Harm Reduction Specialist

New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition; New Brunswick (NJ); On-site; USD 54,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition (NJHRC) operates a Middlesex County Harm Reduction Center in New Brunswick, NJ. The Harm Reduction Specialist will support mobile outreach (delivery and kiosks) or on-site services, flexing as needed based on skills and team needs.

The role requires a driver license, lived experience with drug use or harm reduction, and a commitment to harm reduction best practices. You’ll engage with diverse stakeholders and respond to overdoses as part of a dynamic team.

Qualifications

• Driver license and ability to drive NJHRC outreach vehicles.
• Personal experience with drug use or harm reduction.
• Strong relationship-building with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience responding to overdoses in community settings.
• Harm reduction commitment and knowledge of best practices.
• Strong problem-solving and collaborative skills.
• Self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
• Ability to adapt to changing environments.
• Proven teamwork and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Attend and contribute to program meetings.
• Facilitate mobile syringe exchanges and harm reduction counseling.
• Organize outreach supplies and stock vehicles.
• Deliver harm reduction supplies to households and kiosks.
• Respond to overdoses and critical incidents as needed.
• Collect and enter data.

Skills

Driver license

Lived experience

Relationship-building

Overdose response

Harm reduction basics

Problem-solving

Emotional intelligence

Change management

Teamwork

Job description

Overview

Job: Harm Reduction Specialist
Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Salary: $53,500 - $64,000 (the majority of candidates will start at the lowest end of this salary band)

The Job

New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition (NJHRC) operates a Middlesex County Harm Reduction Center (HRC) located in New Brunswick, NJ. The Middlesex County HRC is a full-service syringe access program with three service lines: a drop-in center, mobile outreach and delivery, and healthcare kiosks. The Harm Reduction Specialist is a key member of the team and will provide support across service lines.

Who We Are

Incorporated in January 2020, NJHRC is a growing and fast-paced nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a New Jersey that values the safety and dignity of all people who use drugs, and to make evidence-informed harm reduction public health resources widely available to everyone in our state. We are working toward a world where there is no drug war or stigma against people who use drugs, and where all people have all the resources needed to stay alive and thrive.

NJHRC accomplishes this through direct harm reduction services, training and technical assistance, and policy advocacy. Our direct services are focused on two Harm Reduction Centers: the Middlesex Harm Reduction Center and the Statewide Harm Reduction Center (which is mail-based and uses nontraditional digital outreach and engagement methods). This job is based in the Middlesex Harm Reduction Center.

What You'll Do

The Harm Reduction Specialist will support all service lines of the Middlesex County HRC while having either a primary focus on mobile outreach (including delivery and kiosks) or on-site services. The primary focus will be determined by the HR Specialist's skills, strengths, and team composition; but the HR Specialist will be required to flex into other service lines, as needed.

The Harm Reduction Specialist will support mobile outreach and delivery through several activities, including but not limited to:

• Attending and contributing to program meetings
• Facilitating mobile syringe exchanges and harm reduction counseling with community members
• Organizing outreach supplies
• Stocking and driving the mobile van
• Conducting crowd engagement
• Facilitating syringe sweeps
• Delivering harm reduction supplies to members' households
• Delivering harm reduction supplies to Middlesex County kiosks
• Responding to overdoses and other critical incidents in the community if they occur during outreach shifts
• Collecting and entering data

The Harm Reduction Specialist will support on-site syringe access services through several activities, including but not limited to:

• Attending and contributing to program meetings
• Facilitating syringe exchange and harm reduction counseling with community members within our offices at 18 Abeel Street
• Facilitating syringe sweeps
• Conducting participant engagement
• Facilitating group participant activities and/or workshops
• Organizing and stocking on-site supplies
• Play a key role in responding to overdoses and critical incidents if they occur within our building
• Collecting and entering data

Who You Are and Keys to Success ("Must-Haves")

Job-Specific Must-Haves:

• Driver license: You hold a valid driver license, the ability to drive NJHRC's two outreach vehicles (Ram Promaster and minivan), and meet the guidelines for drivers of agency-owned vehicles .
• Lived/Living experience: Personal experience with drug use or harm reduction is required. The ability to connect with clients through shared experience is critical to this role.
• Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders, including people seeking Harm Reduction Center services, staff, neighbors, and organizational partners.
• Comfort responding to overdoses: You have experience and demonstrated ability in responding to overdoses in a community setting
• Commitment & experience with Harm Reduction best practices: You have a demonstrated commitment to harm reduction, racial justice, health equity, and the dignity and autonomy of people who use drugs. You have prior experience and training in harm reduction and implementing harm reduction best practices within an organization.

Must-Haves for all NJHRC staff:

• Problem-solving skills: You demonstrate initiative when approached with a problem and have experience successfully leading others through problem-solving.
• Self-awareness & emotional intelligence: You engage in self-reflection of your own behavior and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
• Comfort in a changing environment: You have the ability to navigate change externally with participants and with internal operations. You have the ability to lead change management projects internally.
• Embody teamwork: You have a demonstrated ability to work