Community Health Worker

The University of New Mexico's is seeking an On-Call Community Health Worker to join the Department of Pediatrics, Prevention Research Center to support the implementation of SNAP-Ed programming in community settings (local elementary schools).

The Prevention Research Center at the University of New Mexico is looking for a community health worker to join a multidisciplinary research team to support the implementation and research of social marketing campaigns for health promotion and disease prevention. The Eat Smart to Play Hard (ESPH) Program, funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- Education (SNAP-Ed), works with elementary school-aged children and their families to support them in healthy living. The main goal of ESPH is to increase fruits and vegetable intake and physical activity among elementary school-children by aligning these health behaviors with their values and motivations to play and have fun. Thus, ESPH makes eating more fruits and vegetables fun and appealing, creating effective and sustained health behavior change

As a member of the Eat Smart to Play Hard team, the successful candidate will participate in the planning, development, and implementation of behavior change programs using the social marketing approach. This position will work very closely with the community partners (schools participating in ESPH) and will serves as the main point-of-contact for the schools. This position entails coordinating and communicating with each community partner to carry out the various components required for the successful implementation of ESPH programming each academic year.

• Assists Eat Smart to Play Hard (ESPH) participants and local elementary schools with the implementation of the program. Coordinating and communicating with community partners (elementary school sites participating in ESPH) to ensure the successful implementation of ESPH programming, serving as the main point-of-contact for the community partners.
• Organizes, prepares, delivers, and ensures that appropriate distribution all necessary ESPH programming materials to participating schools.
• Schedules, coordinates, and conducts all ESPH program events with each ESPH participating school.
• Provides support to the local schools and communities outside of program implementation commitments. Attends school and community events (evening/weekend), which may include hosting a station or table at such events.
• Facilitates the involvement of community partners in the implementation of our programs by coordinating that they attend school events, such as bringing the State police or fire department, or UNM athletic teams to program events at participating schools.
• Motivates program participants to engage in the program throughout its duration. Conducts frequent (up to once per week) check-in's with the community (e.g. schools participating in programming) and conduct at least one mid-campaign intervention (tasting at the school). Works with school staff to determine best practice for this and provide support as needed to the school.
• Assists with program evaluation, ensuring all evaluation and programming materials are distributed and received appropriately. Provides support to the SNAP Ed Evaluation team to conduct formal evaluation of the ESPH programming at each participating school (e.g. surveys to parents).
• Attends regular training available to enhance and maintain up-to-date knowledge of the SNAP-Ed programs offered.
• Attends regularly scheduled meetings with and checks in with the social marketing team to ensure implementation is successful.
• Travels to all participating community sites as needed for all ESPH implementation-related activities.

See the Position Description for additional information.

• Possession of a valid New Mexico driver's license is a requirement for this job.
• Must pass a pre-employment criminal background check.
• Fingerprinting, and subsequent clearance, may be required for this position depending on assignment.
• May be required to obtain a Community Support Worker (CSW) certification within six months of hire.
• Employees who provide services or work in patient care or clinical areas are required to be in compliance with the University's influenza vaccination requirement.
• Successful candidate must submit to post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check.

High school diploma or GED; at least 1 year of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Enthusiasm working with elementary school-aged audiences
• Knowledge of community resources within the school environment
• Knowledge and experience navigating public school environments
• Experience implementing SNAP-Ed programming SNAP eligible families/communities

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Positions posted with a Staff Type of Regular or Term are eligible for the Veteran Preference Program. See the Veteran Preference Program webpage for additional details.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre-employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.