Technical Advisor, Substance Use Initiatives Funding, WIDHS

Vital Strategies, headquartered in New York City, is an international 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 73 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 non-communicable disease prevention, cardiovascular health promotion, tobacco control, road safety, obesity prevention, epidemic prevention, environmental health, vital statistics systems building, and multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment research. Our programs are concentrated in low- and middle-income countries and cities in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work.

Vital Strategies is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) organization. We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals 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, predisposing genetic characteristics, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity or expression), partnership status, arrest or conviction record, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws.

Read about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Vital Strategies: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-vital-strategies/

Job Purpose:

Vital Strategies is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Technical Advisor, Substance Use Initiatives Funding, seconded to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) located in Madison, Wisconsin.

WI DHS plays a critical leadership role in the state’s effort to address the drug overdose epidemic. Vital Strategies will provide a seconded staff to WI DHS to collaborate in the development of Wisconsin’s overdose prevention state, federal, and opioid settlement funding opportunities, and lead opioid settlement reporting requirements. This position will collaborate with teams throughout DHS, analyze gaps in current programming, understand the tribal nation and county-level plans to avoid duplication, design funding opportunities, facilitate implementation efforts, and advise on future funding plans. The Secondee will bring a harm reduction, data-driven approach to community awareness/anti-stigma efforts, overdose prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. The ultimate goal is that all relevant WI DHS funding opportunities require implementers to enable low-barrier entry to and retention in evidence-based, supportive services as well as implement harm reduction principles in primary prevention, treatment, and recovery settings.

This is a full-time, remote position that will be seconded to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) located in Madison, Wisconsin. Vital Strategies offers highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this role is $80,000 USD to $90,000 USD. The candidate must have authorization to work legally in the US at the time of hire.

Period of Assignment: The incumbent is an at-will employee as determined by Vital Strategies, and the employee. The position is grant-funded and will last through September 2026.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Technical Advisor will be embedded into WI DHS working with the agency team to perform duties as described. With the Vital Strategies and DHS supervisors, the secondee will write a workplan with timelines toward the responsibilities below:

• With all relevant teams at DHS, design detailed and strategic funding opportunities encompassing community awareness to prevent the following:
  • Drug misuse and efforts to mitigate the harm that stigma causes for people who use drugs;
  • Integrated substance use disorder screening and diagnosis across settings, and coordinated access to evidence-based services;
  • Evidence-based harm reduction interventions, mitigation for systemic barriers to treatment, and treatment retention for those who want it;
  • Programming that enables individuals to build recovery capital and wellness.
• Support stakeholder engagement; coordinate strategic meetings; document meeting themes and action points; and document community-level plans to avoid duplication;
• Identify strengths, barriers, and gaps regarding efforts to reduce overdose deaths in the state;
• Interpret available data to inform the state’s overdose prevention-funded activities;
• Understand the regulatory environment and the diverse needs across the state and its communities. Use this knowledge to design realistic and ambitious interventions;
• Include specific interventions to improve equitable access to services for racial and ethnic minority populations and rural communities;
• Engage leaders in sovereign nations and provide technical assistance in developing and implementing funded programs, as requested;
• Inform a monitoring and evaluation strategy that assesses the impact of implementation and informs improvement to future funding opportunities (also drafted by the incumbent);
• Identify funded partners who require additional technical assistance and develop a plan to improve implementation;
• Document progress and disseminate updates statewide including to the people the plan is meant to serve;
• Travel to urban and rural communities throughout the state as needed;
• Monitor emerging strategies that may be included in future funding opportunities that will further reduce overdose deaths;
• Support cross-pollination discussions with other Vital Strategies staff to share relevant project updates and seed collaboration opportunities;
• Administrative tasks (such as contract writing) will be limited to 5 hours per week, excluding report writing for opioid settlement funds;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education and Degree - 

• Undergraduate degree in public health, public policy, social work, psychology or another relevant field required. Masters preferred.

Skills and Abilities - 

• Demonstrated project management ability to establish and meet deadlines producing high- quality products;
• Ability to synthesize information from various sources and review/understand data to inform action;
• Strong people skills, with demonstrated ability to maintain partnerships with internal and external stakeholders;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and basic understanding of evaluation and its role;
• Ability to work well with diverse groups of individuals and organizations;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite;
• Ability to build strong, ongoing, impactful relationships at all organizational levels and across a diverse range of cultural, generational, ethnic, racial, educational, and social backgrounds;
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Experience:

Required - 

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience preferably in public health, public policy, or related experience;
• Experience providing technical or programmatic guidance for, or management of, harm reduction or treatment service settings;
• Deep knowledge of harm reduction and treatment interventions;
• Understanding of principles of health equity and disparities;
• Experience working in, or with, state or county government agencies or policy advocacy in WI;
• Experience working with and interpreting data and making recommendations.

Preferred - 

• Knowledge of recovery and/or anti-stigma interventions;
• Familiarity with drug use, harm reduction, and intersections with racial justice and health equity;
• Familiarity with substance use/overdose/opioids policy, including related criminal legal issues;
• Experience working with sovereign nations.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Vital Strategies offers highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position is $80,000 USD - $90,000 USD. The candidate must have authorization to work legally in the US at the time of hire. The role will be based in Madison, Wisconsin with the employee seconded to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services;
• The role will be on a hybrid (office and some home-based work if desired) schedule;
• The individual in this role may be required to travel in Wisconsin up to 10% of the time to attend meetings.