District Health Director

Join the Georgia Department of Public Health as a District Health Director and play a critical role in protecting the lives of Georgians. As a key member of our team, you will be responsible for providing leadership and direction to County Health Departments, ensuring that programs meet their goals and objectives, and evaluating the effectiveness of community engagement strategies on public health policies and programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides management and direction to County Health Departments
• Provides administrative oversight and management for the County Board of Health
• Critically evaluates local health department programs
• Ensures that programs meet their goals and objectives
• Attends Board of Health meetings and provides information, guidance, and consultation to the board and its members as appropriate
• Evaluates clinic management and performance in order to improve clinic efficiency and productivity
• Supports staff in carrying out legally mandated responsibilities in a rigorous but customer-friendly way
• Provides medical consultation and oversight to all clinical staff
• Provides management and oversight to District programs and responsibilities
• Provides direction and administrative oversight to District-based programs
• Makes appropriate program changes in response to District, Division, and Department needs
• Identifies program goals and objectives that are met or exceeded
• Ensures appropriate internal controls are in place
• Leads strategic planning and community responsiveness agenda
• Oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of the District's strategic plan
• Engages in local health planning, within current budget constraints
• Provides leadership in the broad local health care community
• Actively participates in the Department of Public Health strategic planning activities and communicates decisions made at these meetings with administrative program staff, as appropriate
• Seeks input from and develops constructive relationships with local community leaders
• Monitors health status of the District and responds to identified problems or measurable needs
• Oversees appropriate response to disease outbreaks and other health emergencies
• Works with other health providers to establish cooperative approaches to meeting health needs of the community
• Communicates with the residents of the District on health issues and health status
• Attends and participates in department and unity meetings, as scheduled
• Oversees the appropriate development and administration of budgets
• Oversees the preparation of budgets according to established formats, guidelines, and due dates
• Ensures that budgets are developed within allowed tolerances in budget categories
• Works with district financial staff to ensure conformity to budget category allowances and identify potential over-utilization of funds and underutilization to prevent any return of funds
• Works with District Financial teams and Boards of Health to address deficits caused by local/state/federal budget cuts
• Provides oversight and direction to staff responsible for managing Human Resources and Employee Relations functions
• Ensures that approved Human Resources policies and procedures are in place and observed
• Confers with District/County Leadership Team to ensure that staffing needs are evaluated and addressed within existing budget constraints
• Provides guidance and recommendations to District/County Leadership Team relating to Personnel issues, disciplinary actions, and grievances
• With budgetary constraints, maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field by reading appropriate books, journals, and other literature and attending related seminars/conferences
• Applies pertinent new knowledge to performance of other job responsibilities
• Plays a key role in Public Health advocacy and health development
• Attends internal and external educational programs and professional meetings as available for continuing professional education
• Attends and participates in department and unit meetings, as scheduled, and communicates decisions made at these meetings with administrative and program staff, as appropriate
• Participates in activities, organizations, committees, etc. that are involved in state health policy making or that provide advocacy for public health at the state or national level
• Keeps abreast of and applies current leadership and communication principles to practice
• Develops and maintains the capacity and capability of the district health office and county health department to detect, investigate, and manage emergency Public Health events
• Establishes and maintains relationships with key community partners, including hospitals and local EMA, and provides leadership in health district and external assessment, planning, and response efforts
• Assures district-wide epidemiologic capacity for surveillance and investigation
• Works with the State Office to implement approaches and solutions related to information technology, communication, and training
• Creates and maintains a high-performance environment characterized by positive leadership and a strong team orientation
• Defines goals and/or required results at the beginning of the performance period and gains acceptance of ideas by creating a shared vision
• Communicates regularly with staff on progress toward defined goals and/or required results, providing specific feedback and initiating corrective action with defined goals and/or required results are not met
• Communicates effectively with staff, colleagues, and partners
• Confers regularly with staff to review employee relations climate, specific problem areas, and actions necessary for improvement
• Evaluates employees at scheduled intervals, obtains and considers all relevant information in evaluations, and supports staff by giving praise and constructive criticism
• Recognizes contributions and celebrates accomplishments
• Motivates staff to improve quantity and quality of work performed and provides training and development opportunities as appropriate
• Oversees workforce development plan with an emphasis on core public health competencies and competencies in relation to financial management

Competencies:

• Ensures the application of ethical principles in the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of data and information
• Identifies resources to meet community health needs
• Communicates the role of public health within the overall health system
• Ensures the public health organization's cultural competence
• Evaluates the effectiveness of community engagement strategies on public health policies, programs, and resources
• Applies basic public health sciences to public health policies and programs
• Critiques strategies for determining budget priorities
• Ensures organizational practices are in concert with changes in the public health system and the larger social, political, and economic environment

Minimum Qualifications:

• Non-Physician: Must possess a master's degree in public health or related field or a higher-level degree (DrPH, PhD) in a related public health field from an accredited College or University AND two years of professional management-level experience in public health or the healthcare sector
• Physician: Must possess a medical degree from an accredited school of medicine and a valid license from the Georgia Composite Medical Board or eligible to obtain licensure in Georgia AND two years of professional experience in public health, preventive medicine, or private medicine

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master of Public Health and 3-5 years of senior-level management experience
• Knowledge of the core functions of public health
• Experience in the development, management, and/or administration of budgets, contracts, or grants
• Experience in strategic planning (ie. mission identification, goals planning, and evaluation) & health planning
• Experience in human resources/personnel management
• Knowledge in emergency preparedness and response planning

Additional Information:

• Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner and leaders encourage all employees to engage in regular wellness activities and to make lifestyle choices that promote health and well-being
• The use of wellness breaks during the workday is authorized to support this philosophy and assist employees in meeting their wellness goals
• Employment Information: All approved teleworking employees must reside within the state of Georgia and depending on the responsibilities of the position, must live within reasonable driving distance of the agency's primary worksite and be able to report to the office when required
• Current State employees are subject to State Personnel Board rules regarding salary
• DPH accepts educational credential recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the US Department of Education (DOE) will be considered
• The candidate selected for this position may be subject to pre-employment drug screening and a criminal background check
• Relocation assistance will not be provided
• As an employee of DPH, in the event of an identified emergency, you may be required, as a term and condition of employment, to assist in meeting the emergency responsibilities of the department
• If you require accommodations under the American Disability Act (ADA), email request by the closing date of this announcement to: .
• DPH is an Equal Opportunity Employer
• ADA Statement: The Georgia Department of Public Health is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, and employment for individuals with disabilities