Director of Nursing: Public Health Programs (Public Health Nursing Director I)

Job Description

Director of Nursing: Public Health Programs

Public Health Nursing Director I

Granville Vance Public Health

Location: Oxford, North Carolina, with regular travel throughout Granville and Vance counties

Salary Grade: 77

Salary Range: $80,139–$128,116

Lead the Future of Public Health Nursing

Granville Vance Public Health is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking nursing leader to serve as Director of Nursing: Public Health Programs.

This senior leadership position will direct the public health nursing programs that protect and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities across Granville and Vance counties. The Director will lead a broad portfolio of population-based and clinical public health services, including communicable disease and tuberculosis control, STI/HIV services, family planning and reproductive health, immunizations, maternal and child health, care management, school health, home visiting, laboratory operations, emergency preparedness, and other assigned programs.

This opportunity is well suited for a public health nurse leader who understands that effective public health work extends beyond the clinic. The successful candidate will combine clinical knowledge with program leadership, staff development, regulatory oversight, quality improvement, data-informed decision-making, and meaningful community partnership. GVPH is a rural academic health department and manages public health and clinic-focused grants regularly. The Director of Nursing will be expected to lead grant-funded work and be responsible for grants management.

About Granville Vance Public Health

Granville Vance Public Health is dedicated to promoting health, preventing disease, and improving quality of life throughout the communities it serves. The organization works collaboratively with local, state, and community partners to address public health priorities and support healthier outcomes for residents across the region.

Granville Vance Public Health is a District Health Department with offices in Oxford and Henderson, NC. More online at

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Health Director, the Director of Nursing: Public Health Programs has primary responsibility for the administrative, supervisory, clinical operational, regulatory, and technical components of Granville Vance Public Health’s public health programs.

The Director will plan, organize, direct, evaluate, and continuously improve services delivered through public health clinics, schools, community settings, home-visiting programs, and population-health initiatives. This leader will monitor public health trends and community needs, evaluate program performance, guide nursing practice, supervise staff, oversee budgets and grants, and ensure services meet applicable state, federal, professional, and funding requirements.

This is primarily an administrative, supervisory, and program-leadership position. It requires an accomplished nurse who understands clinical practice and can provide credible operational nursing leadership while creating the structure, accountability, and support frontline nurses and public health teams need to succeed.

Public Health Program Portfolio

The Director will provide leadership for public health programs that include:

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• Communicable disease surveillance, investigation, and control
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• Tuberculosis prevention and control
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• Sexually transmitted infection and HIV services
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• Family planning and reproductive health
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• Immunization programs, including Vaccines for Children
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• Maternal health
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• Child health and Health Check
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• School health nursing
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• Home visiting and community outreach nursing
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• Clinical support to WIC
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• Public health laboratory services
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• Emergency preparedness and response
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• Other assigned clinical and population-health programs
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What You’ll Do

Provide Strategic and Operational Leadership

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• Plan, organize, direct, and continuously improve clinical and population-based public health programs.
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• Establish program goals and update standards, procedures, services, and staffing approaches in response to changing regulations, community needs, and North Carolina Division of Public Health guidance.
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• Provide operational nursing leadership for family planning, STI/HIV, tuberculosis, immunization, maternal and child health, and other assigned programs.
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• Evaluate workloads, community needs, program requirements, and available resources to establish priorities and guide staff assignments.
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• Participate as a member of the agency’s leadership and management team.
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• Advise the Health Director on public health nursing operations, emerging risks, program needs, and opportunities to improve community health.
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Lead and Develop Public Health Teams

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• Supervise Public Health Nursing Supervisors and other assigned professional and program staff.
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• Establish clear performance expectations and provide coaching, guidance, professional development, and appropriate accountability.
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• Participate in employee selection, work assignments, performance evaluation, promotion, salary recommendations, and corrective or disciplinary matters, subject to Health Director review.
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• Ensure staff receive the orientation, continuing education, clinical competency development, and public health nursing training required for their responsibilities.
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• Coordinate with nursing schools to support appropriate field and clinical experiences for nursing students.
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• Promote a work environment grounded in human-centered communication, transparency, respect, professional growth, and service to the community.
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Direct Public Health Nursing Practice and Quality

