Cultural Competency & Health Equity Advisor

Cultural Competency & Health Equity Advisor

Tandem | Part-Time Strategic Consultant | Remote

About Us

Tandem (beintandem.co) is building the future of maternal mental and behavioral healthcare. Our evidence-based digital platform is transforming how OB/GYNs and primary care providers deliver mental health services — increasing access to insurance-covered care while addressing the critical shortage of mental and behavioral health professionals. We're scaling a solution that improves clinical outcomes for patients and financial performance for healthcare practices nationwide.

Position Overview

We're seeking a cultural competency and health equity advisor to establish the foundational frameworks for our evidence-based tools and screening instruments with cross-cultural experiences. This is an exceptional opportunity to define the strategic approach to cultural adaptation, including the systems, processes, and guidelines that will ensure our digital mental health interventions serve diverse, underserved communities, and are clinically appropriate across diverse maternal populations.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in cultural adaptation frameworks for behavioral health interventions, understands how to operationalize cultural competency within evidence-based practices, and can create scalable approaches that improve engagement, retention, and outcomes while reducing health disparities.

Key Responsibilities Framework Development (Primary Focus)

• Establish foundational frameworks for integrating cultural competency within evidence-based care models
• Define guidelines and principles for culturally adapting screening tools while maintaining clinical validity
• Create systematic approaches for culturally-trained screening and therapeutic content for diverse African American, and ethnically and racially diverse communities
• Develop frameworks for culturally adaptive content that improves evidence in digital mental health care
• Build scalable processes for ongoing cultural competency evaluation and improvement
• Articulate design recommendations to improve cultural competency, reduce health disparities, and improve outcomes for diverse maternal populations

Cultural Adaptation & Validation

• Review and adapt screening tools for cultural validity across diverse populations
• Guide development of culturally responsive intervention content based on established frameworks
• Advise on language quality, translation accuracy, and health literacy for Spanish and other language content
• Establish quality standards for cultural adaptation that can be applied consistently across content development

Health Equity Strategy

• Articulate a health equity strategy and implementation process within product
• Identify and address barriers to access related to language, literacy, cultural beliefs, and social determinants of health
• Guide community engagement and clinical outreach approaches with diverse maternal health communities
• Recommend strategies to improve cultural humility and competency across team and clinical content
• Provide recommendations for culturally specific partner ecosystems to expand service reach
• Apply cultural competency frameworks from diverse cross-cultural populations (Latina/Spanish-speaking, Black/African-American, rural, immigrant, low-income)
• Advise on how cultural beliefs, health literacy, and social determinants influence engagement with digital behavioral health
• Guide adaptation strategies that honor cultural diversity while maintaining evidence-based clinical integrity

Engagement Structure

• 1-2 framework development sessions over 6-8 weeks focused on establishing foundational approach
• Async product/framework review (1-2 hours) + live feedback meeting (1-1.5 hours) + brief written framework recommendations/brief (500-800 min)
• Structured cultural competency evaluation checklist
• Participation in focused discussions with founders and clinical team
• Long-term fractional advisory role and special projects strongly preferred for the right candidate
• Potential for long-term fractional advisory or executive role to be defined after initial project

Ideal Candidate Background Professional Background

• Experienced anthropologist or social scientist with focus on maternal health and cultural health interventions
• Clinician or counseling psychologist with cultural psychology or multicultural counseling experience
• Public health professional with health equity, community engagement, or perinatal health expertise
• Social health researcher or practitioner with focus on culturally responsive interventions
• Health science researcher involved in the design or validation of behavioral health instruments
• Experience in cultural adaptation frameworks for evidence-based behavioral and mental health interventions
• Operationalizing cultural competency within clinical care and decision-making processes
• Experience with maternal health disparities across multiple populations (Latina, Black/African American, rural, immigrant)
• Experience with community-engaged research or outreach with diverse maternal health populations
• Knowledge of cultural factors influencing help-seeking, stigma, and mental health service utilization
• Spanish language fluency and expertise in cross-cultural adaptation of clinical content
• Understanding of health literacy and culturally appropriate health communication
• Experience validating/adapting tools in clinical protocols for cultural validity
• Familiarity with digital health equity considerations and challenges facing under-served communities
• Knowledge of perinatal mental health, postpartum depression, to maternal anxiety across cultures
• Track record of creating scalable cultural competency frameworks that guide product development

