Recovery Health Promotion Specialist (Health Educator)

Position Summary

The Well-being & Health Promotion Department aims to enhance the well-being of SDSU students in order for them to achieve academic success and establish lifelong healthy behaviors and attitudes to reduce the risk for disease and injury. 

Well-being & Health Promotion believes that students’ health is an integral part of their academic success. A student’s success can be derailed by poor choices that affect health and safety.  Often alcohol and other drugs, reckless or dangerous behavior, and risky sexual behavior can lead to injuries, disease, legal trouble, and social circumstances that make continued academic progress difficult or impossible. The department serves a preventative role to allow students to make more healthful and less risky decisions by:

1. Helping create a healthy campus and community environment. 

2. Assuring students know how and are motivated to make healthy decisions.

Well-being & Health Promotion provides SDSU students with tools to succeed by offering health education on: women's health, contraception, STI education, nutrition education, alcohol and other drugs education, medical referral assistance, and Peer Health Education for the campus community. 

Well-being & Health Promotion maintains a commitment to collaborative and integrated efforts to achieve student health.

Under the general lead work direction of the Director of Well-being & Health Promotion, the Recovery Health Promotion Specialist provides health education and health promoting opportunities for students in order to address long and short-term student health needs through teaching/coordinating Peer Health Education programs, planning and developing health education trainings, programs and workshops, and developing and maintaining written materials for outreach and in-house use. 

The Recovery Health Promotion Specialist organizes and conducts health education and behavioral health-risk prevention programs with the goal being to improve health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The Specialist will also coordinate university efforts to identify students in all stages of recovery and work toward the goal of ensuring adequate resources are available to these students. The Specialist should use evidence-based, inclusive, and harm reduction approaches, tailoring programming, communication, and resources as needed to reach the recovery community along the recovery spectrum.  The Specialist will provide guidance to student organizations as an advisor and will serve as a resource for other campus departments on student health and recovery issues.

For more information regarding Well-Being & Health Promotion, click here .

This is a full-time (1.0 time-base), benefits eligible, temporary position anticipated to end on or before June 30, 2022, with the possibility of reappointment. This position is designated exempt under FLSA and is not eligible for overtime compensation. Standard SDSU work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but may vary based on operational needs.

This appointment is for an 11/12 pay-plan position. The incumbent works 11 months per year and is paid over 12 months, with June as the anticipated off month.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an approved program in health education or a related health field. Equivalent to one to two years of progressively responsible health education experience or combination of education and experience which provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Behavioral-health related master’s degree preferred.
• Two years’ experience working in a university (or other system) setting doing health education and/or prevention programming.
• Experience working with college students or transitional-aged youth.
• Experience working directly with the recovery community.
• Experience working with recovery populations beyond alcohol and drug recovery.
• Knowledge of AOD approaches, e.g., Motivational Interviewing, harm reduction, Social Norms Theory, Transtheoretical Model.
• Specific training or certification relevant to working with people who have substance use disorder diagnoses.

Specialized Skills

• Proficiency with written and oral communication, and teaching skills.
• Must possess good judgment and discernment in decision making.
• Must be able to follow established protocols related to crisis situations. 
• Must have an understanding of privacy laws protecting health and mental health information.

Compensation and Benefits

Starting salary upon appointment is not expected to exceed $3722 per month. CSU Classification Salary Range: $3722 - $7,183 per month. Salary placement is determined by the education, experience, and qualifications the candidate brings to the position, internal equity, and the hiring department’s fiscal resources.

San Diego State University offers a rich benefits package that constitutes a major portion of total compensation. For more information regarding SDSU benefits, please click here .

Supplemental Information

Initial review of the required application materials, including cover letters and resumes, will begin on July 23, 2021. To receive full consideration, apply by July 22, 2021. The position will remain open until filled.

The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. 

San Diego State University is not a sponsoring agency for staff or management positions (e.g., H-1B visa). Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Offers of employment are contingent upon the presentation of documents that demonstrate a person's identity and authorization to work in the United States, which are consistent with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act . 

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

SDSU is a smoke-free campus. For more information, please click here .

SDSU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, or covered veteran status.

Applicants with disabilities and applicants who require assistance completing an application may contact Meracle Cothron at [email protected] or at (619) 273-3574.