Community Affairs Associate

Community Affairs Associate

The Community Affairs Associate will partner with the Director of Strategy and Innovation and the Bureau Director within Strategic Partnerships by advancing community health initiatives, especially organizing local health coalitions and implementing community outreach and overdose prevention programs. This role will engage directly with community partners and stakeholders, periodically offering direct services to community members who experience issues related to housing and substance use.

In the role, the Community Affairs Associate will provide guidance and training to various grantees in the Community Affairs portfolio, such as programs funded by opioid settlements. The position will support grantee management, including collaborating with programs around invoicing, data collection, field inspections, and addressing ongoing opportunities and challenges.

The ideal candidate is someone with experience and strong interest in community health and organizing and advocacy, as well as the subject areas of substance use and harm reduction. The position will also join the Community Affairs Manager in periodically providing direct support to community members experiencing substance use and housing-related issues, such as referring them to services and shelter options. Therefore, RSB values any candidates who also have direct services/clinical experience in addition to the macro experience. An educational background in social work or public health will prepare an individual to succeed in the role, but experience and education in other related fields may also apply.

Duties

Community Organizing and Engagement

• Contribute to managing a local health coalition, supporting collaboration and engagement among community partners, service providers, and stakeholders
• Organize convenings and co-facilitate stakeholder dialogues, manage followup actions, and track deliverables for community health projects and activities
• Partner with the Director of Strategy and Innovation and the Bureau Director in liaising with neighborhood leaders, both gathering and communicating information about resources and emerging trends

Direct Client Support

• Provide support to community members impacted by substance use or housing, leveraging skills like motivational interviewing and active listening
• Refer community members to services and shelter options, maintaining an understanding of the landscape of Boston programs
• Performing "warm handoffs" to better ensure individuals are connected to services
• Periodically conduct follow ups with some clients who have acute needs, checking in on their success and connecting them with any other supports as needed

Grantee Management

• Align with the Director of Strategy and Innovation and the Bureau Director's vision for how the BPHC-funded programs can be successful, both within their individual scopes and also in collaboration
• Organize and communicate with community partner programs around invoicing, data collection, and field inspections, including programs funded by opioid settlements
• Provide ongoing guidance and training as defined by the grantees and Director of Strategy and Innovation and the Bureau Director
• Contribute to community partnership initiatives by exploring beneficial partnerships

Evaluation

• Collaborate with the Director of Strategy and Innovation and the Bureau Director to collect and analyze data from a range of community affairs projects, including performance metrics, events retrospectives, and listening sessions or surveys
• Develop written deliverables and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

Perform other duties as required

Education and Experience

• Master's degree in Social Work, Public Health, or a related field with a strong focus on community health and substance use recovery OR a bachelor's degree and two years of experience OR five years of experience.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn about the role of public health in addressing racism, the social determinants of health, and inequities in health outcomes as well as strategies to advance racial justice and health equity.
• Commitment to health equity and racial/social justice issues
• Experience working with diverse community stakeholders, especially Black and Latinx communities
• Experience in community organizing, advocacy, grant management, and/or public health programming
• Experience researching, collecting, analyzing, and communicating public health data, including both quantitative and qualitative data

Skills & Competencies

• Strong competency in tracking deliverables and supporting a range of program operations, including meeting facilitation, event organizing, grants management, and storytelling
• Skilled at establishing and maintaining effective working relationships
• Capable of working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously
• Committed to maintaining confidentiality in accordance with laws. Has experience working on sensitive projects
• Effective at working and collaborating with other RSB and BPHC staff members, as well as community partners
• Proficient in synthesizing and presenting information clearly in written, verbal, and slide deck forms
• Experienced in preparing written deliverables, drafting letters, and assembling memorandums in a clear, coherent, and concise manner
• Proficient in Windows Office Package (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc.) and Google Workspace, with a demonstrated ability to learn new software applications and technology

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of issues Boston communities face related to substance use and homelessness, especially the neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, and the South End
• Existing relationships with community organizations, groups, leaders, and/or businesses in Boston
• Training and experience with direct services clinical work, in addition to more macro skills
• Licensing for professions that serve people who use drugs and experience homelessness, including Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Recovery Coach, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, or Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
• Bilingual ability, with professional competency in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, or Haitian Creole.
• Experience with more specialized technologies such as using Excel for data analysis or Canva for designing materials