Director of Strategic Initiatives & Expansion - Western US (Business Development - Reproductive Healthcare)

About the Organization

Contraceptive care is basic healthcare. Yet too many patients in the U.S. struggle to access the care they need, when they need it. Founded in 2014, Upstream USA is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is available to everyone.

Upstream works to ensure individuals can make fully informed, autonomous decisions about the contraceptive methods that are best for them. We are currently the largest contraceptive organization in the country improving contraceptive care in primary care settings, operating in 37 states and Washington, D.C.

While our foundational work focuses on partnering with healthcare organizations offering primary care, such as federally qualified healthcare centers (FQHC) and health systems, we are always evolving. We are actively pursuing additional, innovative paths to ensure every patient has streamlined access to the contraceptive service of their choice, where and when it is most convenient for them.

Supported entirely by venture philanthropy, Upstream operates with a culture of aggressive growth and a laser focus on measurable outcomes. To maintain our independence and nonpartisan stance, we do not accept funding from the government or pharmaceutical companies.

Our 2030 Goal: We are on a mission to partner with organizations that collectively reach 5 million patients of reproductive age. We are a 2023 Audacious Project recipient, with our work featured in publications like Harvard Public Health, Bloomberg, and MedPage Today.

We welcome individuals who are driven by impact and scale to join us in making equitable contraceptive access a reality for all. This role must be located in the Western US: WA, OR, CA, MT, ID, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, WY, SD, NE, ND, IA, MN, AK, or HI.

About the Role

Upstream USA is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven leader to identify, cultivate, and advance new partnership and growth opportunities that expand access to equitable reproductive healthcare. Serving as a front-end business development strategist for the organization, this role will build and maintain relationships across the healthcare ecosystem, monitor emerging funding and partnership opportunities, and generate a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities that align with Upstream's mission and strategic priorities.

Working collaboratively across Partnerships & Community Engagement, Expansion, Practice Transformation, Policy, and Strategy teams, this individual will serve as Upstream's "eyes and ears" in the marketplace—developing deep knowledge of the healthcare landscape, identifying emerging trends and funding opportunities, and proactively engaging healthcare leaders, associations, and other key stakeholders. Through strategic networking, market intelligence, and relationship building, this role will position Upstream as a trusted partner, opening doors to future collaborations, generating top-of-funnel leads and activities, and expanding the organization's reach and impact.

