Technical Advisor, Naloxone Coordinator, Overdose Prevention Program

Vital Strategies is an international public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury and death. We currently work in 73 countries, supporting data-driven decision making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies, and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include non-communicable disease prevention, tobacco control, road safety, obesity prevention, overdose prevention, environmental health and vital statistics systems building. Our programs are primarily concentrated in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific; the Overdose Prevention Program is our first initiative in the U.S. Please visit our website at www.vitalstrategies.org to find out more about our work.

We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences, whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We encourage people of all racial, economic, social, cultural, sexual orientation, and gender expressions to apply. As such, our commitment is to promote equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment. People of color, women, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, people who use drugs or are in recovery, and formerly incarcerated people are encouraged to apply.

Job Purpose:

Vital Strategies is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Technical Advisor, Naloxone Coordinator seconded to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) located in Raleigh, North Carolina. NCDHHS plays a critical leadership role in the state’s effort to address the drug overdose epidemic. Vital Strategies will provide seconded staff to NCDHHS to assist with various functions related to coordinating and leading, at the direction of the State Opioid Response Team (SOR), the implementation of the statewide SOR Naloxone Distribution and Saturation Plan. The Technical Advisor, Naloxone Coordinator will assist NCDHHS with various functions related to the overdose education and naloxone distribution strategy, including project and operations management, interagency collaboration, and coordination with relevant stakeholders.

The role will be based in North Carolina on a hybrid schedule with the employee seconded to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS, Raleigh, North Carolina). The position is grant-funded through September 2026 with the possibility to extend. Vital Strategies offers highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position is $80,000 USD - $88,000 USD. The candidate must have authorization to work legally in the US at the time of hire.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Secondee shall conduct work as if the Secondee were a full-time employee of NCDHHS and shall have the following duties:

• Support and advise the State Opioid Response Team on the implementation of the Naloxone Distribution and Saturation Plan, as well as drug checking technology like Fentanyl Test Strips and Xylazine Test Strips, and the statewide strategic plan;
• Collect and analyze best practices and policies from other states, academia, the private sector, and ongoing initiatives in North Carolina to inform and scale effective overdose education and naloxone distribution strategies, including kiosks/vending machines, peer-driven distribution, EMS leave-behind, and more;
• Support the State Opioid Response team in the implementation of North Carolina’s statewide naloxone purchasing program, including managing partnerships for naloxone ordering, delivery, and distribution;
• Manage and expand North Carolina’s mail-based naloxone distribution program, overseeing processes for ordering, shipping, product delivery, and promotional strategies;
• Conduct data analysis and create visualizations, including heat maps, of naloxone distribution to assess reach and impact. This includes:
  • Enhancing reversal information tracking and data analysis in collaboration with NC DHHS;
  • Developing comprehensive heat maps to visualize naloxone distribution patterns and areas of high need;
  • Identifying trends and gaps in naloxone distribution and overdose reversals to inform strategic interventions;
• Oversee the purchase and shipment tracking of naloxone supplies, ensuring accurate inventory management and efficient logistics, including:
  • Coordinating with the Rural Access Program to ensure naloxone reaches underserved and remote areas;
  • Managing outreach initiatives to expand naloxone availability statewide;
  • Monitoring supply chain processes to ensure timely delivery and distribution;
• Provide project management to implement a process for monitoring reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of overdose education and naloxone distribution;
• Support overdose education and naloxone distribution in high-overdose-risk areas, prioritizing marginalized populations;
• Coordinate and collaborate with inter-agency partners on overdose education and naloxone communication activities;
• Prepare distribution reports for SOR staff on Naloxone distribution to be used by DMHIDDSUS’ Quality Management staff, including the Vital Strategies sponsored and embedded state opioid data analyst to inform a heat map of need and response;
• Participate in cross-pollination discussions with other Vital Strategies seconded staff to share project updates and strengthen statewide overdose prevention efforts;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education and Degree -

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, public policy, social work, psychology or another relevant field required. Master’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Skills and Abilities -

• Demonstrated project management ability to establish and meet deadlines producing high-quality products;
• Ability to synthesize information from various sources and review/understand data to inform action;
• Ability to establish and meet deadlines producing high quality products and/or services;
• Strong people skills, with demonstrated ability to maintain partnerships with internal and external stakeholders;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and basic understanding of evaluation and its role;
• Ability to work well with diverse groups of individuals and organizations;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite;
• Ability to build strong, ongoing, impactful relationships at all organizational levels and across a diverse range of cultural, generational, ethnic, racial, educational, and social backgrounds;
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Experience:

Required -

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience preferably in public health, public policy, or related experience;
• Experience working in, or with, state or county government agencies or policy advocacy in North Carolina;
• Experience providing technical or programmatic guidance for, or management of, harm reduction or treatment service settings;
• Deep knowledge of harm reduction and treatment interventions;
• Strong background and understanding of principles of public health equity and disparities;
• Experience working with and interpreting data and making recommendations.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• An individual in this role may be required to travel in North Carolina up to 30% of the time to attend meetings.