Senior Program Associate - Tobacco Treatment & Prevention (Healthy Communities of the Capital Area - HCCA)

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We envision a world in which all people have access to high quality and enduring solutions to improve and maintain their health and well-being. MCD Global Health aspires to be a premier partner of choice and a recognized leader, innovator, and trusted partner in healthcare and public health program development, implementation and evaluation. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide through enduring, high-quality, cost-effective, and universally accessible public health solutions. MCD operates impactful programs both in the U.S.A. and internationally.

MCD Global Health, Inc., in collaboration with Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA), is accepting applications for Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention to coordinate HCCA’s tobacco prevention program, provide youth tobacco treatment services in high school settings and implement other community-level policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to prevent tobacco and nicotine product use.

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area is a public health non-profit organization located in Hallowell, ME. HCCA serves Kennebec County, the Central Public Health District (Kennebec and Somerset Counties), and other statewide and regional efforts related to public health primary prevention, with particular focus on tobacco use prevention and control, substance misuse prevention, and healthy eating and active living. HCCA is home to Central District Maine Prevention Network, Nourish ME Nutrition Education Program, Gardiner Area Thrives Drug Free Communities Coalition, and Maine Farm & Sea to Institution.

HCCA partners with MCD Global Health, Inc. (MCD) to provide recruitment and human resources services, and serve as HCCA’s employer of record. This hybrid remote position is based at HCCA’s offices at 105 Second Street, Suite 2B, Hallowell, ME. This position requires working in various locations to meet the needs of the population of focus. Specifically, the Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate will spend 2-3 days per week working in Kennebec County schools.

This position qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

HCCA’s mission is to convene and support people, organizations, and communities to collaborate on quality of life and public health issues.

This position is grant-funded through the Maine CDC Maine Prevention Network 10-year grant program (2023-2032).

Salary offers may be higher or lower than the anticipated salary listed due to various factors, including the successful candidate's qualifications and experience.

Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention (Healthy Communities of the Capital Area - HCCA)

Grade Level: 4
Anticipated Salary: $56,000.00 - $64,000.00
Reporting Relationship: Program Manager

Reporting to the Program Manager, with oversight from the Executive Director, the Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention is a member of the Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) team and collaborates with HCCA staff, schools, community organizations, and statewide partners to implement Maine Prevention Network and Maine Cancer Foundation grant objectives throughout Kennebec County and across Maine.

This position is responsible for the delivery of a school-based commercial tobacco treatment initiative in select schools throughout Kennebec County, currently Waterville and Gardiner high schools. This position actively engages with the Central District Maine Prevention Network Team to cultivate and nurture a strong prevention infrastructure within the Central Public Health District. This position supports broader policy and environmental-level strategies to create systemic impact through prevention of tobacco and other nicotine product use in Kennebec County. This position works closely with the Program Manager to coordinate HCCA’s tobacco prevention program, manage budgets, ensure accurate and timely reporting to funders, and assist in seeking additional funding.

Objectives include partnering with schools to deliver youth-focused tobacco treatment for the prevention of tobacco-related diseases. The Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate engages with school leadership and student support teams to plan and implement strategies that promote successful quit attempts among youth actively using commercial tobacco and nicotine products. The Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate provides one-on-one and group counseling to students, helping them understand nicotine dependence and develop quit plans. This position connects students, their families, and schools with resources for tobacco treatment.

Additionally, the position supports quality improvement through data tracking and evaluation, using quality improvement to adapt programming to best meet the unique cultural needs of the student population, and to organize and implement Policy, Systems, and Environmental strategies to reduce youth initiation of nicotine products, to promote school and community engagement, and to support youth to thrive.

This position also implements It’s Worth The Try. This youth-tailored curriculum provides one-on-one and/or group counseling for youth needing support with quitting tobacco product use. This position is also responsible for facilitating a statewide advisory council that provides overall support and guidance for this pilot project, as well as providing overall technical assistance and support for project partners, such as additional It’s Worth The Try facilitators and sites hosting quit support groups. Additionally, the Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate will work closely with the project evaluator to recruit individuals for evaluation efforts, such as conducting focus groups with youth, key informant interviews with adults, and program participant surveys.

The successful candidate will have the ability to work collaboratively with varied project partners, consumers, community partners, and providers of health and behavioral health care; the comfort and ability to present to, facilitate, and engage diverse audiences, including youth and older adults; a strong desire and ability to network and engage community partners and other interest holders; and the ability to work independently, meet deadlines, manage time effectively, and communicate professionally both verbally and in writing.

