The Hilltop Institute

Established in 1994, in a unique collaboration with the State of Maryland and its Medicaid program, Hilltop is dedicated to advancing the health and wellbeing of people and communities in the state and beyond at the nexus of public policy and advanced data analytics. For over thirty years, Hilltop has been a trusted research partner and provider of analytics-driven solutions and analysis to the State of Maryland and other state, public, and private organizations.

The Hilltop Institute (Hilltop) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) seeks a dynamic and mission-driven leader to serve as its next Executive Director. This is a highly impactful leadership opportunity to take the helm of one of the nation’s leading nonpartisan research organizations dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of communities.

UMBC offers competitive compensation.  This role starts at $305,000 and has over 4 weeks of vacation for regular full time roles. Tuition remission is also available.

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The Executive Director will be responsible for sustaining and expanding the close partnership with the Maryland Department of Health, especially in their efforts to advance the health and well-being of the citizens of Maryland through research and analytics. As the key leader for the Institute, the incumbent will be a practitioner in the space of analytics and public policy who is encouraged to showcase Hilltop's expertise at the local, state, and national level through service on external boards, advisory committees, and technical panels where appropriate. The Executive Director will lead a group of talented and committed researchers and analysts who are engaged in developing insights for the Maryland Department of Health, its Medicaid program and the larger health policy community. While maintaining a personal research portfolio is not required, Hilltop offers opportunities for the Executive Director to directly engage in research and engaged scholarship if they should choose to pursue that path.

The highly respected Institute is well positioned to continue its growth trajectory, building on its expertise in performing objective, data-driven research and policy analysis to inform decision-making aimed at reforming the healthcare delivery and financing systems in a positive manner. This is especially the case in Maryland with its unique, nationally leading all-payer model. In addition, Hilltop’s portfolio of academic research and engaged scholarship promises to continue the Institute's tradition as a highly regarded research institute at UMBC and solidify Hilltop’s reputation as one of the most influential state health policy institutes in the nation.

For all that has been accomplished at Hilltop, research and analytics can do much more to advance health initiatives for the state. Known as the “AHEAD Model,” Maryland is the first state to sign such an agreement, which will promote health care transformation both by improving population health and lowering costs across all payers—including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. Hilltop's research and predictive analytics with regular trend analysis will be critical in helping the Maryland Department of Health to achieve these goals and help Maryland serve as a national model. Further, the new Executive Director will be entrusted to develop more rigorous and advanced predictive and financial spending analytics to support Maryland Department of Health in operating a fiscally sound and sustainable Medicaid program.

The successful candidate will bring passion for and a commitment to the power of state health policy in shaping a just and equitable health care system. The candidate will also understand that informing policy through the generation of high quality, reliable data analysis is of vital importance. The candidate will have a strong understanding of the health ecosystem and deep understanding of the unique role of state agency/public university partnerships and the value they provide to both the state and the university. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience at generating evidence to inform and improve state health policy decision making. This is an opportunity for a leader to join a respected, well established, and high performing research institute that leverages research and the development of solutions to advance both scholarly thought and policy deliberations. The successful candidate will embrace the missions of both UMBC and Hilltop and foster a culture of inclusive excellence, trust, and cross-disciplinary collaboration and problem-solving.

• A master’s or doctorate degree in health policy, public health, health services research, organizational management, or another relevant discipline is required.
• Significant experience in a senior leadership or executive role.
• Demonstrated record of generating and using high quality research evidence to inform state health policy and improve population health and health equity.
• Management of high-quality projects in or with public sector health care agencies, preferably Medicaid.

• Organizational leadership, including budgeting, financial management and compliance, administration, staff oversight, and professional development.
• Demonstrated ability to generate revenue through healthcare services programs, research contracts, and grants.
• Experience in communications, including ability to write and edit issue briefs and research papers, and manage strategic communications to advance the national profile of an organization and its projects.
• Experience working in an academic setting with researchers, teachers, students, and administration.

A background check will be required. 

The search firm of WittKieffer will manage the search process.  

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Please direct all application materials to Hillary Ross, Zach Durst, or Scott Dethloff via the WittKieffer candidate portal here.   

View full job posting and to apply 

UMBC offers a rich benefits package.

Regular and grant funded regular positions (Full benefits summary click here):

Generous Leave which includes accruing:

• 22 Days of Annual Leave  
• 15 Days of Sick Leave  
• 15 Holidays
• 3 Personal Days

Tuition Remission:

• 8 credit hours per semester
• Tuition remission at UMBC for eligible dependents after two years of FT employment

Additional Benefits:

• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement plans (including the choice of joining the pension plan)
• Professional development opportunities
• Wellness opportunities
• & Much more

Salary: $305,000 and $323,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations.

The above salary range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Grant Funded

This position is Grant Funded, wherein employment is contingent upon the renewal of the grant.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact the Human Resources Department at 410-455-2337 or MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.