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 Division of Mental Hygiene is comprised of six bureaus and two offices that apply public health, racial justice, and health equity approaches to policy, programs, and provider oversight related to mental health, substance use, intellectual and developmental disabilities, children and families, and health promotion of people impacted by the criminal legal system.

- Serve as lead point of contact for the division for government affairs, policy, communications requests

- Coordinate the division’s policy agenda and collaborate with the Office of External Affairs on advancing division policy priorities

- Oversee the review of city, state and federal legislation and develop policy positions for coordination with the Office of External Affairs

- Develop and manage systems to ensure collaboration, coordination, between the Office of External Affairs and division subject matter experts and other stakeholders on communications, policy, advocacy work, and ensure quick and appropriate responses to internal and external audiences and requests from Office of External Affairs and other key stakeholders

- In coordination with the Office of External Affairs, draft and provide feedback on a variety of written products for external affairs-related activities, including testimony for hearings, comments on policy proposals, and more

- Ensure racial justice and health equity priorities are embedded in Divisional policy and communications work, including in products such as testimony, policy comment, strategic plans, and more.

- Actively participate in Division of Mental Hygiene leadership team; partner and collaborate closely with Mental Hygiene bureaus/offices as well as bureaus and divisions across the Department.

- Participate in efforts to advance racial equity internally and externally, including participating in Race to Justice the agency's racial justice and equity initiative other Division racial equity initiatives

- Work with MHy bureaus to participate in the development and implementation of the division’s communications strategy.

- Support the central Communications Bureau’s advancement of the division's communications strategies, including the coordination of subject matter expertise in support of the Health Department’s marketing, media relations, and digital media efforts.

- Coordinate division publications with the Communications Bureau.

- Perform other assigned duties as needed.

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.

- Superior written and oral communication skills. - Strong project planning and project management skills. Exceptional organizational skills and attention to details. - Knowledgeable through formal education, professional experience, or lived experience in an area of mental hygiene, such as substance use, children's and/or adult mental health, developmental disability, behavioral health care delivery and financing, behavioral health epidemiology, intellectual and developmental disability, or criminal-legal systems issues. - Experience with managing policy, advocacy, and communications work. - Experience with, and dedication to, racial justice and health equity initiatives, in either personal or professional settings. - Creative problem-solving in a fast-paced environment, and ability to coordinate and move multiple projects to completion and meet accelerated or time-sensitive deadlines, juggle multiple projects, and fulfill ad hoc requests simultaneously. - Experience in public health, notably in conducting literature reviews, reading and interpreting research and data, and conducting both policy and stakeholder analyses. - Experience collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. - Ability to work independently and as part of a team with a high degree of flexibility and initiative - Superior decision-making skills, including demonstrable critical thinking and judgement and excellent interpersonal skills. - Experience with managing media campaigns along with an understanding of website and social media management. - Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, particularly PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. **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” “This position MAY be eligible for remote work up to two days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program.”

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.