LOCATION AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position is hybrid remote and based in Hallowell, Maine. Regular travel throughout Kennebec County is required, including frequent work within local high schools and youth-serving organizations. Occasional statewide travel may be required for meetings, trainings, conferences, and partner engagement activities.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in health-related field is required; however, equivalent related work experience may be considered. Experience working in a non-profit setting and with grant-funded projects is a plus. Training in counseling and/or social work is also a plus. Additional desired skills include:

• Ability to work collaboratively with varied project partners, consumers, community partners, and providers of health and behavioral health care

• Comfort and ability to present to, facilitate, and engage diverse audiences, including youth and older adults

• Strong desire and ability to network and engage community partners and other interest holders

• Ability to work independently

• Ability to meet deadlines

• Strong time management and accountability skills

• Ability to communicate professionally both verbally and in writing

• Knowledge and skill in the management of data-driven projects

• Ability to monitor and provide oversight of external local partners' progress towards deliverables

• Ability to plan, coordinate, implement, and manage multiple activities at once

• Ability to gather, synthesize, and summarize a variety of information from many sources

• Experience developing error-free, audience-specific communication materials and messages including flyers, brochures, booklets, social media, etc.

• Understanding of coalition-building strategies

• Experience using Microsoft Office suite and Google Workspace

• Valid Maine driver’s license and reliable transportation

• Must be eligible to work in the United States

• Knowledge of evidence-based tobacco use prevention and treatment strategies is a plus

• Knowledge and comfort navigating public schools is a plus

List of Job Duties

The Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention will:

• Deliver evidence-based tobacco treatment strategies in Kennebec County high schools and other settings statewide.

• Work closely with school staff and leadership to recruit and refer youth for tobacco treatment services.

• Conduct focus groups with youth and key informant interviews with adults.

• Facilitate and lead a quarterly advisory group.

• Provide ongoing technical assistance and support for local and statewide project partners.

• Recruit and train partners on the tobacco treatment support curriculum.

• Facilitate in-person and/or virtual youth tobacco quit support groups.

• Assist evaluation efforts for the tobacco quit support curriculum.

• Provide technical assistance to community partners to develop model tobacco use prevention policies that support smoke- and vape-free environments, and that align with state tobacco- and smoke-free laws.

• Develop and advocate for policies that promote smoke-free and tobacco-free environments.

• Provide presentations and training (in person and virtually), and promote via relevant communication channels, to relevant partners and stakeholders on evidence-based best practice strategies for tobacco treatment to increase knowledge of and access to the Maine QuitLink, My Life, My Quit, and other available tobacco treatment options and strategies.

• Collaborate with school partners to implement systems changes that integrate tobacco treatment and restorative responses to behavioral health challenges.

• Serve as a spokesperson for tobacco use and exposure prevention, and HCCA by providing education through webinars and in-person presentations to schools and youth-serving organizations on tobacco-related public health issues and the evidence-based best practice strategies to address these issues.

• Attend required meetings and training sessions.

• Participate in appropriate professional development opportunities, such as MaineHealth’s Center for Tobacco Independence’s (CTI) basic skills and intensive skills training, and motivational interviewing.

• Attain Tobacco Treatment Specialist certification.

• Attain Certified Prevention Specialist certification.

• Track workplan activities and ensure required data is collected and entered in online and other required reporting systems in a timely manner.

• Utilize written and electronic media for a variety of community awareness strategies.

• Protect confidential information about program participants.

• Oversee grant reporting requirements for reports to be accurate and submitted on time.

• Work closely with the HCCA Program Manager and the Finance Manager to track tobacco program expenditures, maintain budget tracking tools, and ensure timely spending.

• Assist with the development of draft budgets and grant applications for projects within the tobacco prevention program.

• Serve as point of contact for the tobacco prevention program.

• Coordinate and facilitate Central District MPN meetings.

• Promote positive relationships between and among HCCA and all potential collaborating partners by meeting with various stakeholders (schools, youth-serving organizations, age-friendly community groups, etc.) and finding opportunities to network and establish new relationships with potential partners to expand or enhance HCCA’s tobacco treatment and prevention program.

• Be a member of HCCA’s team of public health professionals working collaboratively to implement primary prevention programming and supporting the organization’s broad public health goals.

• Perform other duties as assigned.