Posting Details
THIS POSTING WILL BE USED FOR ONGOING RECRUITMENT AND MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME. APPLICANT LISTS MAY BE SCREENED MORE THAN ONCE.
It is mission critical to the Governor's Priorities to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes by providing access to care and services in support of health equity for New Mexicans.
The Office of Community Health Workers (OCHW) within the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) exists to support the Community Health Workers/Representatives (CHW/R) profession and workforce development by leading strategic partnerships and capacity-building initiatives with organizations employing, training, and mentoring or advocating for Community Health Workers (CHWs) statewide.
Why does the job exist?
The position exists through annual legislative appropriations to meet the state mandated statutes: Senate Bill (SB) 58 enacting the Community Health Workers (CHW) Act and NMSA 1978 State-Tribal Collaboration Act.
The Office of Community Health Workers seeks to become a statewide convener for and is charged with workforce development through integration of Community Health Workers/Representatives into New Mexico's health and social service care teams and networks. This charge is key in providing a competent workforce by developing strategic partnerships across New Mexico with organizations employing, training, mentoring, and advocating for Community Health Workers/Representatives to support sustainability and workforce development initiatives for indigenous, rural and underserved, and northern communities within New Mexico.
This position will coordinate, direct, and deliver training, community outreach, and networking opportunities; develop social service and health care networks to support state health equity initiatives; and technical assistance to support state Community Health Worker/Representatives re/certification to individuals, communities, and organizations/providers in northern New Mexico and indigenous communities statewide.
How does it get done?
Key Position Responsibilities:
1) Responsible for coordinating, facilitating, and marketing Community Health Worker (CHW) state certification in the Northern and tribal communities of New Mexico.
2) Responsible for supporting CHW workforce recruitment efforts and activities during community events and/or via community requests in the Northern and tribal communities of New Mexico.
3) Responsible for identifying, coordinating, facilitating, and delivering content specific trainings for Community Health Workers/Representatives (CHW/Rs) monthly and/or conducting ad hoc presentations on various community issues and public health topics and trends in the Northern and tribal communities of New Mexico.
4) Responsible for developing and strengthening new and current social service and health care networks for tribal Community Health Representatives (CHR) and non-tribal Community Health Workers (CHWs), including CHW organizations/providers within northern New Mexico, rural and underserved, and indigenous communities statewide, including bordering states, cities, and towns.
5) Responsible for engaging, developing, and fostering collaborative working relationships and networks with northern and statewide Tribal Leadership and communities to align efforts that address social determinants of health, assist in resource allocation to improve health outcomes, and develop technical assistance supports for indigenous and northern communities, including bordering states.
6) Responsible for development of workplans for state certification and recruitment activities; professional development and training, community outreach and networking, and technical assistance supports for indigenous communities and non-Tribal organizations/providers in the Northern and tribal communities of New Mexico.
7) Responsible for planning and implementation of the statewide Office of Community Health Workers strategic plan components: regulations and workforce development, health and social care integration, organizational data systems and CHW/R engagement, and workforce sustainability; including data collection and reporting plans of indigenous, rural and underserved, and northern New Mexico communities.
Who are the customers?
Individuals and statewide, rural, frontier, and indigenous communities and regions, Community Health Workers/Representatives, Community Health Workers Affiliate organizations/providers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Indian Health Service Units, Hospitals/Clinics, Public Health Offices, Community Based Organizations, Public School Systems, Higher Learning Institutions, Managed Care Organizations, and other health care and social service providers and networks.
Ideal Candidate
Individuals and statewide, rural, frontier, and indigenous communities and regions, Community Health Workers/Representatives, Community Health Workers Affiliate organizations/providers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Indian Health Service Units, Hospitals/Clinics, Public Health Offices, Community Based Organizations, Public School Systems, Higher Learning Institutions, Managed Care Organizations, and other health care and social service providers and networks.
Minimum Qualification
Associate degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Statistics, Finance, or a related field and two (2) years of experience with a public assistance program, medical, healthcare, educational, or state facility working with policies and procedures, conducting analysis/research, providing or requesting information from the general public, working with communities, working on health or social service related matters, social work/case management, behavioral health, and/or health care. Any combination of education from an accredited college or university in a related field and/or direct experience in this occupation totaling four (4) years may substitute for the required education and experience.
Employment Requirements
Must possess and maintain a valid Driver's License.
Must possess and maintain a current Defensive Driving Course Certification from the State of New Mexico or must pass and receive Defensive Driving Course Certification as a condition of continued employment.
Working Conditions
The working conditions for this position require splitting your time between an urban administrative office and hands-on, field-based community engagements across the state.
When you aren't on the road, your work is anchored at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) complex off San Mateo and Montgomery in Albuquerque. This is a professional state agency environment housing multiple core bureaus, including the Public Health Division's Population and Community Health teams. You will be operating in a standard office/cubicle setting handling data entry, compiling technical assistance modules, participating in regional state team meetings, and coordinating with state Medicaid and certification specialists. The office portion of the job is structured but fast-moving, requiring high digital proficiency to manage correspondence, track data for tribal and rural clinics, and host virtual training sessions or webinars,
The true heart of this role takes place outside the office. Frequent in-state travel in New Mexico means traversing vast, topographically diverse, and geographically isolated terrains to visit rural clinics, chapter houses, and Pueblo health community spaces. Expect significant highway and rural driving time. Travel to Northern New Mexico or tribal nations can easily involve multi-hour trips one-way, sometimes navigating unpaved roads, mountain passes, or unpredictable seasonal weather (monsoons in summer, snow/mud in winter). Once you arrive at a site, the environment shifts immediately from formal state administration to community-centric public health. You might be conducting an upskilling workshop in a community center, doing a walk-through with a CHR manager at a tribal clinic, or gathering feedback in a rural community room.
Because you are balancing office deadlines with distant site visits, you will need excellent self-management and calendar flexibility. Travel often demands early departures or overnight stays depending on how far into the frontier communities your technical assistance is required.
Culturally, the working condition requires high adaptability. You must be able to switch gears seamlessly - moving from formal, bureaucratic data-tracking and policy discussions at the Homestead building to a position of deep listening, cultural humility, and peer-level collaboration when stepping into sovereign tribal nations or historic rural communities.
If you thrive in a role where no two weeks look exactly the same, where you can balance structured administrative planning in Albuquerque with deep, relationship-building field work across the beautiful landscapes of New Mexico, this setup provides exactly that balance.
You will experience exposure to visual/video display terminal (VTD) and extensive personal computer and phone usage. The ability to lift up to 40 lbs (usually outreach materials), bending, stooping and reaching (during on-site
Supplemental Information
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Agency Contact Information: Levi Webb (505) 627-8565 Email
For information on Statutory Requirements for this position, click the Classification Description link on the job advertisement.
Bargaining Unit Position
This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement and all terms/conditions of that agreement apply and must be adhered to.
