Deputy Director of Health & Human Services – Public Health

Overview

The Deputy Director of Health and Human Services — Public Health (DD-PH) serves as the senior operational and strategic leader for the City’s public health systems. The DD-PH oversees essential public health services, prevention programs, and population health initiatives aimed at improving community well-being and advancing health equity. This role provides high-level leadership across five divisions:
Prevention Services;
Public Health Nursing;
Food Access & Healthy Communities;
Community Health Workers; and the Public Health Excellence (PHE) Shared Services Program.

The DD-PH strengthens the City’s public health infrastructure by assessing system gaps, leading multi-sector initiatives, developing evidence-based policies and programs, and ensuring compliant, high-quality service delivery. As a core member of the Health and Human Service (HHS) Senior Management Team, the DD-PH partners closely with the HHS Director, Deputy Director of HHS – Human Services, and citywide and regional partners to enhance operational efficiency, align workflows, and build sustainable public health capacity.

Essential Functions The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Act on behalf of the HHS Director as needed, including representing the department at internal and external meetings, managing cross-departmental initiatives, and providing on-call Department coverage. In the absence of the Director, the DD-PH may be assigned signing authority for the Department
• Lead departmental strategy, goals, and operational priorities, ensuring alignment with municipal objectives, state mandates, and emerging public health needs
• Provide senior leadership and subject-matter expertise in public health practice, workforce standards, systems improvement, and policy development, representing the City at regional and state forums
• Oversee a $1M+ public health portfolio, including operating budgets, state and federal grants, opioid settlement funds, revolving accounts, and multi-year contracts; ensure compliance, fiscal accountability, and sustainability of billable services (e.g., SNAP enrollment, PHN immunizations, Tobacco Control violations) integrated into existing data and third-party billing systems
• Lead procurement, vendor selection, and contract execution for public health programs, technology platforms, and citywide initiatives
• Oversee grant performance and sustainability planning, supporting managers and coordinators; monitor state legislation and advocacy efforts affecting reimbursable services for CHWs and PHNs, and leverage partnerships to enhance workforce development, operational efficiency, and revenue sustainability
• Direct immunization, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness operations, including planning, training, rapid response, volunteer management, and regional collaboration
• Strengthen, expand, and align prevention, chronic disease, and public health initiatives across divisions, city departments, and community partners to maximize efficiency, reduce duplication, integrate evidence-based upstream strategies, and advance equitable community health outcomes. Develop and implement policy and programming in coordination with other City departments and agencies to address key health issues and disparities
• Support and liaise with the City’s Inspectional Services Department on quality improvement efforts related to public health
• Direct needs assessments, evaluation activities, and quality improvement processes, ensuring programs are data-driven, effective, and aligned with public health goals
• Present to the Board of Health, providing program updates, policy recommendations, and data insights as needed
• Represent the City on local, regional, and state committees or coalitions, strengthening partnerships, sharing best practices, and advancing public health initiatives
• Collaborate with regional and state partners, academic institutions, and…