The Senior Program Director, Rural Health Transformation is the operational leader of Blueprint's state Rural Health Transformation Program engagements and adjacent One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) implementation work. The role requires a rare combination of federal rural health policy understanding state agency implementation experience, and the operational discipline to run complex, multi-stakeholder programs on tight timelines and against CMS reporting requirements.
This is not a clinical role. It is a senior delivery leadership role for someone who has actually stood up rural health programs, navigated federal-to-state policy translation, and managed the on-the-ground execution of mandates that look very much like what every state must now do under OBBBA.
ABOUT BLUEPRINT CREATIVE GROUP
Blueprint is the rural health transformation implementation partner for states translating OBBBA RHTP plans into community-level results. We connect state strategy to rural community execution through data-informed engagement, workforce activation, and equity-centered communications.
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
Every state with an RHTP award is now translating an approved plan into operational reality on a five-year clock. CMS has set five strategic goals, states have 12 to 18 months to demonstrate measurable progress, and most state agencies do not have internal capacity to lead the implementation. Blueprint is the implementation partner of choice for the community-facing, workforce-facing, and program-management layers of that work.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Practice Leadership- Lead the strategic and operational direction of Blueprint's Rural Health Transformation practice across all active state engagements.
- Serve as the senior client-facing executive on RHTP and OBBBA implementation contracts, including with state EOHHS, DPH, Medicaid, State Office of Rural Health, and CoE governance bodies.
- Build, mentor, and supervise a multidisciplinary delivery team spanning PMO, training, engagement, analytics, and change management.
- Establish practice-level quality standards, delivery methodologies, and operating playbooks reusable across state engagements.
- Own end-to-end delivery of state RHTP engagements, including Project Management Plan, Project Work Plan, Gantt-based scheduling, risk and issue management, and stage-gate governance.
- Lead Center of Excellence stand-up activities, including governance board design, charter development, stakeholder onboarding, and meeting cadence.
- Ensure CMS, state, and Center of Excellence reporting requirements are met on time and at quality, including monthly status reports, quarterly programmatic reports, and federal reporting deliverables.
- Lead client-facing executive briefings, governance meetings, and steering committee sessions.
- Own escalation paths for delivery risks, scope disputes, and stage-gate non-approvals.
- Translate evolving CMS RHTP guidance, OBBBA implementation requirements, and federal Medicaid policy changes into actionable program adjustments for state clients.
- Advise state clients on alignment of RHTP investments with broader state goals: economic development, value-based payment adoption, chronic disease reduction, suicide prevention, and tribal health priorities.
- Maintain fluency across the full OBBBA implementation landscape: RHTP, Medicaid work requirements, six-month eligibility redeterminations, SNAP changes, and related state mandates.
- Serve as Blueprint's senior representative in federal and state policy convenings, NRHA, NASHP, NGA, and similar venues.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Federal rural health experience. Minimum 5 years in a senior role at HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), CMS (CMCS, CMMI, or CCIIO), ASPR, or comparable federal agency with direct rural health portfolio responsibility.
- State implementation experience. Demonstrated experience leading or directly supporting implementation of CMS-funded programs at the state level (Medicaid, State Office of Rural Health, EOHHS, DPH, or comparable). At least 3 years.
- OBBBA policy fluency. Working command of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act provisions affecting rural health, Medicaid, and state implementation: RHTP $50B program, Medicaid work requirements, six-month eligibility redeterminations, SNAP cost-sharing changes.
- RHTP program command. Direct knowledge of CMS RHTP guidance, the five strategic goals, the state application and approval process, allowable use categories, and CMS reporting requirements.
- Senior program management. Minimum 12 years of progressively senior program or portfolio management experience, including direct ownership of programs valued at $10M or greater.
- Education. Master's degree required: MPH, MHA, MPP, MBA, or equivalent. Clinical credentials a plus but not required.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Direct experience with one or more CMMI rural demonstrations (PCF, ACO REACH, MACPAC rural pilots, RCO models).
- Direct experience with HRSA FORHP grant programs (FLEX, SHIP, Rural Hospital Stabilization, Rural Communities Opioid Response).
- Working knowledge of Critical Access Hospital cost-based reimbursement, Rural Health Clinic policy, FQHC operations, and Rural Emergency Hospital designation.
- Familiarity with tribal health policy, IHS, and Tribal Epidemiology Centers; demonstrated experience leading tribal consultation processes.
- Existing relationships with State Office of Rural Health directors, NRHA, NASHP, or state Medicaid leadership across multiple states.
- Prior consulting or implementation experience at Manatt Health, HMA, Chartis, Guidehouse, Sellers Dorsey, Mathematica, or similar.
- Published thought leadership in rural health, value-based care, or state health program implementation.
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