Salary : $73,611.21 - $106,736.26 Annually
Location : Adams County Government Center, 4430 S. Adams County Parkway, Brighton, CO
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 07555
Department: Public Health Department
Division: Health Equity and Strategic Initiatives
Opening Date: 06/30/2026
Closing Date: 7/14/2026 4:30 PM Mountain
Position classification: Hybrid -- Job duties and expectations allow for onsite and remote work scheduled every week. Employees in this classification are regularly scheduled onsite one (1) to four (4) days per week based on the County needs and as determined by Department Director. Hybrid classified roles can be onsite more than the set minimum based on employee preference.
What Success Looks Like In This Job The Community Policy and Prevention Specialist is part of the Community and Behavioral Health Team within Adams County Health Department (ACHD) Strategic Health Initiatives (SHI) Division. The Community Policy and Prevention Specialist leads community-driven efforts to prevent commercial tobacco use and advance positive health outcomes through policy, systems, and environmental change. Serving as both a key individual contributor and a member of the Community and Behavioral Health Team, this role builds community capacity and drives strategic direction for equitable tobacco control and prevention initiatives across Adams County.
This role administers a range of tobacco prevention and community engagement efforts, guiding partnerships with local government, community-based organizations, property managers, business owners, and healthcare providers to reduce tobacco use, address nicotine addiction, and promote healthy environments. The specialist ensures that community perspectives - particularly from populations at higher risk - inform ACHD programs and policies, advancing public health objectives and addressing the social determinants that influence tobacco use and overall community well-being.
Examples of Duties for Success Local policy identification, development, and response (60%): Support the identification, coalition-building, and development of local policy efforts to advance tobacco and nicotine prevention and control efforts. Lead the process to track and respond to all secondhand smoke complaints in community, housing, and business settings.
- Mobilizes and leads community coalition(s) in support of local and/or place-based policies for retail licensing, smoke-free settings, and Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act violations based on need (i.e., facilitation, coordination, participation, training, transferring skills to community partners).
- Tracks and responds to all secondhand smoke complaints in Adams County.
- Serves as subject matter expert and consultant with a deep understanding of tobacco prevention and cessation, local policy, trainings, evidence base, and resources.
- Demonstrates developed leadership abilities, including educating, mentoring, training, and developing colleagues and community partners in program related areas.
- Provides technical assistance to health department staff, local government staff, elected officials, community organizations, and partners interested in local tobacco policy that enhances and improves public health.
- Works cross-divisionally to elevate and embed tobacco prevention and cessation education and resources into other strategic programs.
- Exercises moderate decision-making latitude and works independently while consulting with staff at various levels, from entry level to executives and elected officials.
- Negotiates, navigates, and reaches consensus among differing opinions to promote health through changes to systems, policies, and practices.
- Gathers and analyzes information from community members (including youth) and organizations that inform options for policies, programs, and services.
- Utilizes a systems-oriented approach to understand the multiple origins of a complex public health challenge and how parts of a system can work together to improve community outcomes and address upstream determinants.
- Leads and participates in regional and state-level workgroups to influence tobacco prevention/cessation policy.
Coordination, Collaboration, and Community Engagement (30%): Develop and support partnerships with local government, community-based organizations, property managers, business owners, and healthcare providers to reduce tobacco use, address nicotine addiction, and promote healthy environments.
- Presents data and informs local policy initiatives considered by City Councils, Mayors, County Commissioners, property managers, business owners, and other community partners.
- Initiates and manages subcontracts with community-based organizations according to grant guidelines.
- Communicates with funding agencies, contractors, vendors, partners, community members, and Adams County colleagues in a timely and respectful manner.
- Collaborates internally and externally, with multiple partners, to provide interested/affected groups with education on evidence-based strategies and best-practices in program, policy, systems, and/or environmental changes for population health.
- Ensures the community voices, decision-making process, and policy approach is includes the impacted community.
- Communicates effectively both verbally and in writing.
Other Duties
- Participates in program development, grant writing, and grant implementation, as appropriate, to advance the work in the community.
- Prepares written materials and present program updates in for the public, other government agencies and elected officials.
- Performs both internal and external work in a way that represents and is effective within the various communities we serve.
- Regularly assesses work and supports changes to remove systemic barriers, build systems that address unfair differences, and integrate fairness into all areas of work.
- Creates and maintains partnerships and processes that support, integrate, and celebrate unique and fair engagement into all aspects of Adams County Health Department work.
- Performs other duties as assigned and required.
