Community Outreach Specialist

Position Title: Community Outreach Specialist

Supervisory Responsibilities: YES

Budget Responsibilities: NO

Reports To: Program Director

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Date: July 2025

Closing: Until filled

POSITION SUMMARY:

Identity is seeking dynamic, innovative, confident, detail oriented, outgoing, collaborative community outreach specialists for its new Substance Misuse Prevention & Education Peer Ambassador Program (SUP Ambassador Program). The community outreach specialist will be working in a team with a program manager, two other community outreach specialists, and overseeing four high school youth peer ambassadors to conduct substance misuse prevention education and referrals to SUD/OUD treatment in one of the following areas: 1)Aspen Hill/Glenmont/Wheaton/Silver Spring; 2) Briggs Chaney/Silver Spring; or 3) Gaithersburg/Germantown, and Montgomery Village in Montgomery County, MD. This is a one-year position with a possibility of renewal, depending on funding.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Leads community outreach for substance misuse prevention with four high school youth peer ambassadors in one of the geographic areas mentioned above reaching a minimum of 560 youth and families in one year.
2. Works closely with the Program Manager to recruit, select, train, mentor, and supervise four high school youth peer ambassadors so they can conduct outreach to at least 10 peers a month for a total of 400 youth reached each in one year.
3. Provides input to the Program Manager in the creation of outreach material, social media content, substance misuse prevention workshop material, and training materials for youth peer ambassadors.
4. Collaborates with the Program Manager in training the peer youth ambassadors in how to conduct community outreach, stay organized, administer pre/post surveys to the youth they engage, and provide referrals to the Identity’s Wellness Center, Bridge to Wellness, Youth Opportunity Centers, Middle School Programs, GED/Workforce Development, Rec-Mode Fitness and Boxing, and Substance Use Prevention/Intervention team.
5. Delivers two-three prevention workshops to families in target geographic area a year, reaching 160 families in one year.
6. Provides one cohort of the Catch My Breath (four-lesson) Program to help indicated youth in grades 5-12 withstand peer pressure and includes smoking prevention/cessation strategies either in an in-person or virtual setting depending on clients’ needs and schedules.
7. Staffs 1-3 large scale recruitment events in collaboration with Rec-Mode Fitness & Boxing to raise awareness of Substance Misuse Prevention, harm reduction strategies, and resources for treatment and recovery reaching a total of 150 youth.
8. Ensures accurate collection and input of data into Identity’s Efforts-to-Outcomes and County’s Databases and works closely with the Program Manager to provide data necessary to create monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
9. Establishes strong relationships with Identity’s Wellness Center, Bridge to Wellness, Youth Opportunity Center, Middle School, Workforce Development Programs, schools, stakeholders, and other community and faith-based partners meet contractual targets.
10. Connects with Identity’s Substance Use Prevention/Intervention (SUP) Team to refer youth identified in need of treatment and recovery services to the program.
11. Meets weekly with the program manager to set priorities, establish an outreach calendar for community and school outreach, and ensure proper collection of performance data. Meets twice a week with the peer youth ambassadors to ensure they are supported and any obstacles to conducting outreach are resolved.
12. Accompanies the Program Director and Program Manager to key meetings with stakeholders to identify locations for outreach and potential partners who can help amplify the outreach and awareness campaign.
13. Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Must possess a high school diploma; bachelor’s degree in social work, behavioral health, public health, psychology, community organizing, education, communications, or another related field preferred.
• Must have at least one year’s demonstrated experience successfully supervising staff.
• Must have a minimum of three years’ experience of working with youth, community health, community organizing, communications, substance use disorders, or social work.
• Must be a highly effective written and oral communicator, trainer, and organizer to effectively succeed in this role.
• Must understand the Positive Youth Development Model, the Stages of Change Model, Substance Use Disorder/Opioid Use Disorder, and harm reduction strategies.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• The community outreach specialist position requires flexibility to respond to the needs of the team and clients and the ability to work on some evenings and weekends.
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills in English is required. Bilingual in English/French or English/Spanish is desired.
• Must have fluency in using Microsoft 365/SharePoint Suite (Excel, Word, PPT, Teams, etc.), Instagram, Blue Sky, Threads, Facebook, WhatsApp, Adobe, Canva, and Zoom.
• Must be able to pass a federal fingerprinting and background check.
• Position requires travel between sites and access to a car, valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.
• Must complete the following training upon hire: Advancing Youth Development, Child Protective Services, HIPAA, CPR/First Aid, Child Protective Services, Efforts to Outcomes, etc.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment and knows how to prioritize multiple projects to meet deadlines with effective and efficient use of resources.
• Demonstrates ability to be a positive, open-minded, and collaborative team member who enjoys working towards one goal and enjoys learning from others.
• Demonstrates sound judgment and decision making when working with colleagues, youth, families, and partners. Shows flexibility, initiative, and resourcefulness in all actions and conversations.
• Possesses the technical knowledge and abilities to perform job responsibilities while demonstrating a high skill level as well as reliability.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• As an non-exempt employee, the community outreach specialist is expected to work full-time, 40 hours, with a 30 or 60-minute unpaid lunch break, and on occasion must work during the evening or weekend hours with their schedule flexed.
• During the first 45 days, this position will be in-person to acclimate the community outreach specialist to the role and provide adequate training. Once the 45-day period is over, if performance has met expectations, the position will be hybrid (50% in the field, 20% remote, 20% in the office).
• When working remotely, the community outreach specialists must have consistent, full-time access to Wi-Fi/Internet and a quiet working environment and be available to answer emails, phone calls, texts, and Teams chats during scheduled working hours.
• Must be flexible during the workday to move from remote location to on-site/schools/office as needed to serve the needs of staff and clients.
• The ability to lift and move up to 10 lbs.