Health Education and Promotion Professional I

The University of Arizona•Tucson, AZ

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Sunshine PAWS therapy animal program is an initiative which reflects the College's mission to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities through education, research, service, and meaningful community partnerships. Sunshine PAWS will support campus well-being, school service, and Southern Arizona community health through designated animal-assisted programming including therapy animal team recruitment, training, evaluation, deployment, volunteer coordination, animal welfare, and community-based service delivery. Overall, this position will coordinate programming, oversee community partnerships, and lead program evaluation. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Requirements

Ability to communicate effectively with varied audiences, including students, community partners, community members, faculty and staff, and program participants.
Ability to establish community partnerships through trust and collaboration across multiple sectors to support shared goals.
Ability to support strategic planning efforts for long-term sustainability.
Knowledge of best practices related to animal-assisted therapy including safety standards and ethical considerations.
Ability to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion programming that incorporate animal-assisted therapy.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through experience required.
Up to 1 year of relevant work experience (e.g., experience delivering animal-assisted therapy programming) may be required.

Nice To Haves

Established relationships with relevant organizations (e.g.,Pet Partners and Alliance of Therapy Dogs).
Registered handler for cats and dogs.

Responsibilities

Administers animal-assisted programming to support student and community engagement in health promotion efforts, including recruiting, training, motivating and mentoring community members and students on animal-assisted health promotion initiatives.
Coordinates program logistics, including scheduling, program coordination, and delivery of community-based programming.
Works closely with community members, students, groups, and organizations to assess their needs related to animal-assisted therapy programming and to coordinate University initiatives and resources to address those needs, and evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes through data collection and analysis to support continuous improvement.
Serves as a resource to campus and community constituents in supporting and educating students and community members experiencing mental and/or physical health challenges in which animal-assisted therapy can support improved health outcomes related to whole-person health.
Coordinates student interns and volunteers participating in animal-assisted programming, providing mentorship, training and guidance to support program goals.