Community Outreach Coordinator

Position Summary:

Established in 2008 the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences is breaking new ground by combining knowledge gained through the behavioral sciences with knowledge gained from the community. The College serves approximately 3100 students with seven undergraduate 14 masters and seven doctoral programs housed in six academic departments/schools.

As the state and the nations systems of health care social service civil and criminal justice continue to change the Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice is uniquely positioned to address the parallel changes in research and training needs. Our faculty conduct research on critical and emerging issues surrounding the funding delivery and outcomes of public behavioral health services as well as issues arising in public health and civil and criminal justice systems.

Since 2007 the Florida Legislature has authorized and funded the Criminal Justice Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program and designated the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) as the site for the Criminal Justice Mental Health and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center (CJMHSA TAC) (s. 394.657 F.S.). The goals of the Reinvestment Grant Program are to:

• divert individuals with mental health and/or substance issues from the criminal and juvenile justice systems
• improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services for adults and juveniles who have a mental illness substance abuse disorder or co-occurring disorder and who are in or at risk of entering the criminal justice systems and
• provide funds to plan implement or expand initiatives that increase public safety and avert increased spending on criminal and juvenile justice systems.

The CJMHSA Technical Assistance Center provides high-quality technical assistance training and systems consultation to communities seeking to enhance their systems for populations with behavioral health and criminal justice histories through Floridas Reinvestment Grant Program. Reporting to the Program Director of the CJMHSA TAC the Community Outreach Coordinator represents and promotes the services of the CJMHSA TAC throughout the state of Florida and nationwide.

Primary Job Duties:

• Leads proactive outreach to communities that have not previously applied for CJMHSA grants
• Coordinates and conducts presentations at local meetings community events statewide conferences and regional forums to promote the reinvestment grant program
• Distributes TAC/Reinvestment Grant informational marketing and outreach materials and collects community feedback to identify local needs and barriers
• Tracks state legislative activity to identify emerging opportunities for TAC expansion or new technical assistance priorities
• Build and sustains relationships with local and regional stakeholders to strengthen the statewide network of behavioral health and justice partnerships
• Supports TACs visibility through social media newsletters and other outreach platforms
• Collaborates with TAC team to build out and pilot new web page infrastructure
• Maintains regular communication with DCF regional offices to align outreach strategies and leverage regional relationships to reach new areas
• Leads the maintenance of a continuously updated internal repository of slide decks talking points and other outreach material to support outreach positioning of the Center strategic initiatives and community engagement.
• Requires travel - ability to travel across State of Florida and/or other locations as requested

Qualifications

Minimum:

Bachelors degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum of three-five years related experience in the behavioral health public health or criminal/juvenile justice fields.

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelors degree.
Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate ( is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required not to exceed:
(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelors degree;
(c) Six years of direct experience for a masters degree;
(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure certification or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred:

Masters degree in public health criminal justice behavioral health or related fields.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

Strong skills and experience in oral and written communications. This position may be called upon to plan and make presentations to external and internal audiences. This position also involves writing editing and/or overseeing development of outreach and promotional materials such as brochures flyers online and multimedia content.

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g. Word Excel Teams)

Proficient with Qualtrics Zoom Canva USF Content Management System (web content management system)

Familiarity or willingness to learn about national and state contracts and grants

Creative and engaging updates of social media pages

Soft Skills:

Excellent presentation oral and written communication skills

Demonstrate professionalism in all settings

Establishes contact with and serves on committees of agencies/providers

Strong communication skills for educating policymakers and legislative bodies

Strong problem-solving skills; ability to think quickly on your feet.

Industry Knowledge

Knowledge of the fields concepts and principles (behavioral health criminal justice juvenile justice child welfare system and co-occurring behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities best practice models)

Familiarity or willingness to learn about the Reinvestment grant program history and requirements for grantees

Familiarity/knowledge with the Statutory language that creates and sustains the project

Substantive knowledge of Floridas behavioral health and criminal justice systems

Familiarity with Florida Department of Children and Families infrastructure (e.g. managing entities DCF regions and circuits)

Identification of communities/providers who would benefit well from Reinvestment Grant funding answers questions regarding grant program

This position is grant-funded through 2031 and is contingent upon the continued availability of funding.