Arlington County is seeking an experienced leader to serve as Public Health Assistant Division Director. This key position will lead the Population Health Protection, Preparedness and Response section of the Public Health Division and be responsible for leadership and management of three units:

• The Community Health Protection Bureau manages communicable disease surveillance and investigation and environmental health programs overseeing food establishment, hotel, and water recreational facility inspection. 
• The Emergency Preparedness Unit is responsible for having community wide plans prepared and ready to activate for outbreaks beyond the usual capacity of the Division. This unit also is responsible for training staff to work in census tracts with the most vulnerable populations to make them more resilient before a disaster happens. 
• The Public Health Physician who marries medical, population health and epidemiological expertise to help make risk assessments and recommendations for mitigation strategies.

 
The Assistant Division Director is responsible for the operational and managerial aspects of the Public Health Division and along with the Division Director/Health Director oversees a staff of approximately 40 professionals and paraprofessionals. The position works also in concert with the Assistant Division Director of Public Health Programs who oversees the Division’s public health and school clinics. To learn about Public Health services, please visit here.

The incumbent works closely with the direct reports and staff to create, monitor, and analyze program specific performance measures and to perform program reviews; assures that appropriate policies and procedures are in place and are implement consistently and updated as needed; evaluate programs to ensure compliance with appropriate regulations and budget limitations; oversees personnel management and employee relations; develops and maintains an appropriate multi-disciplinary staffing pattern to meet shifting program needs within local and state and federal health policies and guidelines; oversees the short and long range planning for programs within purview and in the division as needed; and serves as liaison with strategic community groups, community, and local, state, and regional agencies. 

 
Specific duties and services in the purview of this ADD position include:

• Provides leadership and management of population-focused public health protection, preparedness and response programs to include assessing or helping staff to assess exposure and outcome risk, and available mitigation strategies.
• Provides leadership and management of communicable disease and environmental health programs. The communicable disease program involves identification, investigation, and/or mitigation of communicable disease threats/outbreaks. The environmental health program enforces Federal, State, and local laws and regulations for environmental health issues, including food safety and water recreational facilities.
• Provides leadership and management for emergency preparedness planning, training, and exercise programs within the unit’s purview to include integration of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers.
• Develops plans to conduct emergency preparedness outreach in census tracts with the most at-risk populations based on life expectancy and/or community conditions.
• Provides supervision of medical and epidemiological assessments of exposure and risk and develops recommendations for mitigation that are population focused and consistent with smart and best practice, in consultation with the Health Director.
• Ensures that proper risk assessment is done in all programs within purview and appropriate risk communication principles are followed for communication with internal and external stakeholders re: exposure, outcome, and mitigation risk.
• Communicates operating directives to direct reports and their staff, including political and fiscal realities.
• Provides leadership, management and direction for integrating the Department’s vision, mission, and values by Division and/or Department Staff. This includes ensuring that an equity approach consistent with Destination 2027 and the County Equity resolution is embodied in staff’s everyday work and is consistent with the best available local epidemiological data.

About DHS
Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity and awareness of factors which impact the client experience including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

About Arlington County 
The Public Health Division is one of five operating divisions that are integrated in the Department of Human Services which serve a diverse community while providing smart practice health and human services for the residents of Arlington County. An urban county of 26 square miles adjacent to Washington, DC, Arlington has a population of approximately 233,000 and is among the most densely populated jurisdictions in the country. About 30% of residents are Hispanic, African-American, Asian, multi-racial. Over 70% of adults have bachelor’s degrees or higher and 38% have professional or graduate degrees.

Normal work hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some flexibility and telework available. Public health staff may be required to work weekends and/or irregular hours during public health emergencies.
 
The position reports to the Division Director/Health Director and is a member of the Public Health Division’s Leadership Team and the County’s Extended Management Team. 
 
Starting salary will depend upon the qualifications and experience of the candidate selected. This position is in the Arlington County Government's Extended Management Accountability Program (XMAP), in which Senior Executives are eligible for a negotiated salary/benefits package and are evaluated and compensated on the basis of a performance agreement linked to the County Management Plan, results achieved, and a multi-rater appraisal. XMAP is a flexible total rewards/compensation system directly linked to performance and the market. 
 

Minimum: Master’s degree in public health plus significant experience in communicable disease and emergency preparedness and response and significant mid to upper level progressively responsible management experience within a Federal, state or local public health agency or comparable organization.

Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the educational requirement.
 
Desirable: Preference may be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following:

• Three (3) years or more of experience in communicable disease and emergency preparedness and response
• Epidemiology degree and/or comparable professional experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of regulatory requirements for disease reporting and investigation
• Demonstrated knowledge of regulatory requirements for food, hotel and pool safety 
• Proficiency in use of data analysis software 
• Experience in pandemic response (e.g., H1N1 or COVID)
• Proficiency with National Incident Management System (NIMS) and ICS (Incident Command System) for emergency response, especially any or all of the following ICS courses: 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800.