Change Implementation SME

Gritter Franconca is looking for a Change Implementation SME that will provide expert organizational change management and implementation support for the design, launch, management, evaluation, and scaling of anElevated Risk Care Management (ERCM) Pilot focused on improving the coordination and effectiveness of suicide prevention-related care for Veterans at elevated risk.

The Change Implementation SME will support the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in planning and executing organizational change associated with the ERCM model. The SME will assess organizational readiness, stakeholder impacts, workflow changes, implementation risks, and adoption barriers, and will develop practical strategies to support successful implementation across pilot sites and future national expansion.

The Change Implementation SME will work closely with Government program leads, clinical and operational stakeholders, pilot-site leadership, Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) teams, Mental Health Treatment Coordinators (MHTCs), suicide prevention personnel, and other stakeholders throughout the Concept, Explore, Design, Implement, Evaluate, and Spread phases of the pilot.

Key Responsibilities

Change Management and Implementation

• Provide subject matter expertise in organizational change management, implementation, adoption, and sustainability.
• Support VHA in executing organizational change associated with the ERCM Pilot.
• Develop and implement change management strategies aligned with project objectives, clinical workflows, organizational priorities, and stakeholder needs.
• Assess organizational readiness for implementation and identify barriers to adoption.
• Develop strategies to address resistance, competing priorities, communication gaps, workflow concerns, and other implementation challenges.
• Support integration of change management activities into overall project and implementation plans.
• Provide recommendations to Government leadership regarding organizational readiness, change risks, adoption, and sustainability.
• Support consistent implementation of the ERCM model while allowing appropriate adaptation to site-specific operational environments.

Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement

• Lead or support development and execution of comprehensive stakeholder analyses.
• Identify key stakeholders, affected populations, decision-makers, influencers, champions, and groups potentially impacted by implementation.
• Assess stakeholder needs, level of influence, potential concerns, readiness, and anticipated response to proposed changes.
• Develop stakeholder engagement strategies and communication approaches based on stakeholder analysis findings.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, workshops, listening sessions, and other engagement activities.
• Build relationships with clinical, operational, administrative, and leadership stakeholders across pilot sites.
• Support engagement with BHIP teams, MHTCs, suicide prevention teams, care management personnel, and other clinical groups.
• Identify opportunities to establish local champions and change agents to support adoption and sustainment.

Change Impact Analysis

• Conduct comprehensive change impact analyses to identify how implementation of the ERCM model may affect people, processes, technology, workflows, roles, responsibilities, policies, and organizational structures.
• Assess the potential impact of changes on clinical and operational staff.
• Evaluate potential impacts on Veterans and the Veteran community.
• Identify changes required to existing workflows, processes, roles, responsibilities, communications, training, and operational practices.
• Document current-state and future-state processes and identify gaps between them.
• Develop impact assessment reports and recommendations for addressing identified gaps.
• Coordinate impact analysis activities with clinical and operational SMEs, Government program leads, and pilot-site stakeholders.

Implementation Planning

• Support development of detailed implementation and change management plans for the three pilot sites.
• Develop site-specific implementation strategies based on organizational readiness, stakeholder needs, workflow differences, and operational characteristics.
• Establish change milestones, activities, dependencies, and measures of adoption.
• Integrate change management activities with the broader project schedule and implementation lifecycle.
• Develop readiness checklists, implementation tools, communication materials, stakeholder engagement plans, and other resources.
• Support pilot-site preparation, launch, adoption, stabilization, and transition activities.
• Identify lessons learned and incorporate findings into subsequent implementation phases.

Risk Management and Change Impact

• Identify and assess risks associated with organizational change and implementation activities.
• Evaluate potential risks to clinical operations, staff, workflows, care coordination, Veteran experience, and the broader Veteran community.
• Develop risk mitigation and contingency strategies.
• Monitor change-related risks throughout implementation and communicate emerging concerns to Government leadership.
• Assess unintended consequences or adverse impacts associated with changes to care coordination and follow-up processes.
• Recommend corrective actions and implementation adjustments when risks or unintended impacts are identified.
• Support integration of change-related risks into the overall project risk-management process.

Clinical and Operational Workflow Support

• Collaborate with clinical and operational stakeholders to understand current-state workflows and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support development and implementation of future-state workflows associated with the ERCM model.
• Assess how centralized or better-coordinated follow-up may affect existing care processes.
• Identify opportunities to reduce redundant outreach and improve coordination among BHIP teams, MHTCs, suicide prevention teams, and other clinical teams.
• Support workflow validation and readiness assessments at pilot sites.
• Identify operational barriers that may prevent effective adoption of new workflows.
• Recommend practical strategies to integrate ERCM processes into existing clinical operations.

Training and Adoption Support

• Support development of training and education strategies necessary for successful adoption of the ERCM model.
• Identify training needs based on stakeholder and change impact analyses.
• Provide input into training materials, job aids, implementation guides, and other adoption resources.
• Support development of role-specific training and communication materials.
• Assist with training delivery and stakeholder education activities as needed.
• Assess training effectiveness and identify additional support required during implementation.
• Support development of resources that promote long-term adoption and sustainment.

Communication and Change Readiness

• Develop and support implementation of targeted change communications.
• Tailor communications to executives, clinical teams, operational staff, pilot-site leadership, and other stakeholder groups.
• Communicate the purpose, benefits, expected impacts, roles, responsibilities, and implementation requirements associated with the ERCM model.
• Develop communication strategies to address stakeholder concerns and promote understanding and adoption.
• Monitor stakeholder feedback and use findings to refine implementation and communication approaches.
• Support leadership messaging and change sponsorship activities.

Evaluation, Sustainment, and Scale

• Support development of measures to assess change adoption, implementation readiness, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability.
• Collaborate with evaluation personnel to incorporate change management measures into the overall pilot evaluation framework.
• Analyze implementation feedback and lessons learned to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support development of recommendations for sustaining successful changes beyond the pilot period.
• Contribute to action planning for phased national implementation.
• Develop change management recommendations and resources for expansion to additional sites.
• Support development of implementation toolkits, readiness assessments, stakeholder engagement resources, communication plans, and sustainment strategies.
• Assist with a deliberate, phased national rollout beginning with operational environments similar to the pilot sites and expanding incrementally.

Government and Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with VHA Government program leads and designated stakeholders throughout the pilot lifecycle.
• Participate in IPT meetings, project planning sessions, implementation reviews, and executive briefings.
• Provide expert recommendations related to organizational change, implementation readiness, stakeholder impacts, and adoption risks.
• Prepare presentations, briefing materials, reports, and other deliverables suitable for executive review and operational use.
• Maintain appropriate documentation of change management activities, stakeholder analyses, impact assessments, risks, decisions, and recommendations.
• Communicate progress, challenges, risks, and recommendations to Government leadership in a timely manner.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in organizational development, organizational psychology, healthcare administration, public health, business administration, change management, social sciences, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in organizational change management, healthcare implementation, organizational transformation, program implementation, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• PROSCI Certified
• Experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
• Experience with behavioral health, mental health, suicide prevention, care management, or healthcare programs serving high-risk populations.
• Familiarity with VA suicide prevention programs and processes, including REACH VET, Risk ID, PDE, SPED, post-event outreach, and Veterans Crisis Line-related requests.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development