Health Coach

Christiana Care Health System; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 54,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits

403(b) retirement plan

Generous PTO and rollover

12‑week parental leave

Care@Work and wellness resources

Vendor discounts

Job summary

ChristianaCare seeks a Health Coach to support patients in chronic disease prevention and self‑management programs. You will apply health behavior change strategies and work with an interdisciplinary team to promote lifestyle improvements and program engagement.

The role emphasizes patient-centered coaching, readiness assessment, and practical action planning. Requires a Bachelor’s degree; NBC‑HWC/CHES preferred. Travel across Delaware counties may be involved.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in health promotion, public health, health education, psychology, social work, nutrition, exercise science, nursing, community health, or related field.
• Minimum two years of health coaching or behavior change support; chronic disease experience preferred.
• NBC‑HWC and/or CHES credentials preferred.
• Healthcare/underserved settings experience preferred.
• Familiarity with Epic, REDCap and data-driven tracking preferred.
• Spanish language ability preferred.

Responsibilities

• Apply health behavior change and self-management knowledge to assess needs and tailor coaching approaches.
• Exercise professional judgment within policies and scope of practice.
• Provide individual and group health coaching using culturally responsive methods.
• Use motivational interviewing, active listening, and goal setting to support change.
• Partner with participants to explore readiness, values, barriers, and social factors.
• Identify barriers needing additional support and refer or escalate as needed.
• Help participants set realistic goals and create actionable plans with accountability.
• Design and adapt coaching curricula and materials based on evidence and needs.
• Develop training resources for staff and partners.

Skills

Health coaching

Chronic disease

Behavior change

Motivational interviewing

Spanish

Education

Bachelor's degree

NBC-HWC/CHES preferred

Tools

Epic

REDCap

Job description

ChristianaCare is one of the country's most dynamic healthcare organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible, and lowering healthcare costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a free-standing emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care, and women's health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute and was rated by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation's Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. It is continually ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Hospital. With the unique CareVio data-powered care coordination service and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

ChristianaCare Offers

• Full Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, etc.
• Two retirement planning offerings, including 403(b) with company contributions
• Generous paid time off with annual roll-over and opportunities to cash out
• 12-week paid parental leave
• Incredible Work/Life benefits including annual membership to care.com, access to backup care services for dependents through Care@Work, retirement planning services, financial coaching, fitness and wellness reimbursement, and great discounts through several vendors for hotels, rental cars, theme parks, shows, sporting events, movie tickets and much more!

About This Position

The Health Coach supports patients participating in chronic disease prevention and self-management programs. Applying specialized knowledge of health behavior change and chronic disease self-management, the Health Coach partners with patients to identify meaningful health and wellness goals, strengthen readiness and confidence for behavior change, and develop practical strategies for sustainable lifestyle change. Using person-centered, strengths-based coaching approaches and professional judgment, the Health Coach helps patients explore lifestyle factors that influence health, including nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, and positive social connection. As part of an interdisciplinary team, the Health Coach reinforces established care plans and health education, promotes engagement in recommended programs and services, connects patients with appropriate clinical and community resources, while also contributing to program implementation and continuous improvement.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Apply specialized knowledge of health behavior change, chronic disease prevention and self-management, health education, and lifestyle-related health factors to assess participant needs and exercise professional judgment in selecting, adapting, and evaluating coaching approaches.
• Exercise independent professional judgment while working with patients within organizational policies, professional standards, and scope-of-practice requirements.
• Provide individual and group health and wellness coaching using participant-centered, culturally responsive, and evidence‑based approaches.
• Use behavior change strategies, including motivational interviewing, active listening, reflective questioning, goal setting, and action planning, to support autonomy, self‑efficacy, and sustainable behavior change.
• Partner with participants to explore readiness, values, priorities, strengths, barriers, preferences, and social or environmental factors that influence health behaviors and program participation.
• Identify barriers or concerns requiring additional support and determine appropriate coaching strategies, resources, referrals, or escalation to clinical, behavioral health, social care, or emergency resources.
• Help participants establish realistic, measurable goals and develop practical action plans, supports, and accountability strategies aligned with their care plan and lived experience.
• Design, adapt, and evaluate evidence‑based health coaching curricula, educational materials, coaching tools, and behavior‑change resources based on evidence, program goals, health literacy, cultural context, and participant needs, as appropriate.
• Serve as a health coaching subject‑matter resource by developing and delivering training, technical guidance, and coaching resources for staff, students, interns, and community partners.
• Support participant engagement in chronic disease prevention and self‑management programs, including health education, lifestyle interventions, and appropriate clinical or community‑based supports.
• Reinforce education and recommendations provided by licensed clinicians and registered dietitians while practicing within the Health Coach’s credentials and scope.
• Conduct outreach, complete coaching sessions, follow up on participant goals, and independently manage an assigned participant caseload and related engagement activities.
• Participate in interdisciplinary case review, team meetings, training, quality improvement, workflow development, and program implementation activities.
• Contribute participant insights and emerging themes to improve program materials, engagement strategies, workflows, and participant experience.
• Collect and document biometric data, including weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose, in accordance with program protocols and communicate findings requiring clinical review.
• Document coaching encounters, goals, progress, barriers, referrals, and follow‑up activities accurately and timely in designated systems.
• Maintain current knowledge of best practices across relevant areas, including health coaching, Food Is Medicine, lifestyle medicine, chronic disease prevention and self‑management, health equity, social determinants of health, and community resources.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in health promotion, public health, health education, psychology, social work, nutrition, exercise science, nursing, community health, or a related field required.
• Minimum two years of experience in health coaching, chronic disease self‑management, or behavior change support required; experience working with individuals with chronic health conditions preferred.
• Current National Board Certification in Health & Wellness Coaching (NBC‑HWC) and/or Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential preferred.
• Experience working in healthcare, community‑based, rural, or medically underserved settings preferred.
• Familiarity with Epic, REDCap, and data‑driven outcome tracking preferred.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

Special Requirements

• Access to a personal vehicle and valid driver’s license.
• Ability to travel regularly to patients’ homes, program and community locations throughout New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties.
• Full‑time hours with the ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to complete required organizational and program‑specific training.

Annual Compensation Range $54,142.40 - $81,224.00This pay rate/range represents ChristianaCare’s good faith and reasonable estimate of compensation at the time of posting. The actual salary within this range offered to a successful candidate will depend on individual factors including without limitation skills, relevant experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements.

Christiana Care Health System is an equal opportunity employer, firmly committed to prohibiting discrimination, whose staff is reflective of its community, and considers qualified applicants for open positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.