Senior Prevention Specialist

Center for Community Research, Inc; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

Center for Community Research, Inc. (CCR) seeks a Senior Prevention Specialist to join its substance misuse prevention team in a full-time hybrid role in San Diego, CA.

You will work with prevention providers, co-facilitate a peer workgroup, and develop a broad training calendar across alcohol, cannabis, opioids, harm reduction, and emerging substances. Responsibilities include TA delivery, coordinating trainings, leading the Alcohol Prevention Workgroup, and serving as ABC liaison.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public health, social work, psychology, or related field.
• 4+ years of full-time experience in substance use prevention, behavioral health, or public health.
• Familiarity with California ABC regulations and responsible beverage service requirements.
• Experience providing technical assistance or training to professional or provider audiences.
• Strong facilitation skills; experience leading multi-stakeholder meetings or workgroups.
• Ability to independently manage a varied, high-volume workload.
• Valid driver's license; travel across San Diego County.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance to prevention providers as the primary point of contact.
• Coordinate, co-facilitate, and develop professional training programs.
• Launch and facilitate the Alcohol Prevention Workgroup and related workgroups.
• Co-facilitate community input forums across San Diego County regions.
• Lead the RBSS training program operations, scheduling trainers and tracking completion.
• Serve as CCR's ABC liaison with state and local stakeholders.
• Manage program communications, including CCR's social media presence.
• Assist with documenting program activities and required funder reports.

Skills

Team collaboration

Project leadership

Facilitation

Communication

Self-motivation

Organization

Knowledge of prevention

Education

Bachelor's degree (public health related)

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Canva

Venngage

Job description

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt|Reports to: Executive Director

Position Summary: The Senior Prevention Specialist is a full-time position on CCR's substance misuse prevention team. The position is currently centered on a County of San Diego behavioral health contract, with the expectation of contributing to other CCR prevention initiatives as the work evolves. This role works directly with prevention providers and community partners across San Diego County -- offering one-on-one and small-group technical assistance, co-facilitating a peer workgroup, and helping coordinate and develop a broad professional training calendar spanning alcohol, cannabis, opioid, harm reduction, and emerging substance topics. The position also serves as CCR's primary contact with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), making a strong grounding in alcohol prevention especially valuable. This is a role for someone who wants to be in the room: building relationships with providers, facilitating meaningful conversations, and helping organizations implement effective, evidence- and community-based prevention work.

Compensation & Benefits: Salary range: $75,000 - $87,000 depending on experience. Additional details will be provided upon offer.

• CCR offers a benefits package including health insurance, paid time off, and paid holidays.

Working Conditions: This position is based in San Diego, California. It operates in a hybrid environment combining work from home with in-office and field requirements. In-person presence is required for community trainings, workgroup facilitation, community forums, and stakeholder events across San Diego County's six Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) regions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public health, social work, psychology, or related field
• 4+ years of full-time experience in substance use prevention, behavioral health, or public health
• Familiarity with California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) regulations and responsible beverage service requirements
• Experience providing technical assistance or training to professional or provider audiences
• Strong facilitation skills; demonstrated experience leading multi-stakeholder meetings or workgroups
• Ability to independently manage a varied, high-volume workload
• Valid driver's license and access to reliable transportation; ability to travel across San Diego County

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in public health, social work, psychology, or related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Expertise in alcohol prevention
• Working knowledge of San Diego County's substance misuse prevention landscape, including regional providers, community coalitions, and the local ABC/alcohol retail environment
• Experience contributing to the design or development of professional trainings or curricula
• Experience writing program reports, data summaries, and meeting documentation for nontechnical audiences

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance (TA) to prevention providers -- Serve as the primary point of contact for technical assistance to local prevention organizations, helping them plan and implement substance use prevention efforts across topic areas including alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and emerging substances. Navigate resources, coach on evidence-based practices, and coordinate with the broader team or contracted specialists for specialized topics. Available to support community-facing TA in partnership with the Program Manager as capacity allows.
• Coordinate and co-develop professional training programs -- Coordinate, co-facilitate, and contribute to the design and development of a training series for prevention providers, working alongside contracted subject matter experts on topics spanning the full range of substance misuse prevention and harm reduction.
• Launch and facilitate the Alcohol Prevention Workgroup -- Play a central role in developing a new workgroup focused on alcohol prevention priorities, including recruiting members, shaping the group's agenda, and facilitating regular meetings. Document meeting outcomes and support ongoing member engagement. Participate in additional workgroups focused on related prevention topics when relevant.
• Co-facilitate community input forums -- Partner with the Program Manager to facilitate community input forums held across San Diego County's six HHSA regions throughout the year, gathering community voices to inform countywide prevention planning.
• Lead the RBSS training program -- Manage all operations of CCR's Responsible Beverage Sales and Service (RBSS) program, a California ABC-required training for alcohol retailers and servers. Schedule contracted RBSS trainers, track completion documentation, and maintain quality standards. Serve as backup trainer as needed.
• Serve as CCR's ABC liaison -- Build and maintain CCR's working relationship with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and local alcohol-related stakeholders.
• Manage program communications -- Maintain CCR's social media presence for this program and contribute current prevention content to CCR's online resource hub.
• Contribute to program reporting -- Support the team in documenting program activities and drafting required reports for the County funder.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Thrives in a collaborative team environment; communicates proactively and coordinates well across roles
• Demonstrated project leadership and management skills
• Commitment to professionalism, collaboration, and confidentiality
• Self-motivated; able to manage a varied, high-volume workload independently
• Strong facilitation and relationship-building skills; comfortable working with diverse professional and community audiences
• Organized and detail-oriented; able to track multiple workstreams and keep documentation current
• Knowledge of substance use prevention across multiple topic areas; expertise in alcohol prevention preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with Canva, Venngage, and social media platforms preferred

Additional Requirements

• Subject to a criminal background check prior to employment, and on an annual basis
• Reliable transportation and the ability to travel to work related locations as needed
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends for community events and trainings

This role is based in San Diego, California and involves occasional travel. Candidates must have access to their own transportation.

Physical Requirements

While performing duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods and use standard office equipment. The position requires regular travel by vehicle across San Diego County. Employees may occasionally be required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds for event materials and supplies. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Equal Opportunity Employment

CCR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Employees may be asked to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time as needed.