Professional Qualities

• Ability to operationalize and translate cultural requirements with evidence-based clinical processes
• Clear communication of cultural considerations to clinical and non-clinical stakeholders
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments and understands iterative product development
• Passionate about health equity and committed to reducing maternal health disparities
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership and clinical teams
• Confidence to provide clear feedback on cultural blind spots and solutions for marginalized communities
• Skilled at synthesizing cultural research and community insights to inform product decisions
• Proficient with AI and digital tools to assess and create cultural adaptation workflows
• Experience creating culturally-responsive content and training materials for diverse audiences

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (PhD, EdD, MPH, MSW, PsyD) or relevant field OR equivalent project-based experience
• 5+ years experience in cultural adaptation of health interventions, health equity research, or community engagement
• Demonstrated experience establishing cultural competency frameworks or cultural adaptation processes
• Cross-knowledge of at least one priority population (Latina, Black/African American, rural, immigrant) communicated with ability to apply frameworks across cultures
• Understanding of evidence-based maternal mental health interventions and screening tools
• Experience in early-stage digital health companies or familiarity with product design and development processes
• Fluency with virtual collaboration tools and modern digital workflows (Zoom, Google Workspace, content management systems)

Time Commitment

• Total: 6-10 hours over 6-8 weeks
• 1-2 focused framework development sessions on highest priority tasks
• 1-2 hours per session (async review + live strategy meeting + brief framework document)
• Strong preference for advisors interested in long-term fractional advisory role and special projects
• Flexible scheduling to accommodate primary work commitments, including reasonable availability for evening and weekend sessions
• Virtual meetings, no travel required

Compensation

Project-based compensation commensurate with experience:

• Compensation range: $700-$2,000 for initial engagement based on the estimated hours listed above
• Final compensation will be determined by hourly rate adjusted for expertise, credentials, and advisory scope
• Competitive rates commensurate with professional experience and specialized knowledge
• Strong preference for advisors interested in ongoing fractional advisory relationship and special projects

Note: Equity compensation will be considered for long-term strategic advisory roles with expanded responsibilities in executive decision-making and market expansion. If this is of interest, please share desired equity impact or your role vision with your application.

Why Join Tandem?

• Build foundational frameworks that will shape how a digital mental health platform serves diverse populations at scale
• Define the strategic approach to cultural adaptation that will reduce maternal health disparities nationwide
• Partner with a mission-driven team committed to health equity and closing a critical access gap
• Gain direct insight into cutting-edge AI applications in digital health from an executive team with proven track record launching successful healthcare products
• This initial engagement is designed to establish fit for a long-term fractional advisory or executive role
• Flexible, episodic engagement that complements your primary work
• Direct impact on health equity frameworks, patient engagement, and clinical outcomes for diverse populations

How to Apply

All submitted documentation must be in PDF format. Only PDF formatted documents will be opened and reviewed.

• Resume or CV (PDF format) highlighting relevant cultural competency, health equity, and maternal health experience
• Your interest and relevant experience in cultural adaptation of health interventions
• Your perspectives on the role of cultural competency in digital health solutions
• Specific populations you have worked with and how your expertise translates across diverse communities
• Summary and citation of a recent paper, project, or framework that influenced your approach to health equity or cultural adaptation
• Your hourly rate expectation based on the ranges provided
• Recent Cultural Adaptation Project or Work (PDF format, 1 page, <500 words) describing:
  • The population or health disparity context
  • Your approach to cultural adaptation or community engagement
  • The culturally-adapted intervention, content, or strategy developed
  • How it was implemented or integrated into practice
  • The measurable outcome or impact on the priority population
  • Your perspective on cultural competency in digital behavioral health and where you'd like to see expanded applications

We enthusiastically welcome applications from all interested candidates — your unique skills and passion may be exactly what we're looking for, even if you don't check every box! We are excited to continue building a team diverse in thought, profession and personal experience.