health department in Tennessee is seeking an Early Engagement Coordinator to lead statewide initiatives for exposing high school students to public health careers. This position involves managing outreach programs, facilitating education events, and collaborating with various partners to ensure effective engagement in rural communities. The ideal candidate should have a Master's degree in Public Health and strong project management skills. This is a contract position available through September 2031.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Education, or a related field.
• CHES/MCHES, CPH, or similar certification preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time.
• Experience working with secondary education systems, youth engagement programs, or workforce pipeline initiatives.
• Experience collaborating with educational institutions and public sector partners.
• Knowledge of curriculum development, student engagement strategies, or career pathway programs.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives across geographic regions.
• Strong project management, facilitation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess existing outreach efforts to identify gaps.
• Coordinate logistics for outreach activities.
• Design and implement a statewide model for career exposure.
• Facilitate tours for student groups.
• Develop a Public Health Resource Guide.
• Lead the development, dissemination, and promotion of a Public Health Resource Guide for educators to support consistent messaging and instructional use
• Build and maintain partnerships with statewide youth-serving organizations and education stakeholders to expand outreach, increase student participation, and strengthen early public health workforce pipeline efforts
• Co‑organize regional public health exploration events between high schools and university partners
• Assist in developing tracking tools and outcome measures to evaluate program reach, participation, and pipeline impact, and support continuous improvement

Skills

Project management

Public health outreach

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Public Health or related field

CHES/MCHES, CPH or similar certification

Job description

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is seeking a skilled professional to join the Academic Health Department in the Office of Human Resources and Talent Management to lead statewide efforts to expand exposure to rural public health careers in high schools. This role will manage and coordinate high-impact outreach initiatives, including classroom engagement, experiential learning opportunities, and regional exploration events designed to increase awareness of public health career pathways. The Early Engagement Coordinator reports to the Academic Health Department Director and will collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure programming is scalable, aligned with educational standards, and integrated into broader rural health workforce strategies. This is a contract position currently available through September 2031.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assess existing high school public health outreach efforts to identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for expansion
• Coordinate logistics, scheduling, and partner engagement for statewide high school public health outreach activities
• Assist with designing, implementing, and sustaining a statewide model for early public health career exposure
• Coordinate and deliver guest lectures in secondary education classrooms across the state to introduce public health as a career pathway
• Facilitate health department and laboratory tours for student groups to provide hands‑on exposure to public health practice
• Lead the development, dissemination, and promotion of a Public Health Resource Guide for educators to support consistent messaging and instructional use
• Build and maintain partnerships with statewide youth-serving organizations and education stakeholders to expand outreach, increase student participation, and strengthen early public health workforce pipeline efforts
• Co‑organize regional public health exploration events between high schools and university partners
• Assist in developing tracking tools and outcome measures to evaluate program reach, participation, and pipeline impact, and support continuous improvement

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Education, or a related field
• CHES/MCHES, CPH, or similar public health certification preferred
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time
• Experience working with secondary education systems, youth engagement programs, or workforce pipeline initiatives
• Experience collaborating with educational institutions and public sector partners
• Knowledge of curriculum development, student engagement strategies, or career pathway programs
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives across geographic regions
• Strong project management, facilitation, and communication skills

Based on education, experience, and benefits selected through the contract vendor employer.