Job Description

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION

The Center for Health Equity & Community Wellness (CHECW) seeks to eliminate racial and other inequities resulting in premature mortality. Within an unwavering grounding in history and structural analysis, CHECW works to increase visibility of the harm perpetuated by centuries of racist, socially unjust policy while pushing towards redress for the most impacted NYC communities. CHECW addresses inequity across community and healthcare systems in partnership with community, faith-based, and health care organizations. CHECW’s work focuses on social determinants of health, including environmental and commercial determinants, and addresses both upstream and downstream factors to improve health and well-being of New Yorkers. CHECW is comprised of the Bureau of Bronx Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Brooklyn Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building, the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems and the Bureau of Finance, Administration and Services. Reporting directly to the Executive Deputy Commissioner/Chief Medical Officer, the Deputy Commissioner will provide leadership and strategic direction for a division that includes more than 500 employees and an operating budget of over $85M annually and over $70M in grant funds.

The Executive Director for Equity Strategic Planning and Programming serves as a key strategic advisor to the Chief Equity Officer (CEO)/Deputy Commissioner CHECW. As part of the senior leadership team of CHECW, the Executive Director works across the agency to increase the performance, impact, and equity-oriented culture across the Race to Justice management team, and support agency-wide equity policy planning and implementation. Race to Justice, the agency’s internal transformation reform initiative, works across the agency leadership and equity champions across staff levels to promote justice and build capacity within the agency among staff of how racism operates within our institutions and structures; developing and implementing strategies to advance racial equity and social justice across programs, policies, and practices; and collaborate with NYC’s communities to counter racist and oppressive systems within the Health Department and across the city. The Race to Justice management team works in close partnership and manages a community of division equity liaisons and equity champions. The team is centered on transforming DOHMH into an anti-racist organization that has the systems, policies, practices, and capacity to achieve measurable reductions in health inequities. Race to Justice Management Team is guided and works to advance the internal equity goals addressing pay equity, centering equity in program, policy, and practice, and building equity infrastructure by way of adding staff lines.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of Race to Justice and related equity-oriented projects across CHECW, the Health Department and that involve partnerships with other city agencies.

Serve as an informed, insightful, and confidential sounding board to test ideas, debate issues, and provide critical feedback with the Chief Equity Officer/Deputy Commissioner and other team members.

Ensure a high level of functioning and strong team culture for the Office of Chief Equity Officer/Deputy Commissioner, including leading the planning and facilitation of team meetings and retreats, fostering collaboration among the Race to Justice team; managing direct report meetings; and other office activities.

Manage the Race to Justice team to ensure the effective execution of day-to-day priorities, operations, and decisions.

Guide the implementation of agency-wide policy, and communication strategy related to Race to Justice and other equity initiatives.

Provide direct support to the Race to Justice strategic planning process, ensuring it aligns with all related planning processes (annual planning, staffing, budget).

Lead the effort to develop key performance indicators to regularly monitor and communicate progress against strategic goals.

Work collaboratively across the Health Department-and across city partners to improve alignment and increase cross-functional collaboration.

Foster internal and external relationships to ensure alignment and successful execution of projects, strategies, and initiatives.

Troubleshoot, participate in crisis management, ensure clear communication across the agency, and manage expectations of agency leadership and external partners working collaboratively on projects.

Prioritize, coordinate, and develop agendas and ensure effective follow-ups for internal and external meetings, including meetings with agency leadership, City Hall, Agency leadership; and with external partners including the State Department of Health and Health + Hospitals.

Act as an adviser to the Chief Equity Officer and leadership team and represent the CEO in agency meetings, and external meetings with community partners and other key stakeholders.
Convene and direct inter-divisional groups to address problems and pursue initiatives across the Agency.

Develop policies, protocols, and standards on programmatic and administrative matters to improve efficiency and strengthen agency capacity.

**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:

Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:
- A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.

- Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.

- Current Resume

- Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)

Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.

If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.

**LOAN FORGIVENESS

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF

"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”

NOTE: This position may be eligible for remote work up to two days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed to between the City and the Union

Qualifications

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master’s degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.