Applied Public Policy Graduate Fellow- MassHealth Behavioral Health Team (2026-49793

The Applied Public Policy Graduate Fellowship, under the direction of the Executive Director of Workplace Equity & Inclusion or designee, offers a unique opportunity for currently enrolled graduate students and recent masters or doctoral graduates to gain hands‑on experience in health and human services policy, financing, research, and service delivery.

This fellowship, lasting up to two years, places Fellows within the Massachusetts state health and human services agency (Mass Health), where they will contribute to meaningful projects that require advanced analytical, research, and communication skills.

This is a hybrid position requiring Fellows to work on‑site at the Mass Health office in Boston two days per week. Remote work requires a private, secure space with reliable internet and adherence to data privacy standards.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. for the two‑year program duration. Work authorization must extend beyond the host institution of the applicant’s current or previous degree program.

The Fellow will be assigned to the Behavioral Health Strategy and Policy Team within the Office of Accountable Care and Behavioral Health.

Mass Health’s Behavioral Health Strategy & Policy team within the Office of Accountable Care and Behavioral Health (ACBH) is driving an innovative agenda to support Mass Health members with behavioral health needs in an evolving policy and industry space. The team is instrumental in implementing the Commonwealth's multi‑year Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform, which aims to expand access to effective treatment and build a more robust community‑based crisis system to divert members from requiring care in an emergency department.

The team drives strategy and policy design, development, and implementation across behavioral health service, age, and diagnostic continuums.

• Support policy work streams and strategic projects across ACBH that require holistic considerations, cross‑functional alignment, and breaking down ambiguous problems into addressable components to drive to a strategic solution and successful policy implementation.
• Develop work plans and support day‑to‑day efforts in developing strategic policy recommendations and supporting behavioral health policies from design through implementation.
• Identify potential risks to strategic priorities and policy initiatives and design strategies to mitigate or avoid risks and elevate issues as appropriate.
• Support internal and external stakeholder engagement (e.g., members, advocates, providers) on relevant strategic initiatives and policy changes to collect feedback on proposed recommendations.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement and develop policy and strategic recommendations.
• Support the preparation of formal recommendations to ACBH and Mass Health leadership.
• Assist in resolving operational challenges faced by providers and health plan partners.
• Collaborate with teams across Mass Health and agencies within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to drive forward behavioral health policies and priorities aimed at addressing key challenges or opportunities.

• Knowledge of and/or interest in behavioral health care, substance use disorder, mental health policy and programs, including Medicaid and Managed Care programs
• Ability to provide structure and process management to the projects, including under tight time constraints
• Coachability and flexibility to operate in a highly dynamic environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills
• MS Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Comfort with ambiguity and providing structure to ambiguous problems
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Passion for behavioral health, public service and policy
• Commitment to health equity
• Perform complex executive and administrative tasks with independence, prioritization, and decision‑making.
• Utilizing evidence‑based methodologies, conduct advanced research to support the development of innovative health and human services initiatives, policies, and departmental objectives.
• Coordi…