PREVENTION SPECIALIST (PREV WF)

Summary

About the Position: The Prevention Specialist serves as the Prevention Subject Matter Expert to support the Prevention Lead. As a Prevention Science expert, responsible for maintaining day-to-day operations and oversight of integrated primary prevention efforts by ensuring technical competence of the integrated primary prevention workforce, to include prevention implementation specialists.

Duties

• Serve as the Prevention Specialist (PREV WF) to the Prevention Lead for the Integrated Prevention Advisory Group (I-PAG).
• Support I-PAG Prevention Lead in advising senior leaders on primary prevention activities and the public health approach to preventing harmful behaviors.
• Identify and integrate data, research, and evaluation findings from various sources.
• Use data to conduct community needs assessments, select integrated primary prevention activities, and evaluate activities.
• Develop a Comprehensive Integrated Primary Prevention Plan that includes population-based and/or targeted primary prevention activities that span across the socio-ecological model to address potential risk factors and bolster protective factors.
• Align policies to facilitate collaboration and integration across stakeholders to improve holistic well-being and prevent inter-related problem behaviors, such as harassment, discrimination, alcohol misuse, self-harm, relationship violence, etc.
• Educate leaders on integrated primary prevention and enhance knowledge of integrated primary prevention and ensure delivery of ongoing primary prevention training and education, modernizing the content, delivery, and dosage of prevention education.
• Design process and outcome evaluation plans before implementation of primary prevention activities and conduct data analysis to determine effectiveness of primary prevention activities.
• Collaborate with prevention partners to assist with development of the prevention system (i.e., human resources, collaborative relationships, and infrastructure) and execution of each step of the prevention process.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. If you are currently stationed in the overseas area, all of your overseas time will be credited toward your current overseas tour end date. Your overseas time served will not reset upon accepting this assignment. If you have returned from OCONUS within the past 2 years or less, your time previously served in the OCONUS area will be credited to your 5-year overseas rotation upon accepting this assignment. Basic Requirement for Prevention Specialist (PREV WF): Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in behavioral or social science, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, such as prevention science or public health. OR Combination of education and experience: A combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR Experience: Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) developing comprehensive prevention plans for the prevention of harmful behaviors; 2) advising and educating leaders on primary prevention activities; 3) integrating comprehensive primary prevention efforts through internal and external coalitions and partnerships; 4) developing valid and reliable data collection methods to assess prevention efforts; and 5) building the prevention capacity of the community through outreach and education. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). Separated Military Members: Resumes will be accepted from members of the Armed Forces who indicate in their applications that they are available for appointment within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement. Military members may be appointed while on terminal/transitional leave, before the effective date of their military retirement/separation. Military Retirees: Within the DoD (Department of Defense), including non-appropriated fund positions, the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following the retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326 or 5 U.S.C. 5305.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on09/08/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13048303). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.