Overdose Training and Community Engagement Consultant II

The Health Sciences Division is seeking a qualified Overdose Training and Community Engagement Consultant II (Educator Consultant II) to provide leadership and consultation to strengthen, expand, and sustain equitable overdose prevention and response strategies.

Working closely with the Overdose Prevention and Response Training Manager, this position collaborates with public health staff, community organizations, and cross-sector partners to advance education, community engagement, organizational change, and community capacity-building. The Consultant applies knowledge and principles of equity, racial and social justice (ERSJ) to assess community and organizational needs, develop and deepen partnerships, build sustainable capacity, facilitate change, and evaluate prevention strategies.

The role includes delivering and developing training, providing technical assistance and consultation, and supporting community-driven solutions that increase readiness to prevent, recognize, and respond to overdose risks. 

Applicants who have lived or living experience with overdose, substance use disorders, criminalized drug use, incarceration, homelessness, sex work, or recovery are strongly encouraged to apply. We recognize that these experiences bring critical expertise, insight, and value to our public health strategies.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months. 

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

Work Location 

The Overdose Prevention and Response team works in a hybrid model, with a minimum of 3 days in the office and throughout the community (fieldwork), as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is the King County Chinook Building, 401 4th Ave Seattle, WA 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

• Provide consultation, leadership, and technical assistance to public health staff, community organizations, healthcare workers, first responders, public safety and housing partners, and the public on overdose prevention and response, education, community engagement, program planning, and integration of equity principles and partnership with people who have lived/living experience.

•  Lead community capacity-building and engagement efforts that strengthen the ability of organizations, communities, and community members to prevent, recognize, and respond to overdose.

•  Identify opportunities to increase knowledge, procure resources, enhance infrastructure, and promote organizational readiness while working collaboratively with partners to develop sustainable, community-informed solutions that are inclusive of people most impacted by overdose and resource disparities.

•  Develop and implement inclusive, culturally responsive engagement strategies that meaningfully involve community members, people with lived/living experience of substance use disorder, overdose, treatment, recovery, incarnation, and social service or housing programs, community-based organizations, and other invested partners in identifying priorities, shaping interventions, implementing solutions, and addressing inequities.

•  Develop and facilitate training events, workshops, community learning opportunities, and organizational change initiatives tailored to identified needs.

• Assess community and organizational needs and develop customized strategies for education, training, technical assistance, and organizational or community change while supporting community input processes and bidirectional communication.

•  Facilitate workgroup, cohort, advisory board processes that support shared learning, problem-solving, planning, decision making, and collective action.

• Develop and strengthen community and interagency partnerships to expand the reach, effectiveness, and sustainability of overdose prevention and response efforts.

• Identify opportunities to connect organizations, leverage community assets and resources, and strengthen local networks and coalitions, including emerging priorities such as youth overdose prevention and increasing resource and service connections among most impacted communities throughout King County.

• Lead or co-lead community outreach, engagement initiatives, and events, including serving as a designated program spokesperson and coordinating with community media outlets to increase awareness of overdose prevention and response, naloxone access, treatment and recovery resources, risk reduction and safety strategies, and other evidence-informed approaches, while addressing stigma and inequities that affect access to services and supports.

• Collaborate and consult with program managers, subject matter experts, and community partners to integrate service and organizational level overdose prevention strategies inclusive of ERSJ practices across ODPR initiatives and emerging priorities.

• Support ODPR training program quality assurance, quality improvement, and continuous learning across education and community capacity building efforts.

• Gather, analyze, and utilize research, literature, epidemiological and community data, and participant feedback to assess needs findings to improve programs, inform strategic planning, and prepare statistical and evaluative reports.

• Maintain and strengthen education and engagement resources and infrastructure, including evidence-informed training and reference materials, supplies, equipment, and other resources.

• Review and revise training materials and approaches reflect current research, community priorities, cultural responsiveness, and ERSJ principles.

• Lead or participate in debriefing, reflection, and continuous improvement following trainings, community initiatives, and major projects.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• An associate’s degree or higher with 2 years of experience in a training or education-related role and 2 years of experience in a public health, harm reduction, or social service setting; OR at least 4 years of health or social service experience working directly with individuals who use drugs in a harm reduction, outreach, or clinical setting where education was a key function; OR relevant lived/living experience currently used in a voluntary or official capacity to perform similar duties.
• American Heart Association certified in basic life support (BLS/CPR-AED)
• Valid Washington State Driver's License and the ability to drive a county vehicle to locations in and outside King County. (The selected will travel between community locations and the Chinook Building in Downtown Seattle, transporting equipment and supplies necessary for community trainings.) 
• Ability to work in variable community settings including some outdoors spaces
• Demonstrated current knowledge and practice of harm reduction principles; opioid and stimulant overdose response; safer use practices; local drug trends, treatment, and recovery programs; health care and service providers across mental health substance use homeless and housing services, mutual aid landscapes in King County
• Advanced user with Microsoft Office applications (Power Point, Outlook, Word and Excel)
• Demonstrated excellence in communication skills with the ability to communicate complex information in a culturally appropriate, consistently respectful, and non-judgmental manner to a wide variety of audiences including people who may be drug impaired, mentally ill and/or emotionally labile.
• Superior interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of staff, government leaders and constituencies in diverse communities
• Demonstrated ability to clearly and effectively communicate orally and in writing (constructing reports, briefs, presentations, webpage updates, etc.) with supervisors, co-workers, service providers, community media networks, and the public, with a demonstrated ability to utilize spokesperson strategies to deliver clear public health messaging. .
• Long established and proven ability to work independently following established protocols and policies and work effectively as a member of a team.
• Strong experience applying ERSJ and adult learning principles.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health position