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 Office of the Commissioner oversees the Health Department's strategic public health planning efforts, initiatives, policies and program development in support of protecting and promoting the health and safety of New Yorkers. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Senior Science and Policy Advisor will work closely with the Commissioner, colleagues in the Commissioner's Office, and other leaders across the agency to advance an ambitious public health agenda through scholarship and other forms of thought leadership. The Senior Science and Policy Advisor will gather, analyze, and summarize key scientific and public health literature, and solicit expert internal and external advice on a variety of public health topics, in order to inform policy development activity.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Review policy, programmatic and scientific public health topics as needed; in conjunction with other agency leaders, make recommendations concerning current and future program and policy planning to the Commissioner.

Monitor public health policy trends, opportunities and innovative public health initiatives, research best practices, and conduct analyses at the city, state and federal level to support the generation of new policy, regulatory, and legislative initiatives.

Review policy, programmatic and scientific issues as needed and make recommendations concerning current and future program and policy planning to the Commissioner and other key Department leaders.

Review scientific literature, manuscripts and clinical studies as requested by the Commissioner and other key leaders to assess evidence, validity and reliability in order to provide assessments as to whether materials are consistent with agency goals.

Oversee the agency's scientific publication review and clearance system for conference abstracts and manuscripts submitted by agency staff, ensuring their quality and alignment with broader Department strategies and goals.

Work with the Division of Epidemiology and the Office of External Affairs to review and prepare final versions of public facing reports, briefs, and other documents for the Commissioner.
Draft commentary/review letters and articles for publication in peer-reviewed literature.

Participate in compilation and statistical analysis of Agency data as needed.

Collaborate with Agency leaders to develop, review, and evaluate public health policies; and work with partners to design and implement complex public health projects; and

Participate in special projects and workgroups as assigned.

**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.”

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.

Master of Public Health (MPH) required unless a candidate has an MD and relevant clinical experience. Greater consideration will be given to candidates with both an MPH and a doctorate degree from an accredited college or university Demonstrated experience in multiple public health policy and clinical areas, including chronic disease prevention, maternal, child and family health, mental health, and/or health systems management Demonstrated experience researching, writing and reviewing scientific literature, manuscripts, clinical data and other materials Excellent communication, research, writing and editing skills Experience with and interest in providing constructive feedback on policy papers, manuscripts and other communications Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships across programs and with outside agencies Experience working in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders and partners, including government agencies at all levels. Experience in producing policy or educational documents for public and/or technical audiences. Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships across programs and with outside agencies Commitment to anti-racism, social justice and equity Exceptional prioritization and time management skills with demonstrated ability to manage a diverse and demanding workload in a fast-paced environment Embrace ambiguity and has a willingness to roll up their sleeves High degree of self-awareness, humility, and diplomacy A self-starter, comfortable working independently as well as in teams Experience working with executives and C-suite leaders and Attention to detail and excellent and organizational 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.