ONLY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES IN THE TITLE AND THOSE THAT ARE REACHABLE ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST CIVIL SERVICE LIST/ EXAM NO.1120 ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.

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 Division of Center for Health Equity & Community Wellness (CHECW) uses a racial and social justice approach to eliminate health inequities for those who are most marginalized in New York City and to reduce overall premature mortality from the leading causes of preventable death with the vision that every New Yorker will live in a thriving neighborhood with equitable access to resources that help support healthy individuals and communities. This division unifies and strengthens the Department's line of work directed at eliminating racial inequities for preventable health conditions, which are rooted in historical and contemporary injustices and discrimination, including racism. CHECW's aim is to eliminate racial iniquities resulting in premature mortality, with a focus on chronic disease, by addressing the social and environmental factors that impact health. The goal of this renewed approach is to increase placed-based investment in priority neighborhoods with community programming and services based on epidemiology, influence and leverage the health system to promote whole person care; and intensify the agency's approach to tackle big salt and sugar, big tobacco, the built environment and other determinants of health. The Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health (Harlem BNH) supports the agency's mission to protect and promote the health of all New Yorkers. Harlem BNH focuses on the structural and root causes of health disparity outcomes and develops programs to address these outcomes with input from partners and residents. Addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH), is a key focus point and is enshrined in programs such as the Harlem Health Advocacy Partnership and the Asthma Counselor Program. Other Bureau offerings include a variety of programs and activities focused on the health and wellness of Harlem residents. The Harlem Bureau also houses the East and Central Harlem Neighborhood Health Action Center, which is a key part of the NYC's effort to promote health equity and reduce health disparities in the neighborhood. The Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health (Harlem BNH) seeks to hire a City Research Scientist II to maintain effective relationships with key local organizations and community partnerships.

Duties will include but not be limited to:
- Lead strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of bureau partnership and engagement efforts.
- Identify community needs through various sources, including developing and conducting Bureau specific community needs assessments and coordinate, as needed, efforts with Research & Evaluation team.
- Evaluate data such as community needs assessments and surveys.
- Review literature to assess for innovative and effective community engagement strategies.
- Work with R&E team in the research and writing to publish papers on lessons on community engagement approaches.
- Facilitate community listening sessions to acquire community feedback on Bureau programs.
- Supervise staff conducting community surveys, listening sessions and assessments.
- Identify key areas for partnership development and facilitate and foster strategic partnerships for the Harlem bureau.
- Establish and maintain effective relationships with key local organizations and community partners to identify and address the health needs of underserved communities.
- Coordinate cross-bureau and cross-divisional projects involving community engagement and partnerships.
- Support Harlem bureau programs in their engagement planning.
- Project management of Community Engagement Unit projects.
- Supervision, professional development and training of the Community Engagement Unit team.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U. S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and four years of satisfactory, full-time community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating and/or administering a large community service program or activity; or
2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and eight years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above; or
3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education beyond the baccalaureate degree may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, on the basis of 30 graduate credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 2 years. However, all candidates must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational
equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above.

- Experience in various data collection methods such as interviews, questionnaires and focus groups - Experience developing, conducting and evaluating community assessments - Experience in writing and presenting information from assessments to various audiences - Experience in relationship building and management - Experience with Community Organizing - Existing knowledge of Harlem community stakeholders - Comfortable working in a community setting with diverse populations - Strong coordination and organizational skills - Detail oriented able to manage projects and work independently - Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and excellent customer-service skills - Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

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.