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 New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Division of Environmental Health works to prevent and control illness and injury related to environmental and occupational health risks through outreach, education, surveillance and enforcement. With staff of 1,000, the Division covers a broad range of subject matter, including oversight of environmental investigations, lead poisoning, injury prevention, occupational health, food safety, child care, radiation control, recreational and drinking water quality, air quality, climate health, vector control, veterinary public health and pest control. The Bureau of Child Care ensures that child care services in New York City operate in compliance with the New York City Health Code and New York State Social Service regulations and are licensed or permitted as required by law. The Bureau routinely monitors child care programs to protect the health and safety of children while in the child care environment, and actively works to improve and expand access to high quality programs which support early childhood development and learning.

The Bureau seeks to hire a Clearance Administrators who will conduct comprehensive background checks for child care staff.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Review background clearance applications for completeness and accuracy, and process all required checks within designated timeframe;

Manage a caseload of background clearance requests for child care providers;

Examine, analyze and verify records, documents and other information;

Draft determination letters and conduct related outreach to providers and staff of child care programs regarding clearances;

Provide technical assistance to child care operators and staff regarding background clearances necessary to attain, renew or maintain a license to provide services;

Ensure proper storage and handling of confidential information and update databases in accordance with protocols;

Assist child care providers by liaising between City and State agencies, community groups, parents and the general public.

**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”

“This position MAY be eligible for remote work up to two days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program.”

Qualifications

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization, and three years of satisfactory full-time
experience as an investigator evaluating credit worthiness, searching for assets, verifying information concerning education, experience, and other personal qualifications bearing upon character and fitness for employment; or performing investigations involving the research, compilation and/or location of evidence or information in order to build a case or uncover activities of a criminal, corrupt, unlawful or unethical nature; or

2. An associate degree from an accredited college or university or 60 semester credits from an accredited college and two years of satisfactory full time experience as described in “1” above; or

3. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; or

4. A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to “1”, “2”, or “3” above.