Program Specialist at University of New Mexico – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Requisition ID: req36172

Working Title:
Program Specialist

Position Grade:
12

Position Summary:
The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNMCCC) is seeking a Program Specialist to support the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE).

Job overview: The Program Specialist plays a critical role in strengthening connections between New Mexico communities, especially including our Hispanic/Latine communities, and the UNMCCC's researchers, programs and community outreach initiatives. The Program Specialist will serve as a key liaison, ensuring community perspectives, priorities and needs are effectively communicated to the UNMCCC and integrated into research, education, and engagement activities.

This position will also interact with the UNMCCC Community Advisory Board (CAB), a diverse group of community stakeholders, to identify priorities and facilitate bidirectional communication. This role collaborates closely with a multidisciplinary team within the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement to coordinate and advance these efforts.

Office of Community Outreach and Engagement Overview: Community outreach and engagement (COE) is a fundamental activity of National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Centers. COE spans all aspects of the UNMCCC's programs, including basic, clinical, translational, and population research. The COE works with community partners to identify community needs, communicate those needs across the Center's leadership and research programs (i.e., "in-reach"), and expands activities of special relevance to the Cancer Center's geographic catchment area population, the State of New Mexico. COE strategic priorities and resources include: 1) address and serve the state's multiethnic and geographically dispersed populations, with their different patterns of cancer incidence and mortality; 2) identify cancer health priorities among New Mexico communities and build trusting relationships with key stakeholder partners; 3) facilitate research with all UNMCCC Research Programs to address cancer priority needs; and 4) disseminate strategies, through community-based education and partnerships, that reduce the cancer burden.

The UNMCCC COE consists of staff who support these activities and the Program Manager will support alignment with strategic priorities. The COE maintains an active Community Advisory Board, consisting of up to 15 statewide members who meet on a quarterly basis to review and guide all mission areas. COE also features a community-based patient navigation program that addresses access to care challenges and supports cancer patients through screening, treatment and survivorship stages. Lastly, the COE has extensive partnerships with health system and community-based organizations that enable presentations and information sharing about cancer health issues.

Team culture: The UNMCCC and COE is committed to addressing issues of cancer health that impact all communities in NM. We work hard to create an environment that values collaboration, mutual respect and an opportunity for all team members to share their experiences and perspectives. The Program Specialist will contribute to this team culture and will work with COE staff, UNMCCC leadership, and community partners, including the Community Advisory Board, to maintain and enhance a shared vision.

Program Specialist Duties & Responsibilities: The Program Specialist is an essential position in the COE Office.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

1. Conducts community outreach and engagement activities- conduct ongoing community outreach to increase awareness of cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and supportive services. This includes building and maintaining partnerships with community organizations, providing culturally appropriate education, identifying barriers to care, and facilitating referrals to internal and external resources;

2. Engages in event development and management- support the planning and execution of outreach and education events, including workshops, health fairs, and community meetings. Responsibilities include coordinating logistics, collaborating with partners, supporting on-site operations, and assisting with follow-up activities and evaluations;

3. Data collection and reporting- collect, maintain, and report data related to outreach activities, community member interactions, and referrals. This includes understanding confidentiality and reporting requirements, and preparing summaries and reports for program leadership and funding agencies;

4. Interaction with the COE Community Advisory Board- the Program Specialist will participate in CAB meetings, meet individually with CAB members to advance COE initiatives and present updates at quarterly meetings;

5. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned- perform additional duties necessary to support program operations, including participating in trainings, assisting with special projects, and providing general program support as directed by leadership.

The ideal candidate will possess personal and professional maturity, have highly developed interpersonal skills, and have experience working with Hispanic/Latine communities across New Mexico. The candidate will have the ability to: work effectively with a variety of UNMCCC/UNM and community stakeholders, adapt to changing priorities, work independently, and multitask. Incumbent must effectively communicate with a wide range of constituents such as: community groups, county or Hispanic/Latine health boards, community health care providers, and UNMCCC staff and members.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituents in a diverse community.

• Ability to plan, develop, organize and facilitate community educational and outreach programs related to cancer prevention.

• Networking and relationship building/management and initiative skills.

• Knowledge of equity and diversity issues for Hispanic/Latine communities. Must be able to interpret community needs and deliver culturally appropriate education/outreach activities.

• Ability to travel throughout New Mexico.

• Ability to vary work schedule to include occasional evenings and weekends.

• Knowledge of community health services and social services support agencies, resources and networks that serve the Hispanic/Latine communities.

The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in a 500-mile radius. Its 136 board-certified oncology specialty physicians include cancer surgeons in every specialty (abdominal, thoracic, bone and soft tissue, neurosurgery, genitourinary, gynecology, and head and neck cancers), adult and pediatric hematologists/medical oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, and radiation oncologists. They, along with more than 600 other cancer healthcare professionals (nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, navigators, psychologists and social workers), provide treatment to 65% of New Mexico's cancer patients from all across the state. And they partner with community health systems statewide to provide cancer care closer to home. In 2024 they treated more than 15,000 patients in almost 105,000 ambulatory clinic visits in addition to in-patient hospitalizations at UNM Hospital. A total of 2,075 patients participated in cancer clinical trials to study new cancer treatments that include tests of novel cancer prevention strategies and cancer genome sequencing. The more than 123 cancer research scientists affiliated with the UNM Cancer Center were awarded $38.3 million in federal and private grants and contracts for cancer research projects. Since 2015, the physicians, scientists and staff have provided education and training experiences to more than 750 high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellowship students in cancer research and cancer health care delivery.

Website: unmhealth.org/cancer

See the Position Description for additional information.

Conditions of Employment:

• Employees who provide services or work in patient care or clinical areas are required to be in compliance with the University's influenza vaccination requirement.
• If located at the UNM Children's Campus, successful candidate must pass a comprehensive post-offer, pre-employment criminal and New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) fingerprint background check, and a continued successful status will be verified by periodic future background checks.

Additional Requirements: Finalists should be prepared to provide official educational transcripts if selected for hire.

Applicants must provide names of 3 professional references that the hiring official can contact.
Campus:
Health Sciences Center (HSC) - Albuquerque, NM

Benefits Eligble:
This is a benefits eligible position. The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. See the Benefits home page for a more information.

Department:
Research Administration (099K)

Employment Type:
Staff

Staff Type:
Regular - Full-Time
Status:
Exempt

Pay:
$3,844.53 - $5,399.33

Benefits Eligible:
This is a benefits eligible position. The University of New Mexico provides a comprehensive package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. See the Benefits home page for a more information.

ERB Statement:
As a condition of employment, eligible employees working greater than .25 FTE as determined by the New Mexico Education Retirement Act must make mandatory retirement contributions. For more information, review the Benefits Eligibility at a Glance grid.

Background Check Required:
Yes
For Best Consideration Date:
3/27/2026

Application Instructions:
Only applications submitted throughthe official UNMJobs site will be accepted. If you are viewing this jobadvertisement on a 3rd party site, pleasevisit UNMJobs to submit an application.
APPLICANT: Please complete the official application; making sure to include all prior work experience and average hours worked per week. Attach your Current Resume; listing three Professional References. Attach your Cover Letter that details how your experience matches the position as described above; including any Preferred Qualifications.Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma or GED; at least 6 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications: • Bachelor's Degree

• Knowledge and familiarity with Hispanic/Latine communities and sensitivity to Hispanic/Latine needs required.

• Bilingual- Spanish language abilities.

• Experience working in the area of cancer prevention, cancer health equity research, education and/or health promotion with New Mexico communities.