Substance Use Prevention Systems Coordinator

The Substance Use Prevention Coordinator is part of the Behavioral Health Initiatives Team within the Adams County Health Department (ACHD) Strategic Health Initiatives (SHI) Division. This position advances substance use prevention by aligning partners, supporting evidence-based strategies, and strengthening systems that promote wellness across the lifespan. This role champions community voice, shared accountability, and collaborative action to reduce substance use and related harms across Adams County.

This position reports to the Behavioral Health Supervisor, and works closely with the Mental Health Promotion Specialists, Youth Engagement Team, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Team, and the broader health department to coordinate and align substance use prevention and behavioral health initiatives internal and external to ACHD. This role collaborates with community members, organizations, schools, local government, and regional/state partners to influence substance use prevention and behavioral health across the lifespan.

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $78,027.88 - $89,732.06 annually. The full salary range is $78,027.88 - $113,140.43 annually.Leadership:

• Serves as subject matter expert and consultant with a deep knowledge of substance use prevention strategies, evidence-based practices, trainings, and resources, including, but not limited to, shared risk and protective factors, policy and advocacy, secure storage and disposal, stigma reduction, early identification and intervention, harm reduction and recovery support.
• Demonstrates developed leadership abilities, including educating, mentoring, training, and developing colleagues and community partners in program-related areas.
• Reviews policies, procedures, and protocols and provides recommendations to ACHD and Adams County leadership to advance substance use prevention and meet Adams County residents' behavioral health needs.
• Leads and implements strategic, long-term projects and process improvements.
• Exercises high-level decision-making latitude and works independently while appropriately consulting with staff at all levels, including executives and elected officials.
• Communicates effectively in writing and verbally to inform, negotiate, navigate, and reach consensus among differing opinions in support of system, policy, and practice changes that improve substance use prevention.

Public Health Advanced Practice:

• Maintains up-to-date working knowledge of public health advanced practice, including social determinants of health, community engagement, partnership development, population-based health promotion, disease prevention, coalition building, and collective impact.
• Maintains active working knowledge of the shared risk and protective factors associated with substance use prevention, behavioral health and overall health, specifically related to priority populations to ensure:
  • Behavioral health strategies and resources are connected and mutually reinforcing.
  • Community interest-holders know they may turn to ACHD for resources and information on substance use prevention and are connected to those resources.
• Assists in development of strategic goals and objectives for behavioral health initiatives across the health department and county-wide.
• Supports behavioral health funding development, including grant identification, writing, and interdepartmental coordination.
• Compiles and interprets data, provides recommendations for quality improvement, and helps design and implement systems, strategies, and programs.
• Seeks insights into systemic patterns contributing to public health challenges and underlying factors that lead to unfair health outcomes.
• Contributes to the research, analysis, and review of federal, state, local, and organizational policies affecting substance use prevention, and behavioral health, systems, and supports. Assesses feasibility and population-level impact, develops policy briefs and recommendations, and supports the development, implementation, and promotion of policy and systems strategies that advance behavioral health county-wide priorities.  
• Coordinates responses to a changing public health environment through problem-solving and program adaptation informed by change management best practices.

Coordination, Collaboration, and Community Engagement:

• Supports the co-creation and dissemination of messaging and communications to increase the awareness of promotion and prevention initiatives, integrate de-stigmatizing language in all communication, and elevate the importance of substance use prevention in priority settings.
• Demonstrates the ability to develop and adapt culturally responsive educational materials and curricula that support substance use prevention and behavioral health.  
• Effectively delivers training and facilitation as a technical expert, providing clear, engaging instruction and guidance to multisector audiences as a technical expert on substance use prevention and behavioral health while promoting evidence-based prevention practices.
• Collaborates internally and externally across sectors, to educate interested/affected groups on evidence-based strategies and best practices for program, policy, systems, and/or environmental changes for improved population health.
• Supports different perspectives and builds and maintains strategic partnerships with community and partner organizations to understand community assets and priorities, create and maintain connections across organizations, and ensure achievement of shared objectives.
• Facilitates collaborative models for community health improvement using collective impact and process improvement facilitation to leverage existing community efforts and strengths.
• Ensures prevention strategies, decision-making processes, and policy approaches meaningfully include and reflect the voices of impacted communities.

