Community Policy and Prevention Specialist - Schools​/HBP

Community Policy and Prevention Specialist

The Community Policy and Prevention Specialist is part of the Community and Behavioral Health (CBH) unit within Adams County Health Department's Strategic Health Initiatives (SHI) Division. This position leads and implements community-driven Healthy Beverage and Commercial Tobacco policy and prevention initiatives across Adams County. Working with schools, community organizations, local governments, business leaders and health partners, the role ensures community and youth leadership are central to chronic disease prevention.

This intrinsically motivated role facilitates coalition and youth engagement, develops and advances policy initiatives, and manages the Health Beverage Partnership contract, including subcontract oversight, grant monitoring, and reporting.

Leadership and Program Coordination:

• Serve as the primary subject-matter expert for Health Beverage policy strategies and school focused tobacco prevention strategies at the municipal and state levels.
• Demonstrate developed leadership abilities, including educating, mentoring, training, and developing community partners in program related areas.
• Lead the management of funding to sustain healthy beverage policy and prevention efforts, including the Healthy Beverage Partnership contract.
• Oversee subcontractor and fiscal partner grant management (invoices, deliverables, reporting and compliance).
• Communicate with funding agencies, contractors, vendors, partners, community members, and Adams County colleagues in a timely and respectful manner.
• Participate in Healthy Beverage Partnership steering committee planning discussions and provide recommendations to the partnership informing strategic direction and sustainability.
• Represent the department in regional and state-level work groups to influence healthy beverage policy and chronic disease prevention strategies.
• Apply systems thinking to identify interconnections among factors driving chronic disease prevention and policy strategies.
• Use critical thinking and analytical skills to develop measurable objectives, conduct research as well as gather, analyze, and interpret data.

Healthy Beverage Policy Work:

• Work closely with community-based organizations (CBOs) to mobilize residents in community-driven efforts to implement municipal policy strategies that reduce sugary drink consumption, improve kids' health and advance health fairness.
• Develop and deliver trainings to equip community members, youth, and partners with the tools to effectively engage decision-makers and advance healthy beverage policies.
• Build relationships with local businesses, city staff, and coalitions to support policy adoption.
• Conduct outreach and educational campaigns to raise awareness of sugary drink health impacts and healthier alternatives.
• Track and report policy progress, share lessons learned, and provide technical assistance to local public health agencies and CBOs.
• Provide technical assistance to CBOs pursuing healthy beverage policies, including sharing best practices and lessons learned from across the state.
• Provide advocacy and policy training to community members, youth, and partners to increase civic engagement and readiness for local policy change.
• Lead a community coalition to build local advocacy capacity and align partners.
• Coordinate communication efforts for the coalition, including creating flyers, fact sheets, social media content, and messaging tailored for community and decision-maker audiences.
• Collaborate with other local public health agencies to build community-driven efforts across the state to adopt and implement evidence-based municipal policy strategies that reduce sugary drink consumption and address health differences.

Tobacco Policy Work:

• Facilitate community-driven strategies to reduce tobacco use and exposure through policy, systems, and environmental change strategies.
• Partner with schools and districts to strengthen tobacco and vaping policies, conduct policy audits, and review student substance use trends.
• Support youth-led prevention and intervention initiatives.
• Track progress towards grant deliverables and report outcomes.
• Collab…