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 (DOHMH) is one of the oldest health departments in the country with over 200 years of experience in promoting and protecting the health of city residents.

The New York City Health Department's Division of Disease Control is responsible for the prevention, identification, surveillance, and control of infectious diseases in NYC. The Division is composed of seven bureaus: Bureau of Division Management and Systems Coordination, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV and STIs, Bureau of Immunization, Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, Bureau of Public Health Clinics and the Public Health Laboratory.

The Bureau of Division Management and Systems Coordination (DMSC) leads administrative, surveillance, informatics, preparedness, policy, communications, community engagement, and racial equity and social justice activities for the Division and guides the strategic use of Division resources to advance innovative and effective policies and programming.

DMSC’s Surveillance Unit coordinates with disease surveillance programs within the Division of Disease Control, the Division of Information Technology, and external partners to maintain and enhance existing surveillance system applications and implements new surveillance system applications to support complete, timely, and equitable case detection and health information exchange while ensuring data confidentiality, data quality, and compliance toward regulatory standards. The Surveillance Unit seeks a Surveillance Director to provide strategic leadership to this unit, oversee a large portfolio of surveillance system applications and grant-funded projects, and foster cross-bureau collaboration.

We strongly encourage people to apply and contribute your diversity in thought, racial identity, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability status, veteran status, and/or LGBTQI+ status to enhance the work of the DOHMH and promote the health of all New Yorkers.

We welcome applicants who share the vision for a city where all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, where they are from or where they live. DOHMH extends this vision of wellness by providing every member of our team and prospective job applicants dynamic benefits: Benefits - NYC Health , and a robust Worksite Wellness program with a wide range of offerings. As a current or prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

Please review the notice to see if you may be eligible for programs and how to apply at nyc.gov/studentloans

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Duties will include, but not be limited to:

- Lead, coordinate, and execute a comprehensive public health data strategy to inform decision-making regarding scientific research efforts, disease surveillance policies and programs, epidemiologic investigations of communicable disease outbreaks and unforeseen public health threats.

- Monitor trends in infectious disease outbreaks or increased occurrences of health conditions and engage in comparative analysis of surveillance data, in collaboration with other members of the Disease Surveillance team as appropriate to ensure optimal data collection, contact tracing, and linking of notified cases to Disease Control and Agency-Wide Executive Leadership in a timely manner.

- Direct the Surveillance Unit’s day-to-day operations, which is responsible for operating, maintaining, and enhancing the technology infrastructure and workflows to bring in high quality data from health information exchanges, electronic laboratory reports, provider reports, electronic health records, and other sources for effective disease surveillance and outbreak detection in NYC.

- Oversee improvements for a portfolio of surveillance system applications including the Electronic Disease Reporting Infrastructure (EDRI), Reporting Central/Provider Reporting Interface and Secure Messenger (PRISM), Electronic Clinical Laboratory Reporting System (ECLRS), syndromic surveillance, and electronic case reporting (eCR); escalate emergent and ongoing surveillance needs to agency leadership.

- Supervise key Surveillance Unit staff: provide training and professional development; conduct biweekly check ins; complete performance evaluations; provide constructive feedback and overall support; and assist with hiring of new staff by writing position descriptions, interviewing, and onboarding.

- With DMSC leadership and Surveillance Unit staff, collaborate with Division of Disease Control bureau surveillance programs, Division of IT (DIT) staff, and external vendors through regular meetings and responsive correspondence.

- Serve as Governance Team Lead for the Health Information Systems Project within the Epidemiology and Laboratory and Capacity grant; lead grant-funded initiatives by coordinating projects, budget, and narratives, and reporting on activities, metrics, and milestones for deliverables.

- Coordinate with administrative staff to budget and purchase Surveillance Unit needs, including, but not limited to systems architecture, software, hardware, trainings, and supplies.

- Participate in division-wide and agency-wide Data Modernization Initiative efforts.

- Model collaborative cross-bureau and interdivisional partnerships.

- Provide strategic leadership including recommendations on prioritizing projects and identifying future surveillance program needs.

- Other duties as assigned including, but not limited to, assisting with strategic planning, and assisting with public health emergency responses.

**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.

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.

- Experience in disease surveillance and/or public health informatics - Demonstrated management experience and supervisory skills - Experience with project management and implementation - Experience or interest in facilitative leadership - Experience conducting data quality assurance, preparing reports, troubleshooting data issues, and providing feedback - Highly organized, able to manage multiple simultaneous projects with competing priorities - Proficiency in navigating computer systems ability to learn new data systems quickly and to comply with data integrity and security to safeguard all personal identifiable information - Ability to work well within a diverse team and foster relationships with colleagues and partners - Ability to work with multiple stakeholders with different backgrounds and levels of experience - Excellent oral and written communication skills, with experience in presenting to large groups of internal and external stakeholders

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.