National Mental Wellness Director

Description

The National Mental Wellness Director leads the strategic vision, development, execution, and national scaling of mental wellness initiatives across the African American Male Wellness Agency’s national footprint. This role advances culturally responsive mental wellness among African American men through programming, strategic partnerships, community engagement, advocacy, storytelling, data-informed leadership, and market support. 

Serving as the architect and steward of the Real Men Real Talk (RMRT) ecosystem, the Director builds a scalable hub-and-spoke model that equips local markets while protecting national standards, brand integrity, participant experience, and measurable impact. The role partners closely with executive leadership, local market leaders, funders, sponsors, community stakeholders, and the AAMWA Communications Department. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• National Strategy, Vision & Thought Leadership: Develop and lead AAMWA’s national mental wellness strategy; serve as a thought leader and spokesperson; shape campaigns and public narratives that reduce stigma; prepare executive updates, impact reports, and a State of Black Men’s Mental Wellness address. 
• Hub-and-Spoke Leadership & Market Enablement: Design, implement, and refine the RMRT operating model; establish national standards for programming, facilitation, training, data systems, reporting, and storytelling; coach Local Program Managers and regional leadership; approve market readiness for expansion and scaling. 
• Program Development, Oversight & Quality Assurance: Design culturally responsive RMRT frameworks, conversation guides, summits, and resources; maintain a consistent national cadence and topic strategy; ensure quality facilitation, curriculum delivery, participant experience, and continuous improvement across markets. 
• Business Development, Grants & Strategic Partnerships: Support funding strategy, grant narratives, sponsorship positioning, compliance, reporting, and funder stewardship; cultivate partnerships with corporations, foundations, health systems, government agencies, universities, faith leaders, and community institutions. 
• Marketing Strategy, Storytelling & Media: Collaborate with Communications to guide RMRT messaging, campaigns, brand voice, podcast themes, guest strategy, social content, digital platforms, and trauma-informed participant stories that elevate national visibility and community impact. 
• Data, Research, Evaluation & Impact Reporting: Oversee national data collection, dashboards, compliance, evaluation, and outcome reporting; translate insights for leadership, funders, partners, and communities; guide research and thought leadership on Black men’s mental wellness. 
• Team Leadership & Capacity Building: Supervise Local Program Managers, regional staff, consultants, and facilitators; establish role clarity, performance expectations, reporting rhythms, onboarding, training, and a sustainable leadership pipeline from coordinator to regional leadership. 
• Community Engagement, Advocacy & External Representation: Engage faith, civic, clinical, grassroots, and policy stakeholders; represent AAMWA/RMRT at convenings, conferences, media opportunities, public forums, and partner meetings; support coalition models that build trust and advance mental health equity. 

Requirements

•  Advanced experience in mental wellness, behavioral health, community health, nonprofit leadership, public health, social services, health equity, or a related field. 
• Demonstrated success leading multi-site, regional, or national programs with strong strategy, systems-building, program design, execution, and accountability skills. 
• Deep understanding of culturally responsive and trauma-informed mental wellness practices for African American men, families, and underserved communities. 
• Exceptional leadership, communication, facilitation, public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and executive-level writing skills. 
• Experience collaborating with communications, marketing, media, podcast, or storytelling teams to align program strategy with public-facing narratives. 
• Experience supporting grants, sponsorships, partnerships, funder reporting, data systems, evaluation frameworks, dashboards, and performance management. 
• Ability to lead teams, manage accountability, build capacity, travel nationally, and work evenings/weekends as required. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Nonprofit Leadership, Health Administration, Community Health, Public Administration, or related field preferred. 
• Licensed mental health professional, public health professional, or comparable experience preferred but not required. 
• Experience designing curriculum, facilitator guides, training materials, conversation frameworks, research briefs, podcasts, or national thought leadership content. 

Core Competencies: 

Visionary and systems-level leadership; strategic execution and national scaling; culturally responsive program design; storytelling and narrative stewardship; grant, partnership, and stakeholder alignment; data-informed decision-making; research and impact reporting; team development and accountability; facilitation and public speaking; cultural humility, community trust, trauma-informed communication, emotional intelligence, and mission alignment.