- Responds, as required, to support public health emergencies, incidents, and events.
- Participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness, as required.
- Completes emergency preparedness and response trainings as appropriate for this level of employee within the health department.
- Maintains sensitive and confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy and Title X confidentiality requirements.
- Flexibility in work hours may be required to accommodate community events, meeting, and outreach activities.
- Travel within the community and participation in evening, weekend and on-call duties may be required.
More Qualifications for Success Education & Experience:- Requires a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university public health, public policy, behavioral health sciences, health administration, social work, education, or a related field.
- Minimum three years prior experience in the following:
- Leading community outreach activities, including recruiting stakeholders, planning, task delegation, troubleshooting, and evaluation of processes.
- Leading, or working closely with leadership, to advance policy, program, and systems change strategies.
- Using community-centered approaches to engage constituents to advance health fairness and negotiate non-punitive approaches to public and environmental health issues.
- Master's degree preferred
- Must be in possession of, or have the ability to obtain, a valid Colorado driver's license within 30 days of hire.
HIPAA Statement: Maintain sensitive & confidential client information according to the HIPAA policy and Title X confidentiality requirements.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Duties: Completes trainings identified as appropriate for this level employee. Employee participates in all exercises and drills on emergency preparedness and response, as required. Employee responds, as required, to support emergencies, incidents and events with a public health and medical impact.
Working Conditions and Physical Abilities:
- Flexibility in work hours may be required to accommodate community events, meeting, and outreach activities.
- Travel within the community and participation in evening, weekend and on-call duties may be required.
- This role remains in a semi-stationary position, which may include sitting or standing for prolonged periods andoccasionallymovingaboutinanofficeenvironmenttoaccomplishtasks.
- This position's physical demands are assessed to be light work.
- This role constantly communicates with others to exchange information by speaking and typing, and that includes repeating motions that include wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
- This position will be asked to self-assess accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work assigned.
- This position can expect no adverse environmental conditions as the majority of work is performed in an office building.
- Note there will be frequent participation at both outdoor and indoor community events.
Adams County provides a comprehensive benefits package to employees that goes above and beyond what is offered at most organizations.
Benefits You Expect:
- AFLAC Supplemental Medical Insurance
- Basic Term Life & Optional Term Life Insurance
- Deferred Compensation Plan
- Dental/Vision/Medical Plans
- Generous Vacation/Sick leave
- Long-Term Disability
- Retirement Plan
- Short-Term Disability
Plus some you might not expect:
- Employee Assistance Program
- Employee Fitness Center
- Employee Health Clinics
- Flexible Work Schedules
- Recreation Center Discounts
- Training & Tuition Reimbursement Programs
- Wellness programs
- Lactation friendly certified workplace
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Please be aware that your cover letter and resume will not be accessed in the initial screening process, so you must complete your application and supplemental questions with as much detail as possible. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your cover letter and resume will then be accessible to the hiring team. Information provided on the application is used to determine if a candidate meets minimum qualifications. Only information provided at the time of the application being completed will be considered and additional information that is not listed on the application will not be considered when deciding if a candidate meets or does not meet the qualifications. Applicants are STRONGLY encouraged to include all information and details on their application. I understand and agree that only information provided at the time of my application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum requirements for this position.
- Yes, I understand and agree
- Yes, I understand but disagree.
02
This role requires a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university public health, public policy, behavioral health sciences, health administration, social work, education, or a related field. Do you meet this requirement?
03
This role requires a minimum of three (3) years of related experience in leading community outreach activities, including recruiting stakeholders, planning, task delegation, troubleshooting, and evaluation of processes. Do you meet this requirement?
04
This role requires a minimum of three (3) years of related experience leading, or working closely with leadership, to advance policy, program, and systems change strategies. Do you meet this requirement?
05
This role requires a minimum of three (3) years of related experience using community-centered approaches to engage constituents to advance health fairness and negotiate non-punitive approaches to public and environmental health issues. Do you meet this requirement?
06
Possession of, or the ability to obtain, a valid Colorado driver's license within 30 days of hire is required for this role. Do you or can you meet this requirement?
07
Please share your "why" in applying for this role and working in local policy efforts.
08
This role requires working with local governments to identify and develop municipal ordinances in support of tobacco prevention and control. Can you please describe how you would ensure local policies address unfair differences in health determinants and outcomes in communities?
09
Can you describe a time when you had to translate complex public health data into a specific policy recommendation or program design? What data did you use, how did you address conflicting stakeholder interests, and what was the
