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 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, food safety, lead poisoning injury prevention, occupational health, child care, radiation control, recreational and drinking water quality, air quality, climate and health, vector control, veterinary public health and pest control. 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. The Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy (BESP) in the Division of Environmental Health at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) works to inform and improve its mission to ground Health Department programs and policy in science and law to support a healthy and equitable natural, built, and occupational environment for all New Yorkers.

The Bureau of Env. Surveillance & Policy is looking for a Food Safety Research Scientist who will conduct critical analytic work in the Division of Environmental Health to support the Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation BFSCS, provide critical support for public health emergency response and urgent requests from the press, the Mayor's office and other stakeholders and will take a lead role in food safety inspectional program support as NYC continues to lift restrictions on restaurants, mobile food vendors, and other food service establishments during recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The analyst also will support improvements to inspectional databases and update reporting systems and conduct rapid reporting for DOHMH and other City Agency leadership while continuing to support the launch of the MFV grading program which is currently resuming.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Lead and perform analyses and research using data from environmental health programs, focusing on mobile food vending and restaurant food safety inspectional data.

Work with food safety program leadership to develop reports and data sharing systems (i.e., dashboards) to monitor program performance and communicate analytic findings to stakeholders.

Work with program partners to understand their data needs and translate them into analytic products.

Analyze inspectional data to identify businesses whose sanitary performance suggests a need for enhanced oversight or legal referrals.

Develop and contribute to written reports, presentations, and online content on related topics.

Lead and perform research and analysis to support emergency preparedness and response activities, including interim inspectional programs developed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Contribute to analysis of data to support other environmental health surveillance and epidemiology research projects, including those focused on foodborne illness risk, occupational health, animal care and control, and pest control services.

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.

- Extensive experience in analyzing and interpreting large, relational datasets. - Experience with SQL and relational databases. - Experience with statistical software such as SAS or R. - Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access). - Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies and skills. - Knowledge and experience in use of database software, such as Microsoft Access or SQL Server. - Experience with public health surveillance or operational program support. - Knowledge of environmental epidemiology. - Experience or interest in learning to design data dashboards using software such as Tableau. - Good written and oral communication skills.

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.