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

The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) coordinates and develops citywide policies and strategies to fill critical gaps in mental healthcare so every New Yorker, in every neighborhood, has the support they need. OCMH was codified into the City Charter by Executive Order 68and Local Law 155by the City Council in December of 2021, becoming the first mayoral office dedicated to addressing the mental health of New Yorkers.

- Work with the Senior Director, Mental Health Access and Crisis Response to identify, develop and implement initiatives and policies that strengthen and improves access to the mental health system
- Support the Deputy Executive Director in developing and strengthening coordination and collaboration with city agencies, community-based providers, advocates, and community leaders to improve equitable availability of mental health resources
- Support Mental Health System Initiatives team in working across City agencies to break down silos, improve integration of mental health care and lower barriers to access.
- Monitor emerging best practices and facilitate the development of innovative and practice-informed strategies and initiatives that promotes continuity, quality and accessibility of mental healthcare
- Take a holistic, evidence-informed integrated approach within traditional mental healthcare systems, and identify policy, regulatory and/or programmatic barriers, gaps and inequity in mental healthcare system, as well as devise interagency and cross-sector solutions.
- Manage agency relationships and coordinate interagency actions, including providing technical assistance, where relevant
- Supporting on-going projects and events

1. Graduation from an approved medical school, a license to practice medicine in the State of New York, completion of an approved internship, and completion of an approved residency in psychiatry; and (3) years of progressively responsible administrative or executive experience in Psychiatry, in community mental health organization or in a psychiatric institution employing the integrated services of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers; or

2. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health, social work, education, or related field; and five (5) of full-time experience in an administrative or executive capacity in responsible charge of a social, psychiatric or health agency, or a major division thereof; or

3. A satisfactory equivalent.

- Bachelor’s degree social work, mental health, public policy, public administration, public health or a related discipline graduate degree in a relevant field preferred - 5+ years of relevant professional experience required - Knowledge of the NYC mental health system and/ or services and related city and state policies - Ability to effectively partner with a wide variety of stakeholders to accomplish a particular objective - Clinical mental health background a plus - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work as part of a highly collaborative team within the organization and build positive rapport with key stakeholders. - Demonstrated experience in program planning, operations, and evaluation, and the use of management information systems, administrative datasets, procurement processes. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical information into clear and compelling presentations for an array of audiences, including senior-most staff - Excellent organizational and analytical skills, and comfort with data-driven analysis and strategic planning - Demonstrated cultural proficiency and experience working with communities of color in urban, underserved neighborhoods that bear a disproportionately high burden of illness and premature death. - Ability to work under pressure against tight deadlines - Bilingual language skills a plus - Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel required

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.