Public Health Program Director 1/ Nashville, TN (Hybrid), 8+ Months Contract

PHPD1: Engagement Specialist

The proposal will support establishing a coordinated, holistic approach to primary prevention to address the top public health priorities throughout the State of Tennessee. Specifically, the proposal will support one (1) contract employee to serve as the liaison, technical advisor, collaborator, and connector between Tennessee Department of Health divisions, offices or programs, and Tennessee communities. Duties include working directly with TDH central office, local health departments, health councils, and community partners to promote and support primary prevention efforts. Additional job duties include grant management and fiscal oversight for travel, supplies, and meetings to support the initiatives. The contract employee will be supervised and work within the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion section within the Division of Family Health and Wellness.

Outcomes and Job Responsibilities:

• Improve Tennessee health rankings by improving outcomes specifically related to tobacco use, physical activity, food security, healthy aging, obesity, substance misuse, maternal/child health, mental health, health equity, and social and economic factors.
• Develop, maintain, and utilize relationships to identify and coordinate evidence-based prevention activities to support improving well-being.
• Work with TDH departments and communities to make the healthy choice the easy choice through coordinated efforts related to built environment, policy, prevention, longevity, and chronic disease prevention.
• Attend required meetings, events, and trainings, including meetings or events for internal and external partners.
• Develop and deliver presentations and resources designed for diverse groups and audiences.
• Lead collective impact collaborations and projects focused on well-being strategies, including design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Develop, maintain, and utilize relationships with Tennessee Executive Branch agencies to support outcomes and impact of public health initiatives. Agencies include Agriculture, Childrens Services, Economic and Community Development, Transportation, Education, Environment and Conservation, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Workforce, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Safety, Tourism, and Veterans Services.
• Identify potential funding sources to support internal and external partners for initiatives to support primary prevention, collaboration, or projects focused on well-being.
• Identify and lead quality improvement strategies

The PHPD1 (referred to as an Engagement Specialist) will implement a holistic, strategic, approach to primary prevention to address the top public health priorities specific to chronic disease, longevity, mental health, loneliness, physical activity, tobacco, mental health, and overall well-being. Additionally, the position will work to deeply impact health inequities, address social drivers of health, and improve outcomes related to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), maternal/child health, loneliness, and food insecurities. By connecting various TDH programs, offices, and divisions and partners, this position will help address gaps and identify opportunities to collaborate for the greatest impact on health for all Tennesseans.