General Administration:

• Demonstrates strong project management skills, effectively planning, organizing, and executing multiple tasks and projects to achieve program goals and meet deadlines.
• Organizes program data for use in grant reporting, ACHD annual reports, and other documents as identified.
• Participates in grant processes and supports processes to identify and secure funding to address substance use prevention needs.
• Conducts performance management activities, including continuous quality improvement, outcomes-based performance tracking, and program evaluation.
• Maintains consistent communication with ACHD programs regarding progress, successes, and support needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Commitment to Fairness:

• Regularly assesses work and supports changes to remove systemic barriers and build systems that address unfair differences.
• Prioritizes transparency and supports an open-door culture.
• Uses practices that center community needs and ensures just opportunities to inform the development and implementation of all project or program strategies.  
• Understands how institutions and social structures may be set-up unfairly and demonstrates a genuine commitment to community driven work that addresses and barriers and foster fair opportunities for all.

• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and build rapport with a variety of partners, including people with lived expertise.
• Strong knowledge of data collection, research, and reporting methodologies.
• Strong knowledge of sustainability planning practices, tools, and strategies.
• Strong ability to measure and track key performance indicators while considering population-based health outcomes that align with program goals, objectives, tactics, and actions.
• Working knowledge of public policy development processes and fair practices.
• Working knowledge of public health models, techniques and best practices related to community change, shared risk and protective factors, community engagement, coalition building and collective impact.
• Working knowledge of substance use prevention strategies, evidence-based practices, trainings, and resources, including, but not limited to, shared risk and protective factors, policy and advocacy, safe spaces, secure storage and disposal, stigma reduction, early identification and intervention, harm reduction and recovery support.
• Demonstrated experience with project management, change management, and process improvement tools, techniques, and methods.  
• Demonstrated proficiency in emotional intelligence competencies such as self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship management.  
• Ability to present information in a variety of settings and to a variety of audiences, including the community, elected officials, and both internal and external partners.   
• Ability to facilitate group processes to advance dialogue that leads to collaborative and informed action.
• Must be proficient in use of online meeting platforms and Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Education
Required:  

• Requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in public or environmental health, public policy, behavioral health sciences, health administration, social work, education, or a related field
• Preferred:  Master’s degree 

Experience
Required:  
Minimum five years prior experience in the following:

• Working with coalitions, local government, policy makers and/or government entities to measurably improve health and social outcomes
• Leading program planning to achieve successful, sustainable, policy and systems-level changes 
• Preferred:
  • Experience in substance use prevention and systems change work preferred 
  • Bi-lingual (ACHD provides Language Pay incentive based on use.)

License and/or certification
Required:

• Possession of or ability to obtain valid Colorado driver's license and access to dependable transportation for business purposes as needed is required.

Other:

• Must pass criminal background check.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Duties:

• Completes trainings identified as appropriate for this level employee.  
• Employee participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness and response, as required.
• Employee responds, as required, to support emergencies, incidents and events with a public health and medical impact.

HIPAA STATEMENT: Maintains sensitive & confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy confidentiality requirements.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

• Work is primarily conducted indoors with occasional time spent in an outside environment.
• This role will experience routine environment.
• Requires travel between Adams County offices and to locations in the surrounding community for meetings and events.
• Occasionally, this role may be required to work after normal work hours to attend meetings and events.  
• This role’s physical demands are assessed to be light work that includes moving objects from 14 pounds to lifting supplies up to 50 pounds.  
• This role constantly communicates with others to exchange information by speaking, listening, and writing.
• Requires sufficient writing ability to communicate needs fluidly and accurately in program development.
• Requires the ability to operate computer and office equipment.  
• Requires the ability to sit and perform administrative and computer work for significant periods of time.
• Equipment Used: Standard office equipment including, but not limited to, personal computer and associated hardware and software, telephone, copier, calculator, and audio-visual equipment.

Salary : $78,028 - $89,732