Project Assistant

Statement of Duties:

Project Assistant (PA) is primarily responsible for administrative management of the Metro Boston Crisis Intervention Team Training and Technical Assistance Center (MB CIT TTAC) a project within the Somerville Police COHR unit. The MB CIT TTAC works with over 55 police departments in Middlesex and Essex Counties. Our goal is to support law enforcement in developing skills, knowledge, and resources in order to implement strategies to effectively respond to individuals experiencing behavioral health crisis. This includes offering CIT training as well as advanced topics, development of policy and program implementation. The PA also provides office management for the COHR Unit. COHR is a clinical unit that provides follow up and aftercare to police calls for services involving behavioral health. The PA may serve as a point of contact to greet clients and community residents seeking assistance.

The position will be based at the Somerville Police Department but will require frequent travel in the Metro-Boston Region and North Shore Region, trainings are held regularly in Andover as well as other North Shore communities.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Provide on-site administrative management and technical assistance during all trainings. This includes organization, preparation, transportation, setup and breakdown of all training materials and equipment; assisting with participant registration; serving as a greeter; distributing training materials; coordinating practical exercises and role play materials; and providing administrative assistance to participants throughout the training.
• Schedule presenters, facilities and training locations; coordinate site logistics and confirmations; create and maintain training calendars; manage participant registration, training rosters, attendance records, sign-in sheets, evaluations, certificates of completion, and related training documentation before, during and after each training.
• Coordinate post-training administrative processes, including creation and maintenance of electronic evaluations, tracking participant responses, maintaining certificate numbering systems, scanning and archiving training records, and entering training completion data into applicable databases.
• Provide overall office management for the COHR Unit and MB CIT TTAC, including maintaining office supplies, equipment, technology, inventory, electronic filing systems, shared drives, departmental records, training materials, and other program resources; onboarding new staff and interns; and supporting daily administrative operations.
• Assist with the maintenance and ongoing development of the MB CIT TTAC website and online resources, including updating training information, resource materials, event announcements, website content, and monitoring website utilization in collaboration with program staff.
• Manage program communications, including maintaining email distribution lists, preparing operational emails, coordinating stakeholder communications, scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, and providing logistical support for stakeholder and regional meetings.
• Support public outreach efforts through coordination of social media requests, maintenance of training catalogs and promotional materials, and dissemination of program information to partner agencies and community stakeholders.
• Support budget management for grant-funded programs, including maintaining grant expenditure trackers, processing invoices, monitoring expenditures, maintaining financial records, and supporting grant reporting requirements.
• Work closely with the Director and Deputy Director of the MB CIT TTAC to ensure the delivery of high-quality training for police departments throughout the region. Responsibilities include researching national CIT trends, updating training resources, identifying emerging challenges and best practices, developing program materials, responding to requests for technical assistance, and co-presenting at trainings as appropriate.
• Monitor program data and maintain training databases to support reporting, evaluation, grant compliance, and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, social work or criminal justice required, Master’s Degree in Social Work or Public Health preferred, or actively pursuing degree and/or certification.
• Bilingual in Portuguese, Spanish and/or Haitian Creole preferred.
• Grant and budget management experience preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, computer skills, record keeping abilities, and attention to detail.
• Ability to independently prioritize and manage multiple projects, training events, deadlines, and competing responsibilities.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Forms, Calendar), and virtual collaboration platforms.
• Experience maintaining databases, electronic filing systems, websites, and shared document management platforms.
• Ability to maintain accurate records, prepare reports, organize program data, and support grant documentation and reporting.
• Ability to follow and implement program policies and procedures.
• Knowledge and familiarity of behavioral health resources at the community and state level.
• Familiarity with concepts of mental health and law enforcement partnerships.
• Ability to maintain and utilize laptops, iPads, and related technology platforms used for training.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

Work Environment:

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attending evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual Skills

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes.

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at View phone number on us.fitly.work or View email address on us.fitly.work.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.