Tribal TA Specialist

Company Overview

Founded in 1990, Kauffman & Associates, Inc. (KAI), is an American Indian– and woman-owned management consulting firm dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations and enhancing the reach and effectiveness of social sector organizations. We combine stories of lived experiences with meaningful, data-driven insights to reach underserved communities.

We work closely with federal, tribal, state, and regional governments; associations; foundations; and private-sector businesses. At KAI, we do work that matters!

Tribal Technical Assistance Specialist - BH/SUD

The Training & Technical Assistance (TTA) Specialist will support Native health service transformation projects focused on tribal prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid addiction and substance use disorders (SUD), including Tribal Medications for Addiction Treatment (TMAT) and other needed supports. This position will be assigned a portfolio of tribal and urban Indian programs. The TTA Specialist will guide assigned portfolios of grantees through an assessment process and advise on developing culturally responsive healing and recovery practices for SUD. The TTA Specialist is responsible for meeting professional expectations for high quality, on-time, and on-budget contract deliverables for all assigned tasks.

Essential Job Functions

• Serve as a SUD service development and cultural integration advisor to tribal grantees.
• Serve as a member of internal planning team focused on tribal health service transformation to encourage embedding of tribal best practices to reduce community substance use and increase behavioral health and related services.
• Develop, implement, and maintain training and technical assistance (TTA) plans for an assigned grantee portfolio. TTA plans entail individualized, specific TTA approaches and focused tribal SUD service planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• TTA will be focused on needs derived from KAI assessment tools and include areas such as SUD staff training strategies, addressing stigma by increasing community knowledge, and recommendations for revising policies and procedures to increase availability and integration of traditional and western healing practices.
• Deliver TTA to grantees including the ongoing measure of system change benchmarks for culturally integrated SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery. TTA focus areas will include but are not limited to implementation of readiness-to-change assessments (organizational, staff, and tribal leadership); modification of services to strengthen cultural integration into assessment, treatment, and recovery services; expand collaboration points needed for Tribal service supports; guidance on building necessary infrastructure or resources; and other related planning and supports to advance culturally responsive SUD services for Native populations.
• Other TTA focus areas will include development of individualized grantee service transformation roadmaps, stakeholder presentations, mapping of community resources and gaps, community and stakeholder meeting facilitation, research and/or adaption of policies and procedures drafts for cultural integration, and other TTA activities as determined by the individualized grantee assessments.
• Lead the scheduling, management, and facilitation of grantee TTA virtual and onsite meetings to include regular virtual meetings; periodic onsite meetings; and in-person convenings.
• Participate in KAI team discussions about common grantee needs to support cultural integration and integrated care across local tribal health initiatives.
• Provide support and lead the coordination for other assigned deliverables which may include but are not limited to grantee group learning activities, virtual training opportunities including development and delivery, virtual and onsite TTA, resource and work product development, facilitation of peer exchange opportunities, and other tasks to be determined.
• Contribute to KAI regular reporting requirements to include assigned contributions to monthly progress reports, formative summaries, and data input to identified database systems.
• Participate in regular KAI internal project meetings, meetings with tribal health initiative teams, cross-team meetings with state and local county partners, and other efforts of coordination.

Demands/Complexity

The TTA Specialist will be assigned complex tasks which at times can be composed of overlapping deliverables and deadlines, The position balances a heavy but reasonable workload and manages grantees who may have distinctive needs, each requiring unique support. The TTA Specialist will be required to recommend solution-based strategies for intricate project challenges and carry them out through completion. The position involves sensitive subject matter and is required to operate with the highest level of integrity, cultural sensitivity, confidentiality, and respect for tribal leadership and tribal protocols.

Contact with Others

The TTA Specialist shall have regular communication with grantee contacts and KAI SME consultants and is expected to communicate complex health care/cultural integration strategies in a logical, step-by-step approach to reach solution-based results. The TTA Specialist is expected to convey information with team members and supervisor as gathered from regular communication with grantees, clients, and assigned consultants, as appropriate. The TTA Specialist should be aware that they may be discussing proprietary, confidential, or sensitive information shared during regular communications with grantees, clients, vendors, and other contractors, and shall use discretion and seek guidance from the assigned supervisor before sharing such information with others, including KAI staff and consultants.

Specific Job Skills

• SUD knowledge and experience including prevention, clinical-cultural intervention/treatment, and culturally responsive recovery supports
• Exceptional communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
• Demonstrated experience with cross-cultural communication between tribal and non-tribal organizations
• Tribal cultural knowledge and experience of cultural integration in SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery
• Leadership capabilities to mobilize action and organizational change
• Strong problem-solving skills and judgment
• Organizational effectiveness and project management from diverse portfolios
• Ability to self-monitor and produce efficient and high-quality work
• Ability to learn new concepts quickly and apply them to task implementation
• Exhibit confidentiality, ethical decision making, and ability to maintain professional boundaries
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a larger team
• Ability to function in a virtual teaming environment with maximum productivity
• Respect for and desire to continually learn more about diverse American Indian, Alaska Native, and Urban Indian history and cultures

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Addiction Counseling, Mental Health, Social Sciences, Public Health or related field of study(required)
• Drug/alcohol counselor certification (preferred)
• Substantial (5-8 years) experience in the field of tribal SUD treatment and recovery
• Extensive knowledge of American Indian, Alaska Native, and urban Indian communities

Benefits Overview

• 80% company paid medical insurance premiums, portion of family paid
• 50% company paid dental insurance premiums, portion of family paid
• Vision insurance
• $50K life insurance
• Partial internet reimbursement
• 100% remote work
• Matching 401K
• EAP