Overdose Prevention Evaluator-Epidemiology Specialist (DOH/CHP #23888)

About the role

This position is located in the Evaluation Section of the Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau (IBEB) within the New Mexico Department of Health’s Center for Health Protection (CHP). The Evaluation Section provides cross‑cutting support to IBEB, including the Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention, the Office of Injury and Violence Prevention, the Overdose Prevention Section, the Substance Use Epidemiology Section, and the Survey Section. The Overdose Prevention Section exists to reduce drug‑related morbidity and mortality in New Mexico by instituting and supporting effective programs and policies. This position plays a major role in planning and completing evaluations that assess program progress and allocate resources, and its customers are the people of New Mexico, including partners working with NMDOH to reduce drug‑overdose harms.

Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, and maintains all aspects of assigned evaluation projects.
• Fosters relationships with internal and external partners.
• Collaboratively creates data gathering tools, data systems, evaluation reports, and other dissemination products.
• Works closely with colleagues in the Evaluation Section, Overdose Prevention Section, Substance Use Epidemiology Section, and partner organizations to collect, analyze, interpret, and report qualitative and quantitative results.
• Shares evaluation findings and recommendations with internal and external audiences.
• Supports the development and implementation of evaluation and performance management plans for federal grants.
• Conducts program and policy evaluations involving collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from multiple sources.
• Evaluates linkage to care for New Mexicans experiencing non‑fatal overdoses.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Sciences, Social Sciences, or Statistics and one (1) year in Public Health to include data analysis and linking methodology.
• Any combination of education from an accredited college or university in a related field and/or direct experience in this occupation totaling seven (7) years may substitute for the required education and experience.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Driver’s License.
• Must possess and maintain a current Defensive Driving Course Certificate from the State of New Mexico, or must pass and receive certification within six (6) months of hire as a condition of continued employment.
• Working conditions: office setting, exposure to Visual/Video Display terminal (VDT), extensive personal computer and telephone usage with extended periods of sitting.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Psychology, Statistics, or related field with 4 years of experience working with diverse partners across state agencies, health systems, and communities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experienced in collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data and conducting background research (e.g., literature reviews, environmental scans).
• High level of skill and experience with MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel).
• Comfortable using other analytic software (such as SPSS, SAS, STATA, NVivo, etc.).
• Flexible, able to respond to changes in policy and the needs of a fast‑paced team.
• Strong prioritization and organizational skills.
• Experience with federal grants.
• Familiarity with drug overdose prevention work in New Mexico or elsewhere preferred.

Skills

• Verbal and written communication
• Qualitative and quantitative data analysis
• Background research and literature reviews
• MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel)
• Analytic software (SPSS, SAS, STATA, NVivo)
• Project management and relationship building
• Prioritization and organizational skills
• Federal grant management
• Knowledge of overdose prevention strategies

Pay

Salary $40.28 - $64.4