Job Description
Organizational Summary San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) envisions a future where health justice is achieved for all people living with or at risk for HIV. Ultimately, we strive for a day when race is not a barrier to health and wellness, substance use is not stigmatized, HIV status does not determine quality of life, and HIV transmission is eliminated.
Our mission is to promote health, wellness, and social justice for communities most impacted by HIV through sexual health and substance use services, advocacy, and partnership .
Our strategic plan includes an articulation of its five key values, which are the foundation for its work and its employees:
Justice, Dignity, Courage, Leadership and Excellence. We need passionate agents of social change, vanguards of public health, and practitioners of racial justice to join our fight.
Position Overview: SFAF’s Syringe Access & Disposal Services (SAS Program) is the largest syringe access and disposal health engagement program in the State of California serving over 14000 participants per year. Our program provides evidence-based interventions to improve health outcomes for people who inject drugs (PWID) including decreasing accidental death due to overdose; reducing HIV, STI and HCV infection and transmission rates; improving engagement in care, treatment & adherence. Our mobile and stationary sites provide syringe access & disposal services, health education, counseling, professional & peer support, outreach, linkage, and other community and health improvement-focused services.
The SAS Health Educator works under the supervision of the SAS leadership team. Responsibilities include: building relationships with program participants; providing syringe access & safe disposal services; staffing the harm reduction center; providing overdose prevention trainings and Naloxone distribution; providing health education and harm reduction groups; facilitating groups, workshops and 1 on 1 counseling; linking participants to SAS’s HCV Wellness Program, HIV and HCV testing; providing referrals and linkage to substance use, health and social services; conducting street and venue-based outreach and neighborhood sweeps; hosting syringe and works kit packing parties; completing all paperwork and data submissions per program protocol.
This is a full-time position working about 40 hours per week .
Essential Duties and Responsibilities :
- Health Education
- Responsibilities include staging and breaking down/cleaning the 6th Street Harm Reduction Center, building ongoing relationships with people who inject drugs, providing on site referral and linkage to substance use, health and social services.
- Provide on-site health education & referral.
- Provide health coaching focused on self-care, health improvement activities, disease prevention, etc.
- Provide individual and group motivational interviewing sessions.
- Develop and facilitate workshops and health improvement, education, and skills building groups.
- Link participants to HIV/HCV testing, the HCV Wellness Program, and HIV Health Navigation team.
- Provide overdose prevention and response trainings, recruit participant volunteers for low threshold volunteer opportunities, and acting as an ambassador for SFAF’s harm reduction programming the community.
- Develop outreach materials, educational and resource flyers. Train, supervise, and retain volunteers.
- The Syringe Access Services welcomes diverse groups of people who are active substance users, homeless and/or marginally housed, have untreated mental health concerns, histories that often include trauma, incarceration and violence. SAS staff provides de-escalation, conflict resolution, and crisis interventions.
- Document and enter site data, referral data, volunteer data, narcan data, partner services, and community clean-up data.
- Data Coordination and Collection
- Maintain a sufficient stock of forms, office supplies, and other related materials necessary to ensure the smooth operation of data collection and data entry at all SAS sites.
- Safety and Maintenance Coordination
- Ensures that the 6th Street Harm Reduction Center work environment is healthy and conducive for workers to carry out their duties without subjecting themselves to any harm or danger.
- This may include activities such as communicating with Office Services about needed repairs, assessing participant and staff flow and use of the space through the lens of safety, and communicating about safety issues, repairs, furniture and fixture needs to the SAS Program Management.
- Outreach and Engagement Mobile Site Supervision
- Street and van-based outreach and engagement, providing syringe access service, safe disposal of biowaste.
- Build ongoing relationships with participants, provide harm reduction counseling and health education, referrals, and linkage to HIV/HCV testing, the HCV Wellness Program, HIV Health Navigation team.
- Provide on-site overdose prevention and response trainings, recruit participant volunteers for low threshold volunteer opportunities, and act as an ambassador for SFAF’s harm reduction programming in the community.
- Develop outreach materials, educational and resource flyers.
- Train, supervise, and retain volunteers. Document and enter site data.
Essential Qualifications : - Knowledge of substance use and health concerns of injection drug users.
- Knowledge of health and social services throughout the city of San Francisco.
- Awareness and sensitivity to diverse and marginalized populations.
- Ability to speak candidly and knowledgeably about drug use and sexual risk.
- Ability to implement de-escalation techniques, follow safely protocols, and use sound judgment in making independent decisions.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and sometimes chaotic environment
- Good organizational skills, data entry skills, ability to use Microsoft office programs and Google Suite, Teams and Zoom
Supervision : SAS Volunteers and SAS Interns as needed
Physical Requirements and Work Environments : Skill in operating office equipment such as a personal computer, copy machine and telephone system. Ability to perform routine bending, stooping, twisting, and reaching. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be comfortable standing on feet for extended periods of time, often at least 6 hours.
All SAS Team Member schedules may include providing shift coverage for direct services and logistics/inventory activities to cover vacations, sick days, and special events. The position requires work during evenings, weekends and holidays. While we have scheduled hours and assigned tasks and roles in our department, sometimes duty calls when volunteer power is short, a co-worker calls in sick or is on vacation, a SAS staff member needs a hand with an aspect of their job, or a participant is in crisis. All department positions require staff to offer flexibility to meet the needs of the team and handle unexpected changes in their workday or workweek.
Education and Experience : - Minimum, one to three years’ experience working with people who use drugs and people experiencing homelessness, and highly marginalized communities - required .
- Strong understanding of harm reduction practices and principles, experience doing health education preferred.
- Proof of valid California driver’s license with excellent driving record required.
- Understanding of HIV/HCV disease prevention and treatment.
This position will have access to protected health information (PHI) and may only access, use or disclose the minimum information necessary to perform their designated role on behalf of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, regardless of the extent of access provided.
Work Environment : This position is headquartered at 1035 Market Street. Duties will be performed both at the headquarters, in the field at multiple street-based sites and at our Syringe Access Services location at 117 6th St, San Francisco. This position may require traveling to other office locations or off-site meetings as required by the job.
The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for personnel so classified. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: SFAF is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package for our full-time employees. These include:
Vacation + Leave 20 days of combined Paid Time Off/Sick Time Off for the first two years of employment
25 days of Paid Time Off/Sick Time Off after two years of employment
Pro-Rated Health & Wellness Hours (subject to change yearly)
14 paid holidays per year
Retirement 403(b) Plan – SFAF matches employee contributions (1 to 1) up to 3% of salary
Health Coverage Flexible Spending Account to set aside employee pre-tax dollars for unreimbursed medical and dependent expenses.
Medical insurance - premium fully/partially paid by SFAF for employee (Kaiser Permanente HMO, Sutter Health Plus HMO)
Vision insurance – premium fully paid by SFAF for employee (MetLife)
Dental insurance – premiums fully/partially paid by SFAF for the employee (MetLife)
Employee Sponsored Care Plume - Gender Affirming Care
Care.com – Family care benefits
Maven – Family forming benefits
Life Insurance + Disability + Family Leave Life Insurance and AD&D insurance – Employer Paid: 100% of salary, up to $100K (MetLife)
Long term disability insurance (MetLife)
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA), Pregnancy-Related Disability Leave (PDL), as applicable
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement : The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is an Equal Opportunity employer. We actively seek applications from people living with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ individuals and people of color.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Application Process : Please visit our careers page at:
POSITION OPEN UNTIL FILLED NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE
Job Tags
Holiday work, Full time, Flexible hours, Shift work, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,