The Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) serves as the senior executive responsible for thestrategy, performance, compliance, financial stewardship, and development of East CentralDistrict Health Department’s public health programs and services. Reporting to the ChiefExecutive Officer and serving as a member of the executive leadership team, the CPHO translatescommunity health needs, statutory responsibilities, grant requirements, and organizationalpriorities into measurable public health action.The CPHO leads East Central’s public health workforce, oversees departmental and grantperformance, advances Public Health Accreditation Board standards, supports emergencypreparedness and response, and maintains strong relationships with counties, state agencies,funders, healthcare providers, and community partners.The CPHO also collaborates with Good Neighbor Community Health Center, East Central’s co-applicanthealth center partner, to coordinate public health and clinical strategies where theorganizations’ missions intersect, while maintaining appropriate governance, financial, grant,regulatory, and operational distinctions between the entities.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:- Executive Leadership and Strategy
- Serve as a member of the executive leadership team and participate in organizational strategy, budgeting, workforce planning, risk management, resource allocation, and operational decision-making.
- Translate East Central’s strategic plan, Community Health Improvement Plans, statutory responsibilities, and grant commitments into measurable departmental priorities and accountable work plans.
- Advise the CEO and governing boards on public health trends, community risks, program performance, funding changes, and strategic opportunities.
- Public Health Programs and Statutory Responsibilities
- Provide executive oversight of East Central’s public health programs and ensure compliance with applicable statutory duties, grant conditions, contracts, reporting requirements, and program standards.
- Evaluate and guide the development, implementation, improvement, expansion,transition, or closure of programs based on community need, performance,funding, and organizational capacity.
- Ensure public health programs operate as a coordinated system and provideaccessible, respectful, culturally responsive, and health-literate services.
- Supervisory
- Directly supervise assigned directors, coordinators, managers, and other personnelin accordance with the approved organizational chart.
- Provide leadership and accountability for the successful performance of all Public Health Division programs and staff, including teams and functions supervisedthrough direct-report managers and supervisors.
- As directed, provide functional leadership to cross-organizational workgroupswithout directly supervising every participating employee.
- East Central and Good Neighbor Collaboration
- Identify and lead opportunities to align East Central public health programs withGood Neighbor services when coordination improves community health, access,outcomes, or organizational effectiveness.
- Work with East Central / Good Neighbor leadership to develop coordinatedstrategies, referral pathways, outreach, education, and follow-up processes forshared community health priorities.
- Ensure collaborative activities maintain appropriate governance, funding,compliance, and operational distinctions between East Central and GoodNeighbor.
- Financial and Grant Stewardship
- Develop and oversee departmental operating and grant budgets in collaborationwith the CEO, finance leadership, and program leaders.
- Monitor financial performance, grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, andfunding requirements, and ensure timely corrective action when material variancesor risks are identified.
- Lead the evaluation and oversight of funding opportunities to ensure alignmentwith community needs, organizational priorities, operational capacity, and longtermsustainability.
- Performance, Quality, and Accreditation
- Lead East Central’s Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation andreaccreditation efforts and maintain organizational readiness for applicablestandards.
- Establish meaningful departmental goals, scorecards, and performance measuresthat assess program outcomes, financial performance, preparedness, workforcestability, partnerships, and community impact.
- Use performance data to identify risks, inequities, operational barriers, andopportunities for improvement, and report material findings to the CEO, boards,funders, and other stakeholders.
- Ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate, accessible, and health-literateservices, including completion of the biannual CLAS report.
- Workforce Leadership
- Recruit, supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop assigned leaders and employees inpartnership with Human Resources and consistent with organizational policy.
- Build an accountable public health leadership structure with clear roles, decision making authority, communication expectations, and performance standards.
- Align staffing structures and workforce capacity with program needs, funding,workload, statutory responsibilities, and community demand.
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Provide executive oversight of public health emergency preparedness, response,recovery, and continuity-of-operations activities.
- Ensure emergency preparedness requirements, exercises, training, correctiveactions, and grant deliverables are completed and documented.
- Integrate relevant safety, infection prevention, facility readiness, supplypreparedness, and environment-of-care findings into emergency planning andimprovement efforts.
- Community, County, and Government Relations
- Maintain productive relationships with county boards, elected officials, stateagencies, healthcare organizations, schools, businesses, nonprofits, coalitions, andother community partners.
- Prepare and present county-specific reports at least twice annually, or morefrequently as requested, addressing community needs, public health activities,outcomes, financial stewardship, resource needs, and emerging risks.
- Lead or participate in community health assessments, improvement planning,MAPP or successor processes, and other collaborative efforts that advance districtpriorities.
- Compliance, Risk, and Organizational Accountability
- Ensure programs under the CPHO’s authority comply with applicable laws,regulations, grant conditions, accreditation standards, contracts, policies,professional requirements, and internal controls.
- Identify, report, and respond to significant compliance concerns, controlweaknesses, safety issues, and other material risks.
- Lead corrective actions within the public health division and support audits,monitoring visits, accreditation reviews, and investigations.
- Communications and Public Representation
- Serve as an authorized public health subject-matter spokesperson when designatedby the CEO.
- Coordinate public information, risk communication, health education, and jointmessaging with the CEO, communications personnel, and Good Neighborleadership when appropriate.
- Ensure public communications are accurate, timely, understandable, culturallyresponsive, and consistent with organizational policy.
- Other Responsibilities
- Attend board, community, department, state, training, and professionaldevelopment meetings as required.
- Perform all other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION:Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health or related field required.Master’s Degree in Public Health or related field preferred.
REQUIRED SKILLS:- Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in public health, healthcare, government, nonprofit, or community-based programming.
- Three or more years of formal leadership responsibility involving personnel, budgets, grants, or complex programs.
- Executive judgment and the ability to make sound decisions involving competing priorities, incomplete information, public accountability, and organizational risk.
- Commitment to the philosophy and mission of ECDHD
- Ability to lead through influence, build trust, resolve conflict, and maintain accountability across departments and organizations.
- Ability to organize complex work, meet deadlines, maintain documentation, and follow through on commitments.
- Demonstrated experience with grant administration, performance management, community partnerships, regulatory compliance, and financial oversight.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret data and translate findings into operational decisions and measurable action.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
- Ability to work well with individuals of diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
- Valid driver’s license and ability to meet organizational requirements for operating a personal or organization-owned vehicle.
PREFERRED SKILLS:- Experience in a local, district, or state health department.
- Experience with PHAB accreditation, emergency preparedness, governmental relations, community health assessments, and federally or state-funded programs.
- Experience coordinating public health and healthcare delivery systems.
- Bilingual English and Spanish capability.
- Thorough knowledge of the 10 Essential Services of Public Health.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:This position primarily performs administrative and leadership work in an office, community, andpublic-health setting. The employee must be able to communicate effectively, use standard officetechnology, review written and electronic information, travel within the service area, and participatein meetings and emergency-response activities. The position may occasionally require movingmaterials or supplies weighing up to 35 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made toenable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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