Senior Community Outreach Specialist (Substance Abuse Program)

Links Global seeks applicants for a Senior Community Outreach Specialist position to serve a Montgomery County, Maryland program to prevent substance use disorder and support intervention programming to address the needs of youth, young adults, their families, and the local community. The program focuses on youth and young adults who are at high risk for substance use and their family members and is designed to engage directly with youth and young adults who identify as using substances and their families to develop a relationship with the youth and/or young adult and connect them and their family to pertinent services. The outreach and engagement strategy does not involve the direct delivery of treatment activities. The outreach team will be involved in establishing and maintaining active, positive working relationships with community prevention and harm reduction service providers and primary referral sources including the police, schools, and local organizations serving youth, education of police and other partners, and promotion of the intervention program locally. Outreach and education interventions will use evidence-based practices. 
 

Employment Type: Full-time, contract-based position

Work Days/Hours: 40 hours per week. Primarily M-F, normal day hours, but requires some weekend or evening hours to accommodate participation at community events. If you work late or a Saturday, you take other time off during the work week.

The primary duties of the position include:

• Work by the direction of the Team Manager
• Respond to referrals from the police, schools, and community-based organizations
• Keep the team informed of new referrals, participants, and partnerships
• Participate in team meetings
• Utilize evidence-based approaches to motivate and engage participants in the programs, services and treatments
• Provide outreach with team members and partners to travel to residences or other designated places to follow up on participants and their families within 24-48 hours of an incident and weekly with participants
• Provide support, education, and resources to youth dealing with substance use disorder and their families
• Provide information to the Team Manager that will help them develop the initial care plan and contribute ideas and opinions for the best care
• Support the coordination of the care plan by engaging with participants in connecting to supports and services which could include services to address social determinants of health
• Develop a network of support to be made available to participants and their families
• Promote the program by conducting a minimum of one community outreach activity per month
• Other duties as assigned 

Work requires frequent travel to various sites within Montgomery County, MD. Candidates must have a working vehicle and the capability of driving (i.e., valid license). Mileage costs will be reimbursed.

Minimum requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalency and at least 21 years old
• At least 3 years of experience in coordinating and organizing community outreach activities on substance use.
• Knowledge of substance use disorder, prevention, treatment, and harm reduction,
• Knowledge of local organizations within Montgomery County, MD
• Experience in coordinating and organizing partnership building, coordinating services, networking with agencies and organizations, and community outreach
• Experience in health promotion and evidence-based practices in prevention, treatment, and harm reduction
• Experience in community engagement, information dissemination, and development of informational materials, presentations, and curricula
• Experience in data gathering, interpretation, and evaluation
• Strong interpersonal and group presentation communication skills and writing skills
• Computer skills with MS Office
• Legal work status
• Ability to pass a background check
• Valid driver's license and personal vehicle

Applicants selected will be subject to a background investigation and must meet eligibility and suitability requirements. Disqualifying factors include personal history such as recent or repeated felony or misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal charges, and recent illegal drug use.

Applicants will be required to submit 3 or more references.

Wage is based on $72,000 per year plus fringe benefits

Links Global is an equal-opportunity employer.