The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial relationship builder who thrives on creating opportunities before they formally exist. They are naturally curious, highly resourceful, and skilled at navigating the complex healthcare ecosystem to identify strategic partnerships, uncover emerging opportunities, and translate market intelligence into sustainable organizational growth. This is a 12-month, fixed-term role with the possibility of extension.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Relationship Development
  • Build and maintain influential relationships with consortia and associations that convene healthcare organizations, including but not limited to: Primary Care Associations (PCAs), Hospital Associations, Medicaid agencies and payors, and state and regional healthcare collaboratives.
  • Develop long-term engagement strategies that increase awareness of Upstream's model.
  • Represent Upstream at conferences, meetings, webinars, and networking events.
• Strategic Partnership Funding & Opportunity Intelligence
  • Serve as Upstream's strategic intelligence resource by identifying emerging opportunities to support current and potential field partners in obtaining funding, positioning Upstream as an implementation partner.
  • Monitor federal, state, and private foundation RFPs, RFIs, NOFOs, and grant announcements.
  • Identify funding opportunities where Upstream could serve as a partner in implementation, technical assistance, innovation, or strategic collaboration.
  • Maintain an opportunity tracker with anticipated release dates, submission timelines, award announcements, and potential organizational impacts.
  • Share opportunity intelligence with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Following grant announcements, identify and research funded awardees to develop outreach strategies to introduce Upstream as a potential implementation partner.
• Prospect & Market Research
  • Continuously identify potential partnership organizations and/or alliances that align with Upstream's mission.
  • Research health systems, Community Health Centers, rural hospitals, and more.
  • Assess organizations for strategic alignment and populations served.
  • Meet with individuals and organizations in a given region to learn about their roles in the landscape, foster new connections to more stakeholders, and leverage relationships for Upstream’s mission.
• Strategic Account Development and Lead Generation
  • Develop relationships to create opportunities and build credibility before recruitment begins.
  • Attend conferences, coalition meetings, healthcare leadership events, and other on-the-ground events to network and make connections.
  • Develop qualified opportunities through introductions and connections, touchpoints at in-person events, and landscape/market intelligence.
  • Transfer qualified opportunities to the Partnership team using standardized qualification criteria.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 6-8+ years of progressive experience in healthcare business development, strategic partnerships, market development, healthcare consulting, public health, government relations, healthcare innovation, or a related field, with a demonstrated ability to build partnerships and advance organizational growth.
• Funding & Grant Landscape: Experience identifying, monitoring, and evaluating federal, state, and private funding opportunities, including grants, cooperative agreements, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), and grant award announcements.
• Healthcare Market Intelligence: Demonstrated experience researching and mapping the healthcare ecosystem, including provider associations, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), community health centers, public health agencies, Medicaid organizations, academic medical centers, residency and nursing programs, and other healthcare stakeholders to identify strategic opportunities and strengthen organizational partnerships; strong understanding of the healthcare ecosystem.
• Research & Opportunity Development: Demonstrated experience conducting strategic research and market intelligence to identify key healthcare stakeholders, executive decision-makers, partnership opportunities, emerging healthcare initiatives, policy developments, and funding trends that support business development and organizational growth.
• Relationship Development: Demonstrated ability to build and sustain strategic relationships with executive leaders across healthcare, government, public health, academic, and philanthropic organizations to advance partnerships, influence key stakeholders, and support organizational growth.
• Business Development: Demonstrated success developing strategic business opportunities through executive relationship building, industry engagement, market expansion, association partnerships, strategic outreach, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Healthcare Industry Knowledge: Demonstrable understanding of the U.S. healthcare delivery system, including Medicaid, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health, women's health, population health, healthcare quality improvement, reimbursement models, public health infrastructure, healthcare policy, and federal and state funding mechanisms.
• Bachelor's degree required in Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Business, Marketing, Health Policy, Communications, or a related field or equivalent in work experience.
• AI Fluency & Tool Integration: Ability to identify and leverage generative AI tools (such as LLMs, image generators, or industry-specific copilots) to streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and enhance overall output quality while maintaining the proper human checkpoints.
• AI Prompt Engineering & Critical Output Evaluation: Proficiency in crafting effective prompts to achieve desired outcomes and the critical thinking skills necessary to audit, fact-check, and refine AI-generated content for accuracy and brand alignment.
• Ethical AI Awareness: A foundational understanding of the ethical implications of AI, including data privacy, bias recognition, and the responsible use of company information in third-party AI environments.
• Demonstrates the ability to remain focused, adaptable, and solution-oriented in the face of challenges, setbacks, or ambiguity. Approaches obstacles with a growth mindset and maintains a steady commitment to goals, even under pressure or changing circumstances; resilient.
• While we are a remotely based organization, we maintain an on-camera culture during meetings to support connection, engagement, teaming, and collaboration. Must be comfortable and able to participate in this environment.
• Valid Driver's License required.

Skills

• Naturally Curious: Proactively seeks out new information, uncovers emerging trends, and identifies opportunities before they become widely recognized.
• Resourceful: Navigates complex challenges with creativity and persistence, leveraging available resources to maximize impact and drive results.
• Strategic Thinker: Connects market intelligence, industry trends, and organizational priorities to identify opportunities for growth and long-term success.
• Relationship Builder: Develops trusted relationships with healthcare leaders, strategic partners, and key stakeholders to advance organizational objectives.
• Healthcare Navigator: Understands the complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and quickly identifies how organizations, stakeholders, and funding opportunities intersect.
• Opportunity Seeker: Demonstrates a proactive mindset by identifying emerging funding opportunities.

Valued (Non-Essential) Skills

• Proficiency with CRMs, business development, market intelligence, and grant management tools, including Salesforce (or similar CRM platforms), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Grants.gov, SAM.gov, GovWin, HRSA funding portals, state procurement systems, funding databases, and Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.