Implementation Specialist, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Position Summary

The Implementation Specialist contributes to the provision of implementation support on funded implementation science project(s) at the Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Implementation Specialist:

• delivers a range of direct implementation supports to community coalitions and/or child and family-serving agencies to support their effective implementation of evidence-based or evidence-informed programs and practices;
• assists with the development of implementation tools, measures, and learning resources that may be useful to community and state partners or to team members providing implementation support; and
• engages in implementation evaluation or research.

The position will join The Impact Center at FPG (http://impact.fpg.unc.edu). The mission of The Impact Center at FPG is to catalyze social impact with implementation science and support, primarily by building capacity in systems and communities to scale effective child-, family-, or community-support strategies for population-level or system-wide benefits. The Impact Center at FPG is a workgroup at FPG that includes implementation specialists, evaluation and improvement specialists, communications specialists, research scientists, and learning and design specialists. Guided by this workgroup’s theoretically- and empirically-derived model of core practice components, implementation support is delivered primarily to leaders and teams within community service organizations and coalitions. Projects involve close collaboration with state agency, support, and funding partners.

This position will initially provide implementation support under the Center’s Implementation Capacity for Triple P projects (http://ictp.fpg.unc.edu).

In addition to membership in this FPG workgroup, the position is expected to be a member of the community of FPG Investigators. Expectations include the development of implementation science resources for practice, policy, and research/evaluation; guiding systems policies and practices at local, community, and/or regional levels; contributing to the field of implementation science in areas related to healthy child, family, and community development; engagement in institutional activities within FPG; and evaluation of professional performance.

Educational Requirements

Preference for a Ph.D. in Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, Prevention Science, Implementation Science, or closely related fields of study. A Master’s in Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, Prevention Science, Implementation Science, or closely related fields of study and three or more years of relevant experience also will be considered. Supervised training in the delivery of evidence-based models of behavior change (e.g., prevention or treatment programs, technical assistance, community intervention, consultation, counseling) is especially encouraged.

Qualifications and Experience

Advanced knowledge of implementation science and practice frameworks.

Demonstrated experience:

• using implementation science and practice frameworks to support implementing communities and organizations to operationalize innovations, develop implementation teams, build infrastructure supports, and develop enabling contexts;
• working with professional or community teams towards collective goals and actions;
• working with evidence-based prevention and/or other wellbeing programs for children, families, and communities;
• using data and information for research, evaluation, or quality improvement activities related to the implementation or delivery of innovative practices; and
• participating in projects, professional development opportunities, or activities addressing issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The following skill sets:

• the development of collaborative working relationships with leaders and other professionals;
• formal assessment of individual, team, and/or organizational attitudes, resources, and behaviors;
• providing individual or group-based facilitation;
• facilitating groups with a co-facilitator;
• the delivery of learning to adults using best practices;
• translating scientific concepts and terminology to practice and policy audiences;
• supportive behavioral coaching for adults;
• organizational thinking and conceptualization;
• systems thinking and conceptualization;
• adaptive leadership;
• strong written communication;
• strong public speaking and presentation;
• qualitative and quantitative evaluation methodologies; and
• using data for quality improvement.

For more information and to apply, see the job posting.