Job Title: Prevention Specialist

Program: Community Based Services

Job Status: Full-Time;Non-Exempt

Location: Edmond, Oklahoma

Reports To: Director of Oklahoma Community Initiatives

Supervises: Not applicable

Details: 40 hours per week, on-site.

Job Summary

DCCCA strives to be a premier prevention provider by utilizing evidence-based practices in prevention, ensuring high quality services, building community focused capacity, training staff to gain expertise in their field, and continuously evaluating service offerings and effectiveness in the community.

The Prevention Specialist works to empower community members in Oklahoma County to live healthy and productive lives by providing education, resources, and community connections that prevent substance misuse, reduce harm, dispel stigma, and prevent overdose deaths. The Prevention Specialist acts as a vital member of the DCCCA Oklahoma Community Based services team by collaborating with a community coalition to share education and resources on opioid and stimulant misuse, developing new partnerships across the community to spread awareness and understanding, seeking opportunities to expand the reach of the coalitions work, and researching and reviewing relevant data and best practices to ensure coalition work is meeting the needs of the community. Those who gain a sense of satisfaction from connecting with new people, working upstream to solve community and project related problems, and taking initiative the move projects forward are encouraged to apply!

Essential Functions

• Represents the agency at local, regional, and state events by:

• Actively engages with community members to increase understanding, share vital resources, and create new partnerships.
• Appropriately plans for the needs of events be considering the target audience, number of attendees, and supplies and resources needed.
• Gathers all needed supplies and recruit any additional staff or volunteer support if needed to effectively achieve the event.

• Schedules and participates in community presentations, health fairs, etc.

• Contacts new and existing partners to promote training and resources in order to schedule new presentations and health fair participation.

• Collaborates and works with community organizations to promote the coalition's mission and goals
• Plans annual community facing events and manages the logistics, volunteers, communications and details of the events.

• Plans medication take back days in collaboration with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and local community partners.
• Plans annual educational event the OK County Opioid & Stimulant Summit.
• Plans annual community family friendly event, Prevention & Recovery in the Park.

• Develops and facilitates community presentations focused on substance misuse prevention.
• Through educational resources, on the job training, and self-lead research, gains knowledge and expertise in substance misuse trends, opioid and stimulant prevention, the strategic prevention framework, and best practices in prevention.
• Utilizes knowledge and skills gained to update current training materials and create new presentations as needed to meet community needs.
• Provides prevention training to community partners and recruit new partners to receive training.
• Assists Director of OK Community Initiatives with project implementation
• Works collaboratively with Director to ensure project initiatives meet required outcomes, while taking ownership and initiative on creating action steps.
• Gains understanding of workplan structure and requirements and thinks strategically about how to achieve the projected outcomes.
• Monitors and evaluates coalition programs, including data entry into evaluation plan
• Collects required survey data when distributing free resources to the community and enter this data into the tracking excel sheet.
• Completes monthly reporting of all resource distribution, trainings provided, community collaboration, and progress on policy advocacy in the state reporting system.
• Disseminates information about coalition projects, determine potential partners.
• Determines appropriate locations and events to disseminate coalition and prevention information, track all resources provided, and engage with partners to enhance relationships.
• Coordinates coalition volunteers for community events.
• Creates volunteer role descriptions, schedule of needed shifts, and share these documents with volunteers.
• Recruits and encourages volunteerism from new and existing coalition members.
• Provides facilitation and administrative support to the coalition.
• Facilitates monthly coalition meetings in collaboration with coalition chair to assist members in having engaging conversations and staying focused on projects appropriate to the workplan.
• Creates coalition meeting agenda, distribute email in advance, print and provide at meetings and take meeting notes.
• Directs needs assessment activities, as needed through the grant cycle.
• Reviews and understands former needs assessment information and how this data impacts the focus of the opioid and stimulant focused prevention work.
• Frequently reviews updated data relevant to the work to update the needs assessment and keep coalition members informed and presentations updated.
• Collaborates with other agencies and coalition members to gather needed data when annual revisions to the needs assessment are required.
• Assists in the development of marketing materials, social media content, and media campaigns.
• Applies creativity and critical thinking when creating materials to market resources.
• Willing to learn and utilize new technologies to successfully manage email newsletters, flyer creation, and social media content planning.
• Supports policy change efforts with coalition members, local partners, and organizations.
• Advocates for state level policy that supports public health best practice and improves long-term prevention outcomes.
• Fosters relationships with local organizations and businesses in order to assist them with positive prevention policy change through policy review and suggestions.
• Job may require the employee to be able to regularly drive to various DCCCA locations and other business locations throughout the day including early morning or evening hours and some weekends.

Education, Experience, and Licensure

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, required
• Certified Prevention Specialist Certification within 18 months of hire, required
• Proven community organization and facilitation experience, preferred
• Experience in substance use prevention or human services preferred
• Must possess a valid state Driver's License, in force automobile liability insurance, and maintain a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) that meets organization's insurability standard as defined by DCCCA policy. Availability of reliable transportation is required for this position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Regular and reliable on-site attendance.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with a desire to network and build new relationships
• Communicates clearly and is persuasive in both positive and negative environments
• Effective listening, oral, and written communication skills, including face-to-face, on-site, in person discussions. Exercises appropriate use of positive language.
• Knowledge of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse/misuse prevention
• Knowledge of community systems and their relevance to community change
• Able to interact with a variety of interest and cultural groups
• Reporting skills and the ability to maintain records required
• Professional demeanor and attitude required
• Experience creating flyers, social media graphics, and email newsletters utilizing software such as Canvas, Constant Contact, or Adobe Creative Cloud preferred but not required.
• Intermediate to Advanced Proficiency with computers and Microsoft suite of products including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to efficiently operate other office equipment such as telephones, voicemail systems, copy and fax machines, and scanners.
• Adherence to DCCCA Values:
• We provide education and services based on research and a dedicated commitment to improving lives.
• We value the people and communities we serve by respecting their experiences and treating them with dignity and respect.
• We encourage leadership at all levels by challenging existing conditions and finding innovative ways to grow and learn.
• We deliver high quality services every day, holding ourselves accountable for our outcomes.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described below are representative of what must be met to satisfy the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to:

• Stand, walk, sit, climb, or balance
• Talk, hear, taste, or smell
• Reach with hands and arms
• Use hands to finger, handle, or feel
• Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl
• Move lift or move up to 50 pounds occasionally
• Work at a computer for extended periods of time, sitting or standing
• Operate successfully in an environment in which mentally and emotionally stressful topics may be discussed or trained, i.e. substance use disorder, mental health conditions, domestic abuse, etc.
• Vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Travel

This position requires some travel, which may include driving personal or company-owned vehicles.  Note: Even with a valid driver's license, certain motor vehicle infractions may render individual's ineligible to drive company-owned or personal vehicles for company business. Such infractions may also disqualify employees from continued employment with DCCCA, Inc.  This is a safety sensitive position.  

Please note this description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Candidates must successfully complete pre-employment drug screening, background screening, a fingerprint-based records search, and reference checks. Continued employment is contingent upon annual background screening and participation in an ongoing random drug and alcohol testing program.

DCCCA is a drug-free and smoke-free workplace.  This position is considered a safety sensitive position.

DCCCA, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, gender, disability, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of DCCCA to comply with all federal, state, and local laws concerning the employment of women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans, and to act in accordance with regulations and guidance issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in every location in which DCCCA has facilities. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training, and any other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

Possible Opportunities for Promotion and/or Growth: 

• Lead Prevention Specialist
• Prevention Supervisor