SADD works to empower, engage, mobilize, and change students and adult allies on the issues of mobility safety, substance use, mental health, and leadership development. SADD was founded on the simple philosophy that young people, empowered to help each other, are the most effective force in prevention. Therefore, we’re trying to change the world through a peer-to-peer model of school and community-based chapters.
Reports To:
Director of Field Engagement
Classification:
Full-Time, Exempt | Grant-Funded
This position is “at will,” while continued employment is also contingent on grant funding, organizational needs, and satisfactory performance.
Work Location:
Remote - Alabama, Strong boots-on-the-ground field presence required
Travel Requirement:
Approximately 50% of scheduled work time; travel is both required and expected. Travel will include local driving of approximately 4,000-5,000 miles of in-state driving each year and 2,000-3,000 miles or domestic air travel. Employee must have an active driver’s license, active car insurance, a driving record in good standing, and appropriate identification documents for air travel.
Transportation:
Personal vehicle with valid driver's license, legally required automobile insurance, and a driving record that meets SADD’s insurance and driver eligibility requirements
FLSA Status:
Full time, Salaried, Exempt
Key Responsibilities
Chapter Development & Strategic Field Implementation
The State Coordinator drives the growth, retention, and activation of SADD chapters within their assigned territory, implementing strategies that increase the effectiveness of peer-to-peer student leadership at the local, regional, and national levels.
- Recruit, establish, reactivate, and maintain active SADD school-based as well as community chapters; proactively identify and engage at-risk or inactive chapters.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for chapter advisors, providing consistent support, troubleshooting, onboarding, training, and check-ins.
- Keep the network of chapters and advisors informed, enrolled, and aligned with state and national SADD initiatives; ensure program reporting guidelines are met to accurately reflect statewide work completed on the chapter level .
- Work collaboratively with state affiliates and prevention partners to advance strategic prevention programming throughout the region.
- Support the development of culturally responsive outreach efforts that reflect the diverse communities and health and safety needs of assigned counties.
Program Execution & Community Engagement
- Recruit and train students and adult leaders to serve as peer educators, advocates, and SADD chapter officers.
- Conduct and facilitate both virtual and in-person meetings, workshops, and trainings with stakeholders.
- Present safety programming and youth leadership content in schools, community settings, and public events.
- Spend ample and appropriate amounts of time seeking out and actively engaging with relevant contacts and attending organization-related events. Maintaining physical presence in the state for mission-related events is critical.
- Attend and present at conferences, tabling events, awareness activities, and state/regional outreach opportunities.
- Spearhead planning and capacity-building with students and chapters to support independent growth.
- Pro-actively build SADD's presence and relationships in local and regional prevention coalitions, highway safety networks, and community stakeholder groups.
- Manage or co-lead a regional Student Leadership Council (SLC), supporting leadership development and the national SLC pipeline.
- Assess regional needs, identify underserved communities, prioritize outreach efforts, and develop implementation strategies that maximize impact while aligning with organizational priorities and grant objectives
- Work closely with volunteers and grant-funded interns as applicable.
Independent Field Operations & Self-Directed Performance
- Independently plan and manage a field calendar that balances in-person community engagement with remote administrative responsibilities.
- Prioritize high-impact activities and adapt scheduling in response to changing community needs, grant requirements, and organizational priorities.
- Maintain a consistent and professional presence in the field, reliably representing SADD's mission and brand in all community interactions.
- Manage personal travel logistics including planning, expense tracking, and compliance with grant-authorized travel requirements.
- Serve as a “Network Stewardship” to actively build relationships with youth, advisors, community partners, and leveraging those relationships to help progress the role and goals forward.
- Participate in evening and weekend events as needed to meet program obligations.
Travel & Regional Field Coverage.
- Travel approximately 25–50% of scheduled work time to conduct in-person chapter visits, community events, partner meetings, tabling activities, and school presentations.
- Maintain reliable personal transportation and a valid driver's license with a driving record in good standing - required for day-to-day field mobility within the assigned region.
- Manage travel and independently travel to field assignments, community partner locations, and outreach events across assigned counties without relying on carpools or shared transportation .
- Attend and actively participate in SADD regional or National events, local prevention and mobility safety-focused conferences, and the annual SADD National Conference.
- Represent SADD at grant-required site visits, state highway safety meetings, and prevention coalition events.
- Coordinate and log all field travel per grant requirements; submit timely expense documentation and travel authorizations as directed.
Grant-Aligned Program Administration & Compliance
- Implement activities aligned with assigned grant goals, deliverables, and target populations.
- Collect, document, process, and report data related to chapter activity, program participation, outreach reach, and youth engagement outcomes.
- Complete internal and external reports accurately and on time, including monthly progress documents, activity logs, and photo/data submissions.
- Assist with grant documentation requirements, including outcome tracking, success stories, and compliance records.
- Offer state-based guidance on annual grant application processes with data-informed approaches.
Stakeholder Relations, Partnerships & Community Presence
- Build and maintain productive relationships with schools, school districts, State Highway Safety Offices (HSOs), community coalitions, law enforcement, and state/local prevention partners.
- Represent SADD at local, regional, and state events, serving as a visible ambassador for the organization's mission and programs.
