Senior Technical Assistance Advisor

Job Description:
Are you interested in coordinating statewide initiatives to improve health outcomes and reduce juvenile justice system involvement for youth with behavioral health needs?

Are you excited about working across state and local stakeholders to increase local collaboration, promote early identification of behavioral health needs, expand diversion options and improve access to treatment for youth at risk of juvenile justice systems involvement?

The Office of Forensic Coordination (OFC) seeks a Program Specialist VII, functionally known as a Senior Technical Assistance Advisor, to expand and enhance statewide technical assistance initiatives and support research and policy analysis.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will report to the Director of Behavioral Health and Justice Initiatives. This position is located in the Medical and Social Services Division, Behavioral Health Services Department, OFC.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor provides advanced technical assistance and expert consultation on forensic services and issues at the intersection of behavioral health, criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor works under minimal supervision with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor seeks consultation from the Director of Behavioral Health and Justice Initiatives on major decisions related to statewide training and technical assistance.

The OFC works at the intersection of behavioral health and justice systems to improve the statewide coordination and oversight of forensic services and prevent justice-involvement for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor must have an in-depth understanding of behavioral health, criminal justice and juvenile justice systems and forensic services to lead, manage, and coordinate technical assistance initiatives on behalf of the OFC. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will:
• Lead planning, implementation, and ongoing management of complex technical assistance initiatives, including online learning communities, strategic planning workshops, trainings, webinars, presentations, policy briefs, toolkits and other resources following evidence-based practices for training and technical assistance delivery.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and agency liaison to stakeholder committees and coalitions and cultivate a network of behavioral health, criminal justice, juvenile justice and education professionals to help design and implement technical assistance initiatives.
• Provide independent consultative technical assistance to internal and external requests, speak to external stakeholder groups and professional associations to coordinate, improve, and stimulate interest in office and technical assistance initiatives, and serve on intra- and inter-agency workgroups, committees, and projects.
• Monitor and analyze policy, legislation and regulatory activity related to forensic, behavioral health and juvenile justice services and develop recommendations.

A prime candidate for this position possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities documented in this job posting. Carefully review the essential job functions, knowledge, skills, and abilities, and initial selection criteria to assess fit for this position.

The salary will be offered in accordance with the salary range posted for this position. Salary requests outside of the range in the posting will not be considered and is non-negotiable. For internal applicants, salary negotiations must align with the HHS Human Resources Manual and align with the salary range for this posting. For internal applicants, salary requests beyond the salary range in this posting or that require higher level approvals will not be considered. Essential Job Functions:
The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will independently plan and implement high-profile, public-facing technical assistance initiatives to reduce and prevent justice involvement for people with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities, specializing in youth at risk of juvenile justice involvement or who are involved in the juvenile justice system. Through quantitative and qualitative information gathering, the Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will identify gaps in training, resources, research and information at the intersection of criminal justice, juvenile justice and behavioral health systems. Based upon gaps, the Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will work with public and private agencies to plan and implement statewide training, technical assistance and research initiatives targeted to diverse stakeholder groups. This person will be responsible for planning and managing multiple large multi-faceted projects at once and ensuring coordination with other divisions of HHSC, state agencies, and stakeholders.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will independently develop professional, public-facing, technical assistance products, including but not limited to webinars, toolkits, program implementation guides, web content, learning collaboratives, trainings and other publications. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will oversee and/or conduct research and policy analysis and develop policy briefs and reports.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will serve as a subject matter expert and agency liaison to stakeholder committees and coalitions and cultivate a network of behavioral health, criminal justice, juvenile justice and education professionals to help design and implement technical assistance initiatives. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will provide independent consultative technical assistance to internal and external requests, speak to external stakeholder groups and professional associations to coordinate, improve, and stimulate interest in office and technical assistance initiatives, and serve on intra- and interagency workgroups, committees, and projects.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will independently develop and prepare policies, procedures, and performance metrics for technical assistance initiatives to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will oversee the collection, organization, and analysis of performance data to monitor the effectiveness of technical assistance initiatives. The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will also be responsible for independently preparing administrative reports and other reporting materials to communicate effectiveness of technical assistance initiatives.

The Senior Technical Assistance Advisor will help monitor and analyze policy, legislation and regulatory activity related to forensic, behavioral health, and juvenile justice services and develop recommendations. They will also develop and implement effective techniques for evaluating behavioral health, juvenile justice and forensic programs, identifying the need for new programs or changes to existing programs. Knowledge Skills Abilities:
Knowledge of and experience in policy, programs, and/or services at the intersection between behavioral health, criminal justice, juvenile justice and forensic systems;

Knowledge of and experience in providing training and technical assistance;

Knowledge and/or experience in community mental health and IDD services as provided by local mental health authorities, local behavioral health authorities, and local intellectual and developmental disability authorities;

Knowledge and/or experience in inpatient mental health and IDD services as provided in contracted private psychiatric beds, state hospitals, and state supported living centers;

Knowledge and/or experience in forensic populations and forensic services;

Knowledge and/or experience in agencies or organizations with a vested interest in the coordination of care for youth with co-occurring mental health, IDD, and substance use issues who are justice involved or at risk of juvenile justice involvement;

Strong oral and written communication skills, evidenced by presentations, written reports, and other graduate or professional projects;

Strong project management skills, evidenced by the ability to independently manage multiple complex projects from start to completion.

Strong analytical skills, including the ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform planning, research, and policy implementation;

Creative and innovative mindset to strategically partner and collaborate with team members and other key stakeholders;

Action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills and the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects in a fast pace, high performance environment;

High degree of integrity, ability to build trust and communicate effectively;

Ability to work in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to develop solutions to complex issues;

Ability to work the hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday with flexibility to be available after hours as needed such as during Legislative Sessions.

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