Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention (Healthy Communities of the Capital Area - HCCA)

Our Vision & Mission

We envision a world in which all people have access to high quality and enduring solutions to improve and maintain their health and well-being. MCD Global Health aspires to be a premier partner of choice and a recognized leader, innovator, and trusted partner in healthcare and public health program development, implementation and evaluation. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide through enduring, high-quality, cost-effective, and universally accessible public health solutions. MCD operates impactful programs both in the U.S.A. and internationally.

MCD Global Health, Inc., in collaboration with Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA), is accepting applications for Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention to coordinate HCCA’s tobacco prevention program, provide youth tobacco treatment services in high school settings and implement other community-level policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to prevent tobacco and nicotine product use.

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area is a public health non-profit organization located in Hallowell, ME. HCCA serves Kennebec County, the Central Public Health District (Kennebec and Somerset Counties), and other statewide and regional efforts related to public health primary prevention, with particular focus on tobacco use prevention and control, substance misuse prevention, and healthy eating and active living. HCCA is home to Central District Maine Prevention Network, Nourish ME Nutrition Education Program, Gardiner Area Thrives Drug Free Communities Coalition, and Maine Farm & Sea to Institution.

HCCA partners with MCD Global Health, Inc. (MCD) to provide recruitment and human resources services, and serve as HCCA’s employer of record. This hybrid remote position is based at HCCA’s offices at 105 Second Street, Suite 2B, Hallowell, ME. This position requires working in various locations to meet the needs of the population of focus. Specifically, the Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate will spend 2-3 days per week working in Kennebec County schools.

This position qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

HCCA’s mission is to convene and support people, organizations, and communities to collaborate on quality of life and public health issues.

This position is grant-funded through the Maine CDC Maine Prevention Network 10-year grant program (2023-2032).

Salary offers may be higher or lower than the anticipated salary listed due to various factors, including the successful candidate's qualifications and experience.

Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention (Healthy Communities of the Capital Area - HCCA)

Grade Level: 4 Anticipated Salary: $56,000.00 - $64,000.00 Reporting Relationship: Program Manager

Reporting to the Program Manager, with oversight from the Executive Director, the Senior Program Associate – Tobacco Treatment & Prevention is a member of the Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) team and collaborates with HCCA staff, schools, community organizations, and statewide partners to implement Maine Prevention Network and Maine Cancer Foundation grant objectives throughout Kennebec County and across Maine.

This position is responsible for the delivery of a school-based commercial tobacco treatment initiative in select schools throughout Kennebec County, currently Waterville and Gardiner high schools. This position actively engages with the Central District Maine Prevention Network Team to cultivate and nurture a strong prevention infrastructure within the Central Public Health District. This position supports broader policy and environmental-level strategies to create systemic impact through prevention of tobacco and other nicotine product use in Kennebec County. This position works closely with the Program Manager to coordinate HCCA’s tobacco prevention program, manage budgets, ensure accurate and timely reporting to funders, and assist in seeking additional funding.

Objectives include partnering with schools to deliver youth-focused tobacco treatment for the prevention of tobacco-related diseases. The Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate engages with school leadership and student support teams to plan and implement strategies that promote successful quit attempts among youth actively using commercial tobacco and nicotine products. The Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate provides one-on-one and group counseling to students, helping them understand nicotine dependence and develop quit plans. This position connects students, their families, and schools with resources for tobacco treatment.

Additionally, the position supports quality improvement through data tracking and evaluation, using quality improvement to adapt programming to best meet the unique cultural needs of the student population, and to organize and implement Policy, Systems, and Environmental strategies to reduce youth initiation of nicotine products, to promote school and community engagement, and to support youth to thrive.

This position also implements It’s Worth The Try. This youth-tailored curriculum provides one-on-one and/or group counseling for youth needing support with quitting tobacco product use. This position is also responsible for facilitating a statewide advisory council that provides overall support and guidance for this pilot project, as well as providing overall technical assistance and support for project partners, such as additional It’s Worth The Try facilitators and sites hosting quit support groups. Additionally, the Tobacco Treatment & Prevention Senior Program Associate will work closely with the project evaluator to recruit individuals for evaluation efforts, such as conducting focus groups with youth, key informant interviews with adults, and program participant surveys.

The successful candidate will have the ability to work collaboratively with varied project partners, consumers, community partners, and providers of health and behavioral health care; the comfort and ability to present to, facilitate, and engage diverse audiences, including youth and older adults; a strong desire and ability to network and engage community partners and other interest holders; and the ability to work independently, meet deadlines, manage time effectively, and communicate professionally both verbally and in writing.

LOCATION AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position is hybrid remote and based in Hallowell, Maine. Regular travel throughout Kennebec County is required, including frequent work within local high schools and youth-serving organizations. Occasional statewide travel may be required for meetings, trainings, conferences, and partner engagement activities.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in health-related field is required; however, equivalent related work experience may be considered. Experience working in a non-profit setting and with grant-funded projects is a plus. Training in counseling and/or social work is also a plus. Additional desired skills include:

• Ability to work collaboratively with varied project partners, consumers, community partners, and providers of health and behavioral health care
• Comfort and ability to present to, facilitate, and engage diverse audiences, including youth and older adults
• Strong desire and ability to network and engage community partners and other interest holders
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Strong time management and accountability skills
• Ability to communicate professionally both verbally and in writing
• Knowledge and skill in the management of data-driven projects
• Ability to monitor and provide oversight of external local partners' progress towards deliverables
• Ability to plan, coordinate, implement, and manage multiple activities at once
• Ability to gather, synthesize, and summarize a variety of information from many sources
• Experien