- Coordinate distribution of program materials, toolkits, and supplies to chapters and partners.
- Support sponsor and partner engagement at the field level in coordination with national leadership.
Communication, Reporting & National Collaboration
Though the State Coordinator operates independently in the field, they are a connected and contributing member of SADD's national team. Regular communication, knowledge sharing, and collaborative spirit are expected.
- Utilize independent and innovative thinking to bring new ideas and solutions to the table
- Act as the primary liaison between SADD's national office and local chapters within the assigned region.
- Respond to advisor and student inquiries in a timely, professional, and mission-consistent manner.
- Participate in team meetings, virtual staff calls, and organizational initiatives.
- Provide required reporting and data for monitoring, evaluation, learning, or media purposes
- Appropriately communicate in writing and verbally, in person and virtually with a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and expertise. This role will frequently engage with staff on the leadership levels to peers and young people.
- Contribute positively to team culture across a virtual, geographically dispersed organization.
- Bring field-level perspective and regional data to inform national program planning and priorities.
- Other duties may be assigned as needed to support organizational priorities.
- Assess statewide needs and relevant data to identify underserved communities, prioritize outreach, and develop implementation strategies aligned with organizational priorities and grant objectives.
- Develop annual and periodic state work plans using strategic prevention, capacity-building, and continuous-improvement principles.
- Build the capacity of students, advisors, chapters, and community partners to sustain and expand SADD programming independently.
- Exercise sound judgment and independent decision-making, recognizing emerging challenges and opportunities and adjusting strategies when appropriate.
- Serve as SADD’s primary statewide representative and steward of the chapter, advisor, and partner network, using relationships to expand SADD’s reach and strengthen long-term sustainability.
RACI SUMMARY - STATE COORDINATOR ROLE
The table below reflects the State Coordinator's functional responsibilities as derived from the SADD organizational RACI chart. R = Responsible | A = Accountable | C = Consulted | I = Informed
Functional Area
Functional Area
R
A
C
I
Chapter Recruitment, Reactivation & Retention
R
C
I
Advisor Support, Onboarding & Ongoing Check-ins
R
C
I
Student Leadership Development & SLC Support
R
C
I
In-Person Program Delivery & Outreach
R
C
I
Field Training & Technical Assistance
R
C
I
Community & Coalition Partnership Engagement
R
C
I
Program Activity Tracking & Data Collection
R
C
I
Grant-Aligned Program Implementation
R
C
I
Monthly & Periodic Grant Progress Reports
R
C
I
Expense Tracking & Travel Documentation
R
I
Field Communications & Content Distribution
R
C
I
Field-Level Media & Social Media Outreach
R
C
I
National Conference & Event Participation
R
I
State/Regional Prevention Representation
R
C
I
Grant Financial Compliance (field-level support)
R
I
Organizational Strategy & Planning
C
I
Grant Writing & Budget Management
C
I
Brand Standards & Communications Strategy
C
I
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) in Public Health, Social Work, Education, Criminal Justice, Communications, Psychology, or a closely related field; comparable professional experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
- Minimum 3–5 years of demonstrated professional experience in youth programs, community-based prevention, health and safety advocacy, nonprofit program coordination, or a directly related field.
•
- Reliable personal vehicle and the ability to travel independently across a broad geographic territory without dependence on shared transportation. Due to travel requirements, public transit and/or ride share is generally not acceptable for day to day functionality within this role.
- Ability and willingness to travel independently. Flexibility in the event of travel changes, delays, and/or reroutes.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously with minimal daily supervision, managing complex schedules, competing priorities, and field responsibilities with consistent professionalism.
- Strong self-motivation and personal initiative; comfortable operating independently in the field for extended periods without a structured office environment.
- Exceptional critical thinking and high level of personal responsibility. The ability to function, prioritize and project manage with minimal reinforcement or guidance.
- Genuine passion for youth wellbeing, personal safety, and community impact; demonstrated patience, empathy, and authentic connection with young people.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with people at all levels are a must. Communication regularly includes public speaking, group facilitation, and stakeholder presentations.
- Strong organizational and time management skills; experience managing multiple projects, field schedules, and reporting requirements simultaneously.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and video conferencing tools.
- Experience with data tracking, activity reporting, and outcome documentation in grant-funded environments.
- Flexibility and willingness to work evening and weekend hours as required by program and event schedules.
• Preferred
- Experience in traffic safety, substance use prevention, mental health advocacy, or a directly related youth health and safety discipline.
- Knowledge of the SADD model, chapter-based youth organizations, or peer-to-peer prevention frameworks.
- Familiarity with state and federal grant requirements, compliance reporting, and performance-based metrics.
- Experience working with or supporting Student Leadership Councils, youth advisory boards, or campus-based youth groups.
- Bilingual proficiency based on regional needs, particularly in Spanish.
- Prior experience presenting to or training diverse audiences, including students, educators, law enforcement, and community stakeholders.
- Experience managing volunteers, interns, or peer educators.
•
Connections to regional prevention coalitions, highway safety offices, or school district networks.
•
- Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record in good standing, required for independent field travel.
Equal Opportunity Employer
SADD is committed to Equal Opportunity Employment. Employment decisions are based solely on job-related factors and are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.