Agency Preparedness and Response Special Projects Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Company Overview:

With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team. 

With grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NYC Health Department is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health. Investments and improvements through this initiative will help modernize DOHMH’s foundational capabilities and data infrastructure, enabling it to partner in complex health and health care environments and, in turn, support better public health outcomes, including COVID-19. This initiative supports larger efforts to rebalance investments in public health and more equitably serve communities and populations.

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant but will be supervised by the NYC Health Department. This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

Program Overview: 

The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR) promotes DOHMH’s and NYC’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies through the coordination of agency-wide emergency preparedness planning, training, exercises, and evaluation and through regular engagement with community, healthcare, and city, state and federal partners. OEPR envisions a healthy, resilient city in which all New Yorkers are able to achieve and maintain optimal and equitable health outcomes before, during, and after emergencies. OEPR’s work recognizes the social inequities that can negatively impact our efforts to maintain and improve the health of New Yorkers during and after a disaster. OEPR works to improve its application of a social justice and racial equity lens to its emergency preparedness and response work to ensure the most equitable post-disaster public health outcomes possible.

The Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response (BAPR) oversees the development of emergency planning tools, training, exercises, and evaluation across the agency, and maintaining citywide situational awareness.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner of Agency Preparedness and Response, the Special Projects Manager is primarily responsible for supporting implementation of the full preparedness cycle to promote agency readiness to respond to emergencies. This includes special projects and initiatives to connect emergency planning, training, exercise, and evaluation efforts that enable effective and efficient emergency response. This position is critical to bridge functions that are owned by multiple Bureau units, facilitate cross-Unit coordination, and foster alignment of Bureau efforts to advance agencywide preparedness initiatives.

Specifically the Agency Preparedness and Response   Special Projects Manager   will:

• Manage or support special projects and strategic initiatives and related processes for the Bureau.
• Summarize information for various purposes including contributing to Bureau documents, presentations, and meetings.
• Provide recommendations on strategic approaches to ensure progress on Bureau projects and identify next steps or alternate solutions to project issues as needed.
• Support identification and implementation of strategic solutions for issues related to current Bureau program management and advance shared accountability from project owners with standardized frameworks, methods and systems to enhance project and information management.
• Collect and provide the Assistant Commissioner with regular updates on projects or requests by gathering information from Directors and project managers, prompting them for any necessary actions and documentation progress.
• Support Bureau-wide events such all staff, Directors, and other key project meetings, including preparation, documentation, and follow-ups, as requested.
• Respond to public health emergencies when called upon.

Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree from an accredited college in emergency management, public health, disaster management, emergency preparedness/administration, public administration, or related field and one (1) year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following area(s): emergency preparedness planning/management, emergency medical services, fire or public safety, law enforcement, homeland security, public health, mental health, environmental/occupational health and safety or a related specialized area; or
2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two (2) years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one of the areas described above; or
3. A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience. However, all candidates must have a minimum of one (1) year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one of the areas described above.  

Additional Desired Qualities: 

• Exceptional judgement, solutions oriented, and ability to both take direction and make decisions independently. 
• Exceptional communication skills (both written and verbal) with the ability to work with individuals at various levels, including leadership.
• Experience working independently and in teams.
• Strong project management and coordination skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to efficiently manage multiple tasks and respond to changing priorities.
• Experience with stakeholder engagement and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in synthesizing information and presenting summary and recommendations succinctly.
• A minimum of 3 years work experience in public health and/or healthcare emergency preparedness and response, or related experience.
• Familiarity with and ability to comfortably navigate Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Teams.

Benefits: 

• Hybrid Work Schedule. 
• Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays. 
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision. 
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Commuter Benefits. 
• Company Paid Life Insurance and Disability Coverage. 
• 403 (b) + employer matching and discretionary company contributions. 
• College Savings Plan. 
• Ongoing training and continuous opportunities for professional growth and development.

Additional Information 

• This is a temporary grant-funded position ending in November 2027.
• This individual must reside in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) by their confirmed start date. 
• Preference may be given to individuals residing in New York City (5 boroughs) or surrounding New York State counties. 
• This individual will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies.

At PHS, we place immense value on diversity within our teams, understanding that varied backgrounds and experiences significantly enhance our community and propel us toward our goals. If you find you don’t have experience in all the areas listed above, we still encourage you to apply and share your background and experiences in your application. We are eager to discover how your unique perspective can bring positive transformations to our team and help advance our mission of creating healthier, more equitable communities.

We look forward to learning more about you!

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and veterans.   

Monday-Friday
35 Hours Per Week