Medical Officer Surveillance

THERE IS ONE VACANCY BEING ADVERTISED ACROSS MULTIPLE COUNTIES. THE INCUMBENT WILL BE HEADQUARTERED IN THE COUNTY NEAREST THE RESIDENCE OF THE SELECTED CANDIDATE. THE COUNTIES ARE: * Sacramento or Contra Costa *

The PHMO III Sup oversee the WWS programs, manage grants and budgets, coordinate with the CDPH wastewater analysis laboratory, and supervise doctoral and master's level research and data scientists. The WWS team conducts advanced epidemiologic analyses, modeling, and data management, and produces summary reports, dashboards, and interpretations in support of local health departments and CDPH disease programs as well as outbreak and emergency response efforts. The PHMO III Sup collaborates closely with several multidisciplinary CDPH communicable disease and emergency preparedness teams as well as other internal and external partners, including academic researchers, local health departments, wastewater utilities, and the CDC, advancing wastewater surveillance as a public health tool and to further public health and CDPH's strategic mission.


The PHMO III Sup represents the surveillance section and provides programmatic and subject matter expert consultation across the Center for Infectious Diseases and external partners, collaborating with national, state, and local programs


This is a reposting of JC-499374 to increase candidate pool; previous applicants do not need to reapply and are still for consideration

In July 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program (PLP) 2025. This program temporarily reduces employees' monthly base pay in exchange for paid leave credits. This position is subject to PLP 2025 and will have a monthly base pay reduction of 4.62% in exchange for 8 hours of leave credits through December 2026. The salary ranges shown on this job posting do not reflect the salary reduction.

Please note candidates applying for the PHMO III (Epidemiology) classification must be in possession, or in the process of securing approval, of the legal requirements for the practice of medicine in California as determined by the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance, or the California Board of Osteopathic Examiners. Candidates must also possess valid specialty Board certification prior to appointment. Please review the minimum requirements in the CalCareers posting, for detailed information.

Please let us know how you heard about our position by taking this brief survey:

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement .

Working Conditions


Telework Information

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework permitted is at the discretion of the Department and is subject to change, consistent with CDPH's Telework Program. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.

Travel may be required for this position. Reimbursement for travel takes into consideration an employee's designated headquarters, as reflected in the duty statement, and is subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the designated headquarters office will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

The headquarters office location for this position is identified in the attached duty statement.


Minimum Requirements You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICAL OFFICER III (EPIDEMIOLOGY)

Additional Documents

• Job Application Package Checklist
• Duty Statement

Position Details Job Code #:
JC-518382


Position #(s):
580-427-7716-001

Working Title:
Medical Officer Surveillance


Classification:
PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICAL OFFICER III (EPIDEMIOLOGY) $14,425.00 - $19,790.00 B
$14,763.00 - $20,259.00 C
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.


# of Positions:
1


Work Location:
United States


Telework:
Hybrid


Job Type:
Permanent, Full Time


Department Information At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California's diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.


This position supports the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by leading CDPH's wastewater surveillance program, overseeing programmatic development, supporting infectious disease subject matter experts and prevention and control programs, leading epidemiologic data analyses, interpretation, and reporting, and developing the use and integration of wastewater surveillance for infectious disease monitoring and public health action in California.


The Public Health Medical Officer III (PHMO III) Supervisory (Sup), Chief of the Surveillance Section, leads the wastewater surveillance program at CDPH, in alignment with CDPH priorities and under the direction of the Public Health Administrator I (Branch Chief). The CDPH Wastewater Surveillance (WWS) program, a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Center of Excellence, conducts wastewater testing at sites across California for multiple infectious diseases including COVID-19, influenza, mpox, and norovirus. The WWS program also supports CDPH's response and preparedness for outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases of public health concern such as H5 bird flu and measles.


The PHMO III Sup will oversee the WWS program's priorities, manage grants and budgets, coordinate with the CDPH wastewater analysis laboratory, and supervise doctoral and master's level research and data scientists. The WWS team conducts advanced epidemiological analyses, modeling, and data management, and produces summary reports, dashboards, and interpretations in support of local health departments and CDPH disease programs as well as outbreak and emergency response efforts. The PHMO III Sup collaborates closely with several multidisciplinary CDPH communicable disease and emergency preparedness teams as well as other internal and external partners, including academic researchers, local health departments, wastewater utilities, and the CDC, advancing wastewater surveillance as a public health tool and to further public health and CDPH's strategic mission. The PHMO III Sup represents the surveillance section and provides programmatic and subject matter expert consultation across the Center for Infectious Diseases and external partners, collaborating with national, state, and local programs.

Department Information continued below:


Department Website:


Special Requirements
For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678) and/or Resume, including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week , and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY) . Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.

A completed State application (STD. 678) and any other relevant documents (e.g. unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers Account. Please reference Job Control # (518382) and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application . Please remove any confidential information (i.e. social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.


Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareers Account at Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing. Please submit only one application.

If you are unable to submit your application electronically through your CalCareers account, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance and a CDPH Human Resources Division staff member will contact you to assist with the online application process or, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method as explained in the How to Apply section below. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.


***Will also consider Temporary Authorization Utilization (TAU) appointments- Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications for the classification but do not currently have eligibility on an employment certification list by having taken and passed an examination may apply as a TAU. TAU appointments are limited to a duration of 9 months within a 12 consecutive month period. In order for a TAU appointment to become permanent, individuals must take and pass the related examination, and thereby become eligible from a certification list, within 9 months of TAU appointment. Individuals who successfully obtain eligibility prior to the expiration of the TAU appointment will not be required to re-compete in a competitive process for permanent appointment to that position.***


Application Instructions
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 6/12/2026
Who May Apply
Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s). Temporary Appointments may be considered if conditions warrant. Temporary Appointments may be made to anyone regardless of eligibility. Temporary Appointments may not exceed 9 months and will require eligibility to be obtained through an examination process in order to transition to a permanent appointment.


Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).


How To Apply
Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:


Address for Mailing Application Packages


You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:


Department of Public Health
CCAU Mailing
Attn: Classification & Certification Unit
P.O. Box 997378
MS 1700-1702
Sacramento , CA 95899-7378


Address for Drop-Off Application Packages


You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:


Department of Public Health
CCAU Drop Off
Classification & Certification Unit
1615 Capitol Avenue Suite 73.430


Sacramento , CA 95814


08:00 AM - 05:00 PM


Required Application Package Documents


The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Other -
  A Cover Letter is required and must be submitted with your application package. Applications received without a Cover Letter may be rejected.
  

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.


Desirable Qualifications In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:


License/Certification: Active California MD License, preferably in a primary care specialty, occupational medicine, preventive medicine, or infectious diseases (specific specialty types are preferred but not required).


Benefits Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.



Contact Information
The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.
Department Website:
Human Resources Contact:
Human Resources Division
View phone number on click.appcast.io
View email address on click.appcast.io
Hiring Unit Contact:
Tauryn Hodge
View phone number on click.appcast.io
View email address on click.appcast.io


Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.
EEO Contact:
EEO Office
View phone number on click.appcast.io
View email address on click.appcast.io
California Relay Service: View phone number on click.appcast.io (TTY), View phone number on click.appcast.io (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.


Department Information continued:


The incumbent works under the administrative direction of the Public Health Medical Administrator I, COVID Control Branch.

This position is required to travel up to 20%.

Department Website:

Branch Website:

"The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year."


"CDPH is an E-Verify Employer"


Equal Opportunity Employer
The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.


It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.