Are you ready to make a difference and be a part of making positive community change?  We have the position for you!

GREAT BENEFITS including vacation, sick and personal leave - 13 paid holidays including your BIRTHDAY!!! IPERS Retirement Benefits. Group Health, Dental and Vision insurance. Family friendly atmosphere and great co-workers. 

Immediate opening for a Prevention Specialist!  FT Focus of work will be prevention of substance use disorder within Carroll, Sac, Greene, Guthrie and Audubon Counties.  BA in Education or Human Services related field preferred.  Successful candidate will be a self-starter, possess strong computer, communication and presentation skills.  Position will involve program development and educational programming with youth and adults in community, school, and workplace settings.  Travel Required. Occasional evening/weekend hours always with ample notice for classes.  EOE AD#2511

EXPECTATION FOR ALL EMPLOYEES: 

Supports the organization’s mission, vision, and values by exhibiting the following behaviors: excellence and competence, collaboration, innovation, respect, personalization, commitment to our community, and accountability and ownership 

GENERAL SUMMARY: 

The Behavioral Health Department supports, empowers and connects with individuals, families and communities so that healthy choices are made, and lives are changed. A prevention specialist is a professional who provides education, resources, and support to individuals, groups and other community stakeholders in the area of substance use disorder/problem gambling prevention. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

1.               Must work effectively with community stakeholders to create community change as related to substance use disorders/problem gambling.

2.               Skill base must be adaptive, innovative, and motivational when working with others.

3.               Must be able to look at data to develop plans based on best practices.

4.               Participate in service goal development process.

5.               Responsible for maintaining public relations between the agency prevention project and community resources.  This includes providing information on the range of substance use disorder services available in the community.

6.               Provide group presentations for schools, industry, community groups, coalitions, human services agencies, and other appropriate groups.

7.               Provide support, consultation, reinforcement and coordination to area communities, coalitions, task forces and agencies to unite and coordinate community level change.

8.               Responsible for recruiting and coordinating qualified volunteers, to include peer advising as needed to meet project goals and objectives.

9.               Provide information and documentation to file timely reports as required by general contract conditions and Policies and Procedures Manual.

10.            Must be a good steward of resources.

11.            Able to participate in a state-wide substance use disorder/problem gambling prevention planning process and locally engage stakeholders to provide input to the state agencies. 

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, and ABILITIES: 

1.               Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines.

2.               Ability to obtain and maintain a driver’s license, automobile, and current valid insurance to travel to designation locations.

3.               Ability to follow agency’s policies, practices, and procedures.

4.               Ability to establish, collaborate, and maintain effective working relationships with staff, management, stakeholders, and community contacts.

5.               Ability to work with confidential information.

6.               Ability to work in a team-based environment.

7.               Ability to adapt to the organization’s changing needs.

8.               Ability to participate/facilitate community coalition development.

9.               Ability to implement Science-based or Model Prevention Programs or be willing to receive training and implement Model Programs in the community.

10.            Ability to work in group setting.

11.            Ability to communicate effectively through verbal and written methods.

12.            Ability to be self-directed, highly organized with attention to detail.

13.            Ability to present complex information in an interesting and meaningful manner.

14.            Ability to participate in all stages of prevention work: assessment, capacity building, strategy implementation, and evaluation.

15.            Ability to approach work with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in mind.

NOTE:  A review of this position has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of essential functions.  All duties and responsibilities listed above are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.  To perform this job successfully, the incumbent(s) will possess the skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform each duty or function proficiently.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

BA / BS degree in related fields of:  Education, Public Health, Counseling, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Human Services, or Criminal Justice.  Must participate in Substance Use Disorder Prevention Specialist Training within one year of hire, receive a minimum of three hours of ethics training within three months of hire, and be certified by the Iowa Board of Certification as a Prevention Specialist within 18 months of hire. 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

 WORKING CONDITIONS: 

This factor measures the surrounding or physical conditions under which a job must be done and the extent to which those conditions make the job disagreeable.  Consider the presence and relative amount of exposure to dust, fuel, dirt, heat fumes, contaminants, cold, noise, vibration, wetness, etc. 

Normal working conditions with the absence of disagreeable conditions 

GENERAL INFORMATION: 

The statements contained in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.  Individuals may perform other duties as assigned.  Furthermore, this document does not establish a contract for employment and is subject to change at the discretion of the employer.