Community Prevention Specialist

The Beacon Mental Health Prevention Team is working to eliminate substance use, promote mental health and build resilience in area youth. We are looking for a self-starter candidate with a deep passion for coordinating programs, working with a variety of partners, and facilitating strategies that create long-term change in our community. We need a candidate with a strong attention to detail, creativity, inter-personal and written/verbal communication skills, and ability to coordinate multiple programs simultaneously. This position is responsible for assisting with coalition mobilization and program implementation. This awarding position provides support and oversight of prevention projects and facilitates programming, education, training, and advocacy efforts.

Position Summary

Coordinates evidence-based youth substance use prevention and mental wellness strategies through partnering with area school districts and coordinating community prevention coalitions. Duties include coalition building, assessment, strategic planning, program planning/implementation, grant oversight, and evaluation.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Coordinates youth substance use prevention efforts and mental wellness strategies with designated schools and coalitions. Helps organize, implement, and evaluate major prevention programs and coalition activities. Helps secure local resources for coalition programs/activities.
• Motivates and promotes involvement from all community sectors in prevention coalitions and programs. Helps to build coalition capacity (membership and resources), motivates, and helps volunteers working on prevention coalitions to feel valued.
• Provides educational presentations to parents and community groups about alcohol, tobacco, and other drug trends, suicide and violence prevention, and mental wellness.
• Advocates with the general public and local legislators to further prevention efforts at the local, state and national level.
• Coordinates agencies’ tobacco prevention strategies and contracts, including annual tobacco merchant education program and SYNAR compliance surveys.
• Provides necessary program, budget, and outcome documentation for coalition and agency grants and contracts, oversees special grant projects, monitoring their budgets, implementing programs, and submitting reports.
• Provides administrative support to designated prevention coalitions in Clay County, provides materials, minutes/agendas, websites, and social media and regularly updates membership rosters. Sends reminder notices/emails to volunteers prior to the meetings.
• Assists Youth Prevention Specialists with coordinating involvement of Youth with Vision and Beacon Mental Health youth programming with assigned prevention coalitions, as well as assist with youth programs.
• Helps coordinate Northland prevention programs (Northland Prevention Conference, Northland Youth Leadership Summits, social marketing campaigns, etc.) with other Community Prevention Specialists and promote involvement with assigned prevention coalitions and schools.
• Provides resource tables at designated community program/events and mails/delivers resources as requested.
• Other duties and/or responsibilities may be assigned by supervisor.
  
  

Education/Certifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES)

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or will consider 5 years of prior relevant experience.
• Missouri Prevention Specialist Credentialed (or obtained within 6 months of hire).
• CPR and First Aid
• Valid driver’s license and minimum state required auto insurance.
  
  

Experience

Prior experience with community mobilizing, program planning, grant reporting, presentation and facilitation preferred.

• Prior experience with managing social media preferred.
• Prior experience working with youth and/or schools preferred.
  
  

Knowledge

• Basic understanding or willingness to learn substance use prevention frameworks, grant writing, volunteerism.
  
  

Skills/Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Strong organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively utilize Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
  
  

Additional Requirements

• The ability to travel locally and overnight, as needed for projects/training.
• The ability to work a flexible schedule which may include some early morning and/or evening hours and occasional Saturdays, as needed per specials requests.
• Valid Driver’s License and minimum state-required auto insurance.
  
  

SPECIAL QUALIFICATION

The primary responsibilities of a Prevention Specialist include giving presentations to community groups, youth, and other members of the public regarding the use of nicotine, among other issues. In this respect, a Prevention Specialist is not only an educator regarding the dangers of nicotine use, but also a role model and advocate for a health-conscious lifestyle. The presentations given by a Prevention Specialist frequently take place in public or semi-public venues outside the premises of Beacon Mental Health, where interaction with target audiences before and after the presentations is common. It is also common for Prevention Specialists to reside in or near the same communities in which they fulfill their advocacy role. For all of these reasons, the use of products containing nicotine by a Prevention Specialist would interfere with the duties and performance of the position and the overall mission of Beacon with respect to advocating and role modeling a healthy lifestyle. Accordingly, an additional qualification for the Prevention Specialist position is that the employee is not a current user of products containing nicotine.

• PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. The employee is frequently required to drive within the organization’s catchment area. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. The employee is frequently required to drive to off-site meetings and trainings.