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 NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Health Department) is seeking an Assistant Commissioner to lead the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment (BADUPCT).

The Assistant Commissioner of BADUPCT will be responsible for leading a large and diverse team in the strategic development, implementation, and oversight of a comprehensive public health, racial justice, and health equity approach to reducing morbidity and mortality related to alcohol and drug use in New York City. BADUPCT develops, funds, implements, and evaluates innovative prevention and intervention programs and policies through contracting treatment, harm reduction, prevention, and support services; policy analysis and development; epidemiology, research and surveillance; creating and disseminating treatment and clinical guidelines; provision of harm reduction services; provider outreach, engagement, and education; community engagement and education; and inter/intra agency collaboration.



JOB DESCRIPTION:

The ideal candidate will able to navigate complex political dynamics and collaborate with multiple sectors and communities to achieve goals; demonstrate respect, dignity, compassion, and empathy in their management style; prioritize transparency, shared-leadership, and inclusive decision-making whenever possible; and has a record of success in advancing antiracist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and racial equity-informed initiatives with particular focus on anti-stigma work and the social inclusion of people who use drugs.


Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee activities in the areas of research and surveillance; harm reduction and overdose education and response; treatment and support; service innovation, integration, and quality improvement; policy advocacy, analysis, and development; prevention, public education, and communications; and stakeholder engagement.

- Work closely with the Bureau of Mental Hygiene Administration to manage and monitor budgetary, personnel, and administrative functions for a bureau of approximately 130 staff (direct and indirect reports) and a budget of approximately $100 million in contracted and direct services.

- Develop a strategic vision and priorities for the Bureau and its initiatives which centers on data and policy; harm reduction; people with lived experience and communities impacted by the harms of substance use; structural determinants of health and substance use; and racial equity and social justice goals, strategies, and interventions.

- Actively create a culture of inclusion and collaboration within the Bureau, Division of Mental Hygiene, and across the Health Department, including ensuring the Bureau’s vision and priorities are aligned with Divisional and Agency priorities.

- Create sustainable, anti-racist, and equity-focused processes and procedures; support ongoing implementation and growth of an anti-racist framework both internally and externally.

- Represent the Bureau/Division/Agency to Mayoral Offices and in meetings or speaking engagements with other government and non-government partners.

- Collaborate and partner with various community sectors, other Bureaus and Divisions, sibling agencies, and government and non-government partners to address needs related to alcohol and drug use.

- Critically evaluate new scientific information and ensure effective program monitoring and evaluation to create or incorporate pioneering approaches into Bureau’s work.

- Establish, maintain, and grow partnerships with provider communities as well as community member and issue advocacy groups.

- Serve as the principal advisor to the Executive Deputy Commissioner for Mental Hygiene on all bureau-related issues.


**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”

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and five (5) years of full-time paid experience in an administrative position related to public health practice, including one (1) year in a managerial capacity in a program closely related to addiction control services; or
2. High school graduation or evidence of having passed an examination for a high school equivalency diploma and ten (10) years of experience related to the duties of the position, including two (2) years in a managerial capacity; or
3. A satisfactory equivalent.

A Master’s degree in Public Health may be substituted for two (2) years of the requisite experience described in one (1) above.

- Expertise in the delivery of evidence-based approaches to reduce the health and social impact of alcohol and drug use. - Demonstrated commitment to and experience with harm reduction, racial and health equity, social justice, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and antiracist approaches and frameworks - Demonstrated success as a strategic leader capable of implementing initiatives or organizational change in complex health, behavioral health, government, community, and/or other systems of treatment, care, and support - Experience creating, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating new policies, initiatives, or programs - Ability to identify political opportunities and advocate for solution-oriented strategies to make policy/system or programmatic change within complex bureaucratic institutions - Creative problem-solver who prioritizes inclusive and multi-disciplinary collaboration - Familiar with and able to juggle competing priorities and requests on accelerated timelines - Confident decision-maker and exercises good judgement - Extensive experience in organizational planning and oversight, including budgeting and staffing - Outstanding written and oral communication skills - Exceptional interpersonal and team-building skills - Experience with scientific writing, publishing, and review - Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, and/or Licensed Psychologists. - Detail-oriented

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 https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

Except as otherwise provided herein, a person serving in a mayoral agency in any of the following civil service or office titles shall be a resident of the City on the date that he or she assumes such title or shall establish city residence within ninety days after such date and shall thereafter maintain city residency for as long as he or she serves in such title: agency heads, including but not limited to Commissioner, Director and Executive Director, First Deputy Commissioner, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, General Counsel, Borough Commissioner, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Associate Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and other senior level staff titles, identified on a list established pursuant to section 2(b) of this Order.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.