The Drug & Alcohol Prevention Program Specialist is responsible for preparing the overall Drug & Alcohol prevention goals and objectives for the County and for ensuring that all services are provided in accordance with established regulations, policies and procedures. This position is responsible for supervising lower level prevention specialists.

This job requires the following documents to be obtained, reviewed as acceptable by the supervisor and re-obtained every five years: PA Child Abuse, PA Criminal History and FBI Criminal History.

A person in this position is expected to demonstrate the system of care practice model, which maximizes all resources around an individual or family. This system of care includes child and adult serving agencies and community partners that join with an individual or family to meet their goals.

The prevention person will be responsible for managerial work in the drug and alcohol prevention department in a single county authority. An employee in this position will develop, supervise and manage the County’s alcohol and other drug and problem-gambling prevention system. The employee is responsible for preparing and overseeing the preparation of the annual prevention plan and developing or effectively recommending policies and procedures, ensuring that all services are provided in accordance with established regulations, policies and procedures. The employee will assist in the development of the County’s prevention budget and provide oversight of same. The employee is expected to exercise initiative and independent judgment in achieving objectives. Work is reviewed by the Executive Director through conferences and an evaluation of results.

Responsibilities will include:

• Assign and review the Prevention Specialist’s work.
• Assist the Prevention Program Manager in establishing the overall prevention goals and objectives for the County, and monitoring of the progress of prevention programs.
• Plan and implement regular prevention needs assessments in compliance with state requirements and SCA goals.
• Collect data for evaluating outcome of the Needs Assessment Plan and assist Prevention Program Manager in updating/adjusting plan as needed.
• Develop and oversee County prevention plans based on statistics and data generated from needs assessments and in compliance with state requirements and SCA goals.
• Plan and manage SCA and provider utilization of the DDAP Web Infrastructure for Technology Services (WITS) to ensure accurate and timely data reporting and analysis.
• Supervise the administration of the County’s prevention plan through contract management.
• Assist Prevention Program Manager in developing annual programmatic Requests for Information and/or Requests for Proposals for all prevention programs and services.
• Negotiate contracts for prevention services and monitor for compliance.
• Analyze data and information collected from programmatic evaluations.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports by reviewing goals and objectives in the County prevention plan utilizing WITS reports and statistics to indicate progress or completion of goals.
• Interpret prevention objectives to individual public and/or private agencies and community organizations to gain understanding, cooperation, collaboration and support.
• Research grant opportunities and write proposals, as needed.
• Represent Single County Authority at the state and local level prevention initiatives (i.e., workgroups, school district policy development, Advisory Boards, etc.).
• Perform related work, as required.
• All other duties as required by the position.

Minimum Requirements:

• One year as a Drug and Alcohol Prevention Specialist; or a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Health Education, Education, the Social or Behavioral Sciences or related field; and two years of experience in drug and alcohol prevention work; or any equivalent combination of experience and training.
• Ability to speak effectively in public and express ideas clearly and concisely.
• Ability to develop or revise policies and procedures and rules.
• Knowledge of current developments in drug and alcohol consumption.
• Knowledge of problems in the schools and community in relation to drug and alcohol consumption.
• Knowledge of school district organizational structure, curriculum and policies and practices.
• Knowledge of community organizations and their function relative to drug and alcohol-related problems.
• Knowledge of health impacts relating to drug and alcohol consumption.
• Ability to gather data in order to compose advertising and educational literature and deliver speeches on drug and alcohol topics.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with the general public.
• Ability to travel and attend meetings off-site.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Health Education, Social or Behavioral Sciences or a related field.
• Knowledge of school district organizational structure.
• Knowledge of ATOD curriculum policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of problem-gambling prevention
• Knowledge of community coalitions and youth serving systems and their "function" in relation to ATOD use and abuse.
• Knowledge of problems relating to ATOD use and abuse, both social and physical.
• Knowledge of current ATOD prevention and intervention treatment practices.
• Knowledge of local social service system.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to follow office protocols.
• Able to use common sense understanding to carry out verbal and written instructions.
• Ability to handle and resolve recurring problems.
• Strong time management skills.
• Ability to establish priorities.
• Able to carry tasks to completion
• Interpersonal skills
• Flexibility
• Accurate and detail oriented.
• Organizational skills
• General knowledge and understanding of County of Chester policies and procedures.
• Ability to analyze program plans and operations and make recommendations toward policy and method determination.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of prevention program planning and development.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have:

• Basic Word skills
• Basic Excel skills
• Basic OutLook skills (Email and Calendar)
• Basic Internet Explorer skills

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk and sit.

There are no special vision requirements listed for this position.

Work Environment:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

Other:

• Ability to work extended hours, as necessary.
• This position requires professionalism.