AGENCY 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 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.
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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, childcare, radiation control, recreational and drinking water quality, air quality, climate health, vector control, veterinary public health and pest control. The Bureau of Childcare ensures that childcare 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 childcare programs to protect the health and safety of children while in the childcare environment, and actively works to improve and expand access to high quality programs which early childhood development and learning. The Bureau seeks to hire an Associate Investigator to respond to allegations of provider activity associated with childcare programs that are unsafe, unhealthy or unregulated. The Childcare Investigator will also search for childcare providers who are operating illegally, unregulated, and thus more likely to create an environment with health and safety risks to children.

Duties will include but not be limited to:
- Investigating allegations of illegal childcare operations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
- Conducting intense surveillance in and around commercial and residential buildings of suspected illegal operations.
- Interviewing childcare operators, staff, witnesses, families and children involved in complaints involving allegations of illegal operations.
- Collaborating with other investigative agencies such as ACS, DOI, NYPD, FDNY.
- Examining and analyzing records and files of the childcare program to ensure compliance with regulations.
- Maintaining confidential records and files for all investigations performed.
- Must be prepared to produce all required records and evidence to substantiate related legal processes.
- Conducting public education and outreach efforts conveying the importance of choosing licensed providers and reporting to the NYC Health Department programs that may be unsafe, unhealthy or operating illegally.
- Traveling throughout New York City using mass transit or a personal car and carry approximately 15 pounds of inspection equipment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION **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.

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

TO APPLY
Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/. In the Job ID search bar, enter job ID number.

We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.

The NYC Health Department is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply.

All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest; or any other basis prohibited by law.

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five 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 or 60 semester credits from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above; or
3. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above; or
4. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1", "2", or "3" above.

- Ability to work independently and as part of a team - Good observational skills - Strong analytical skills - Ability to deduce potential impacts of conditions or assess risk - Excellent writing skills including the ability to adequately describe observations in detail - Experience conducting administrative, criminal, or internal investigations or in child protective services a plus - Computer skills including the use of mobile computing devices

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

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/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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.