Chief Public Health Officer

• 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 provide
    accessible, respectful, culturally responsive, and health-literate services.
• Supervisory
  • Directly supervise assigned directors, coordinators, managers, and other personnel
    in 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 supervised
    through direct-report managers and supervisors.
  • As directed, provide functional leadership to cross-organizational workgroups
    without directly supervising every participating employee.
• East Central and Good Neighbor Collaboration
  • Identify and lead opportunities to align East Central public health programs with
    Good Neighbor services when coordination improves community health, access,
    outcomes, or organizational effectiveness.
  • Work with East Central / Good Neighbor leadership to develop coordinated
    strategies, referral pathways, outreach, education, and follow-up processes for
    shared community health priorities.
  • Ensure collaborative activities maintain appropriate governance, funding,
    compliance, and operational distinctions between East Central and Good
    Neighbor.
• Financial and Grant Stewardship
  • Develop and oversee departmental operating and grant budgets in collaboration
    with the CEO, finance leadership, and program leaders.
  • Monitor financial performance, grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, and
    funding requirements, and ensure timely corrective action when material variances
    or risks are identified.
  • Lead the evaluation and oversight of funding opportunities to ensure alignment
    with community needs, organizational priorities, operational capacity, and longterm
    sustainability.
• Performance, Quality, and Accreditation
  • Lead East Central’s Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation and
    reaccreditation efforts and maintain organizational readiness for applicable
    standards.
  • Establish meaningful departmental goals, scorecards, and performance measures
    that assess program outcomes, financial performance, preparedness, workforce
    stability, partnerships, and community impact.
  • Use performance data to identify risks, inequities, operational barriers, and
    opportunities for improvement, and report material findings to the CEO, boards,
    funders, and other stakeholders.
  • Ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate, accessible, and health-literate
    services, including completion of the biannual CLAS report.
• Workforce Leadership
  • Recruit, supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop assigned leaders and employees in
    partnership 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, corrective
    actions, and grant deliverables are completed and documented.
  • Integrate relevant safety, infection prevention, facility readiness, supply
    preparedness, and environment-of-care findings into emergency planning and
    improvement efforts.
  • Community, County, and Government Relations
  • Maintain productive relationships with county boards, elected officials, state
    agencies, healthcare organizations, schools, businesses, nonprofits, coalitions, and
    other community partners.
  • Prepare and present county-specific reports at least twice annually, or more
    frequently 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 district
    priorities.
• 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, control
    weaknesses, 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 designated
    by the CEO.
  • Coordinate public information, risk communication, health education, and joint
    messaging with the CEO, communications personnel, and Good Neighbor
    leadership when appropriate.
  • Ensure public communications are accurate, timely, understandable, culturally
    responsive, and consistent with organizational policy.
• Other Responsibilities
  • Attend board, community, department, state, training, and professional
    development meetings as required.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned.

• 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.

• 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.

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