Project Director

The Project Director will serve as the primary technical and coordination lead for the Commonwealth of Virginia's
Strategic Prevention Framework – Partnerships for Success (SPF-PFS)
Grant, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Project Director will provide training, technical assistance, and performance monitoring to seven (7) participating Community Services Boards (CSBs), ensuring that community-based prevention efforts are data-driven, evidence-based, and culturally responsive.

This position operates at a senior advisory level—working closely with the State Management Team, State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), and PFS Advisory Committee—to guide statewide and local prevention strategies aimed at reducing substance misuse and promoting behavioral health wellness.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Leadership and Coordination

• Provide strategic direction and day-to-day management of the PFS grant deliverables in partnership with the DBHDS Program Director.
• Attend and present at quarterly SEOW meetings, PFS Advisory Committee sessions, and monthly coordination meetings with evaluation and data analysis teams.
• Collaborate with DBHDS to align CSB prevention strategies with SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) model.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

• Deliver ongoing monitoring, coaching, and technical assistance (TA) to seven CSBs to ensure full compliance with SAMHSA and DBHDS standards.
• Conduct annual in-person site visits and lead seven targeted trainings per year (one per CSB) addressing community-specific challenges, evaluation processes, and implementation fidelity.
• Support CSBs in planning, selecting, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based and culturally relevant prevention programs and policies.

Data, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Guide CSBs on evaluation and data collection activities, ensuring integration with the State Epidemiological and Outcome Workgroup's framework.
• Compile quarterly and annual outcome reports for the DBHDS Program Director and SAMHSA's CORT reporting system.
• Translate complex evaluation data into actionable insights and clear reporting narratives.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with state and local partners—including public health, education, law enforcement, and community-based organizations—to strengthen prevention infrastructure.
• Communicate effectively across diverse stakeholder groups and serve as a liaison between DBHDS and CSB leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Master's degree in public health, behavioral health, social work, psychology, community development, or a related field (PhD preferred).
• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience in community-based substance misuse prevention, behavioral health programming, or grant management.
• Proven experience implementing SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) or similar evidence-based models.
• Demonstrated experience providing training, evaluation, and technical assistance to community coalitions or local prevention agencies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep understanding of prevention science, systems development, and evidence-based program implementation.
• Strong ability to analyze data, interpret evaluation findings, and translate them into programmatic improvements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills for diverse audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom).
• Capacity to work independently and collaboratively within complex stakeholder environments.

Travel

• Ability to travel to each of the seven CSB sites across Virginia (Staunton, Clarksville, Portsmouth, Front Royal, Petersburg, Williamsburg, and Covington) at least once annually.