General Information 

• Job Code: SHR-NC-05T

• Location: NIH Main Campus/Bethesda, MD

• Employee Type: Exempt, Full-Time Regular  *Note that Part-Time hours may be possible.

• Telework: None

• Clearance: Public Trust

• Salary Range: $141,802.00 - $160,080.00 per year (how we pay and promote)  

Position Overview 

Are you passionate about connecting people to resources that improve their well-being?

Ripple Effect is seeking Well-Being Advisors to support our client, the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who will play a pivotal role in shaping our success on the Ripple Effect support team! Your work will directly impact a coordinated, evidence-informed Well-Being and Resilience Advising Program that includes individualized advising, structured learning opportunities, peer engagement, and targeted well-being strategies for NIH Trainees. You might be a fit for this role if you are a licensed well-being professional who is excited to join a multidisciplinary team composed of those like yourself, program managers, analysts, and operational specialists who are able to provide integrated services.

While not an exhaustive list, the key duties for the position include: 

• Lead complex trainee-advising programs by evaluating service delivery approaches, managing operational challenges, and communicating evidence-based recommendations to stakeholders while serving as a recognized subject matter expert in NIH Trainee support services. 
• Deliver structured, trainee-centered advising, tailored to myriad trainees, that includes issue clarification, goal setting, action planning, resource connection, and follow-up, as appropriate. 
• Help trainees address mentoring relationships, laboratory dynamics, career decisions and transitions, self-confidence, work-life integration, time management, communication, conflict resolution, research setbacks, uncertainty, stress management, and resilience development. 
• Facilitate discussion-based shared-learning and peer-engagement sessions in small groups that promote respectful dialogue, guided reflection, peer connection, and practical problem-solving. 
• Connect trainees to appropriate NIH, OITE, or community resources when needs exceed the scope of developmental advising, following established referral and escalation protocols. 
• Tracks and reports on program and trainee progress while maintaining consistency in confidentiality, documentation, and referral practices, and supports internal and client-facing schedule updates in a multi-disciplinary team. 
• Other duties as specified.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications  

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW), Counseling, Psychology, or related field, additional education substitutes for experience. 
• Active Social Work (ASWB LMSW) and/or Counseling (LPC and/or LMHC) and/or Clinical Psychology licensure. 
• 10+ years of relevant experience. 

Basic Requirements  

• Certification (Counselors only): NBCC/NCC certification.
• Demonstrated skill in developmental advising, goal setting, action planning, resource navigation, referral practices, resilience development, and in small-group and professional development workshop facilitation. 
• Knowledge of confidentiality, privacy, documentation boundaries, and non-personal-services requirements in advising or related settings. 
• Ability to recognize when participant needs exceed the scope of advising and to follow established referral and escalation pathways. 

• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office productivity software and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.  
• Ability to use government-furnished systems and equipment and complete required HHS privacy, information security, and rules-of-behavior training, as applicable. 

Skills That Set You Apart 

• Certifications: Advanced or specialty credentials in clinical social work, counseling, coaching, trauma-informed practice, group facilitation, conflict management, resilience, mindfulness, or related areas. 
• Social Work Examples: Advanced Generalist certification (LGSW/LASW), Clinical certification (LCSW), NASW Specialty Certification (i.e.  Case Manager, Clinical and Behavioral Health, etc.) 
• Counseling Examples: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), NBCC Specialty Certification (i.e. Mental Health, School, Addiction), Advanced Modality (i.e. CCBT, EMDR, RPT), other Specialty (i.e. Rehabilitation, Career, Coach, Trauma, Grief, etc.) 

• Experience supporting NIH trainees, biomedical researchers, academic medicine, or research-intensive organizations, particularly while working at NIH (federal or contracted employment). 
• Familiarity with mentoring relationships, research-team dynamics, career transitions, and the pressures of biomedical research environments. 
• Experience developing participant resources, tracking aggregate utilization trends, or supporting program evaluation and continuous improvement. 

• Intermediate experience with AI tools, including their limitations and risks, and how they can be applied to support project management tasks.    

About Ripple Effect 

Ripple Effect is an award-winning women-owned small business providing professional consulting and exceptional talent for federal, private, and non-profit clients. We deliver multi-disciplinary solutions across Communications & Outreach, Research & Evaluation, Program Management & Policy, Digital Transformation, and Technical & Scientific Support solutions with a focus on science, research, and healthcare domains.  

Hiring Process | Life at Ripple | DEIA  

Benefits

Ripple Effect rewards our employees for their contributions to our mission in many ways, from competitive pay and exceptional benefits to a range of work/life programs based on your employment classification and personalized preferences.  

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Ripple Effect is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, political affiliation, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please let us know by contacting our HR department at [email protected] or your recruiter. Eligibility for employment will be verified using E-verify.