Senior Technical Advisor, Overdose Prevention Program

Vital Strategies is a global public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury, and death. We currently work in more than 80 countries, supporting data-driven decision-making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives.

They include noncommunicable disease prevention, tobacco control, road safety, food policy, environmental health, and data for health. Our programs are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries and cities in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Please visit our website alstrategies.org to find out more about our work.

We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by people with diverse life experiences whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, actual or perceived age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, marital status, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws.

As such, our commitment is to promote equal employment opportunities (EEO) for those seeking employment.

The Overdose Prevention Program partners with governments and communities to advance evidence-based strategies that reduce overdose deaths. Through grant funding and tailored technical assistance, the program helps government, institutional, and community partners strengthen policies, implement innovative programs, and mobilize local action to address the evolving overdose crisis.

Our work spans the neighborhood, local, regional, and jurisdictional levels, supporting sustainable public health solutions that are responsive to local needs. Program staff are organized into multidisciplinary regional teams, each managing a portfolio of states or Native communities. These teams work closely with colleagues in Operations and with subject matter experts in Communications, Program Evaluation & Knowledge Management, and Legal & Policy to deliver coordinated, high-impact support.

The Overdose Prevention Program funds projects and provides technical assistance tailored to the overdose crisis on the ground in U.S. states. We support government, institutional, and community partners to reform policy, innovate programs, and mobilize communities at the neighborhood, municipal, county, and state level for reducing overdose deaths.

Real Fix is a city-led program, developed and proven in Paterson, New Jersey, that helps residents with opioid use disorder access medication treatment (i.e., buprenorphine, methadone) rapidly when they need it. Real Fix has joined the portfolio of the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that accelerates the spread of successful civic innovations. The Idea Exchange’s goal is to support replication of the Real Fix model in at least 20 U.S. cities by December 2027, working with cities in three cohorts.

Vital Strategies serves as the subject matter expert (SME) partner to the Idea Exchange for Real Fix replication, under a 16-month scope of work running from September 2026 through December 2027. Many of the policies, financing mechanisms, and systems that shape access to medication treatment are governed at the state level, which means cities face different implementation opportunities and barriers depending on where they are located.

Vital Strategies’ role is to supply state-specific knowledge and relationships that replication requires
-making strategic connections, developing informational briefs, and helping cities address implementation barriers.

Vital Strategies’ work under this scope is limited to technical, educational, and implementation support. It does not include lobbying, legislative or political advocacy, campaign activity, or efforts to change laws or regulations.…