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 Chief Medical Officer (CMO) oversees the Agency's work at the intersection of public health and health care. The CMO also works directly with the Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness (CHECW) CHECW aims to eliminate racial inequities resulting in premature mortality, with a focus on chronic disease, by addressing the social and environmental factors that impact health. CHECW works to increase place-based investments in priority neighborhoods with community programming and services based on epidemiology, influence and leverage the health system to promote whole-person care; intensify the agency's approach to tackling big salt, sugar, and tobacco; and finding innovative ways to improve the built environment and address other social determinants of health. CHECW is comprised of the Bureau of Brooklyn Neighborhood Health the Bureau of Bronx Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building, the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems and the Bureau of Finance, Administration, and Services. The Office of the Deputy Commissioner seeks to hire a Director of Communication to promote CHECW's health equity agenda through creative and effective communications strategy an driving the division's communications plans.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Advice the CMO, Chief Equity Officer, and CHECW's bureaus on internal and external communications matter.
Analyze data on community partners, media, and key influencers and use analysis to help facilitate a public relations strategy that will allow CMO and CHECW leadership to cultivate and enhance meaningful division wide and external partner relations.
Assist in identifying quantitative and qualitative metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of communications strategies.
Research and write public-facing materials about the division's public health initiatives, including speeches, op-eds, presentations and public statements. Audiences include the public, medical professionals, and other public health stakeholders.
Apply an equity lens to division communications materials and provide support to staff in embedding equity in both internal and external facing communication strategies and guidelines for the division.
Develop high-level messaging to promote the division's overall strategic plans, goals, and values.
Develop and implement an integrated communications and external affairs plan that advances CHECW's priorities in partnership with team members.
Act as a subject matter expert to support communications and engagement relating to the CHECW's community investment activities and programs.
In collaboration with the Office of External Affairs, develop, and oversee implementation of the divisions communications calendar to ensure key messages are communicated in a timely manner.
Collaborate with bureau subject matter experts, bureau communication liaisons, and Agency communications staff in support of clear workflows and timely actions.
Prepare the CMO for public events, and advise on crisis communications, media relations, print/online collateral development and other communications activities.
Develop and implement systems to organize division communications projects and materials across bureaus.
Review and edit materials to ensure they are well-written, in plain language, concise, and consistent with agency style and language access guidelines.
Monitor media activities related to the agency's key public health areas and collaborate with the Press Office on crafting timely responses to press inquiries.
Provide oversight to social media and web-related media promoting activities and messages related to health equity, CMO, and CHECW priorities.

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Five years' experience in health communications, specifically around health equity, including but not limited to areas such as managing communication programs, media relations and/or marketing program for a large organization. Experience communicating complex technical and data information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Self-starter who can work independently and in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines. Expertise in developing and delivering innovative communications strategies including compelling campaigns and narratives that deliver tangible outcomes. Experience working in public health and/or health care. A demonstrable commitment to pursuing equity. An informed perspective on applying racial equity lens in decision making and planning. Innovative thinker, excellent and persuasive communicator with a track record for translating and executing strategic thinking into action plans. Superior written and verbal communications skills demonstrated editing/proofreading experience, and mastery of grammar, punctuation, style, and format. Outstanding project management skills. Ability to make technical/medical information easy for journalist and the public to understand. Ability to handle multiple deadline assignments in a quickly changing environment. An understanding of public health issues. Proficiency in languages other than English (especially Spanish) is a plus. **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” NOTE: This position may be eligible for remote work up to two days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed to between the City and DC37.

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.