Project Summary
The Office of Community Health and Safety was established to address longstanding health, safety, and justice issues in the City of Pittsburgh. The office is tasked with redirecting city resources to better address community needs by housing social services, public health, and social work experts who can assist community members and first responders in situations that require longer-term support, harm reduction approaches, and other services. The Office of Community Health and Safety is developing programs that properly address individuals’ health and safety needs, guided by evidence-based practices and community input. This includes hiring social workers, outreach workers, and other professionals to connect residents with services that will provide long-term support and address the root causes of the challenges that they face.
The Post Overdose Support Team (POST) is a collaborative program involving local first-responders, certified peer recovery specialists, case managers, treatment providers, and social service providers designed to provide supports to individuals who have experienced an overdose and refused medical care. The POST initiative for the City of Pittsburgh will provide people experiencing substance use disorders and co-occurring needs with person-centered social services and intense case management focused on harm reduction and compassion in lieu of criminalization and stigmatization. These individuals will be engaged in supportive services with the goal of reducing their likelihood of experiencing another overdose and improving quality of life.
Job Summary
The Project Manager, POST will develop program expectations in the expansion of POST throughout the City of Pittsburgh. The ideal candidate will have experience working with people who use drugs and/or lived experience with drug use, familiarity with the criminal legal system, and a commitment to harm reduction. The candidate will frequently meet with community partners, attend community meetings, participate in in community events, and collaborate regarding existing and needed resources to develop and inform a continuum of support for people who use drugs. The Project Manager will connect with groups that are historically mistrustful of/harmed by systems resulting from racial and economic injustices and will incorporate their voices into the application of data to proposed/existing programs.
This position is funded for one (1) year from the POST SAMSHA Grant. Future years of funding are contingent on grant availability and other funding sources.
Department: Office of Community Health & Safety
Salary: $72,751 per year.
WORK EXPERIENCE: The application must clearly show three (3) years of full-time experience working project management.
EDUCATION/TRAINING: Bachelor’s Degree in political science, public policy, social work or related field from a fully accredited institution.
POSITION DUTIES
Develops project plans and expectations for the expansion of POST that are based off of collaborative discussions with subject matter experts and the assessment of resource capacities and gaps.
Acts as a conduit and assists in managing projects between EMS and OCH&S, along with other public safety personnel as relevant.
Ensures that all needs raised by the POST Case Management Team are elevated to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders and integrates into programmatic development decisions.
Organizes and mediates operational and strategic advisory boards to the POST initiative.
Coordinates with community partnership staff on external facing endeavors including but not limited to events and social media.
Collaborates with the Operations Program Manager and Department Business Administrator to forecast future operational resource needs.
Assists the POST Case Management Team in the provision of structured Intensive Case Management services consistent with program policies. When needed, supports team members and program participants outside of normal working hours.
Ensures that the POST Case Management team has or is developing a process for assessing participants for severity of chemical dependency and housing status and determine needs for other services, e.g., medical, mental health.
Develops and maintains a working relationship with internal and external local resources including sobering centers staff, DHS workers, ROOTS staff, OCHS social workers, chemical dependency treatment providers, mental health providers, health care providers, shelter providers, housing department, landlords, detox centers, out -reach staff, protective or representative payees, and other community programs which may support participants.
Attends regularly scheduled working group meetings and the staffing of participants with partners.
Identifies gaps and barriers in available community resources and advocates for systemic changes.
Attends POST team meetings and other required meetings.
Performs other related tasks and duties as assigned or required.