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• Develop, implement, maintain, and monitor policies, standing orders, protocols, competencies, procedures, and clinical workflows for assigned public health programs.
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• Ensure nursing practice is consistent with the North Carolina Nurse Practice Act, North Carolina Board of Nursing rules, North Carolina Division of Public Health requirements, Agreement Addenda, and agency nursing standards.
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• Monitor licensure, competency, and scope-of-practice compliance for assigned nursing staff.
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• Partner with the Medical Director on matters involving medical authority, standing orders, diagnosis, treatment, and prescribing.
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• Support agency-wide quality improvement and North Carolina local health department accreditation activities.
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• Maintain documentation demonstrating compliance with applicable accreditation, clinical, and program requirements.
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Oversee Specialized Program Operations

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• Direct operational and programmatic requirements associated with communicable disease, tuberculosis, STI/HIV, family planning, immunization, maternal and child health, and other public health services.
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• Oversee public health laboratory operations, including quality, staff competency, specimen management, testing workflows, documentation, and applicable regulatory requirements.
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• Provide oversight of the Vaccines for Children program and other immunization activities, including storage and handling, vaccine accountability, documentation, clinical workflows, and compliance.
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• Provide operational oversight of applicable 340B activities associated with public health programs, including STD, TB, and family planning services.
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• Collaborate with medical, compliance, fiscal, pharmacy, laboratory, and administrative leaders when responsibilities intersect.
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Use Data to Improve Population Health

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• Analyze staff-output data, program results, clinical outcomes, and population-health information.
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• Compare agency performance with North Carolina data and information from similar populations.
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• Use findings from the Community Health Assessment, staff, residents, and community partners to identify patterns affecting community health.
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• Translate qualitative and quantitative findings into program recommendations and operational improvements.
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• Present findings to agency leadership, the Board of Health, elected officials, community organizations, North Carolina DHHS, and other partners as appropriate.
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Manage Budgets, Grants, and Program Resources

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• Evaluate program needs, service-expansion opportunities, and resource requirements.
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• Prepare and monitor public health program budgets.
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• Develop funding proposals and contribute public health nursing expertise to grant applications.
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• Review grant proposals prepared within the service line before submission to executive leadership.
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• Ensure program expenditures and grant activities align with applicable funding and compliance requirements.
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• Help ensure new projects are consistent with Granville Vance Public Health’s mission, priorities, staffing capacity, and available resources.
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Build Community and Government Partnerships

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• Represent Granville Vance Public Health in community-level health planning for Granville and Vance counties.
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• Build partnerships with healthcare organizations, school systems, faith communities, housing organizations, law enforcement, local governments, and other community groups.
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• Communicate public health priorities and program information to community partners, the Board of Health, elected officials, and residents.
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• Support collaborative initiatives that improve access, strengthen prevention efforts, and address the factors affecting community health.
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Lead Emergency Preparedness and Response

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• Lead nursing planning for outbreak response, mass vaccination, points of dispensing, communicable-disease surges, and other public health emergencies.
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• Direct or support clinical and field response during public health emergencies.
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• Coordinate emergency-response activities with agency leadership, medical leadership, staff, and community partners.
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• Ensure nurses and program staff are prepared to respond effectively to emerging public health needs.
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Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be an experienced public health nursing leader who can balance community mission, clinical quality, regulatory accountability, staff support, and operational demands.

Strong candidates should demonstrate:

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• Thorough knowledge of public health program administration and local public health operations.
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• Strong knowledge of public health nursing practice and nursing supervision.
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• Experience leading population-based and clinical public health services.
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• Knowledge of communicable disease control, immunization practice, maternal and child health, and public health clinical operations.
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• The ability to lead supervisors, nurses, clinical-support personnel, and multidisciplinary program teams.
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• Experience developing nursing policies, competencies, workflows, protocols, and quality standards.
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• The ability to analyze population health and program data and translate findings into meaningful improvements.
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• Strong communication skills with employees, providers, community groups, agency leadership, elected officials, and governing bodies.
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• Sound judgment, accountability, adaptability, and the ability to lead through regulatory, organizational, and community change.
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• A contemporary approach to workforce development, organizational culture, quality improvement, and patient-centered care.
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• A leadership style grounded in empathy, transparency, respect, collaboration, and clear expectations.
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Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must meet one of the following combinations of education and experience:

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• Master’s degree in Nursing and three years of public health nursing experience, including two years in a supervisory capacity; or
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• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, including a public health nursing rotation, and four years of public health nursing experience, including two years in a supervisory capacity; or
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• Master of Public Health and graduation from a school of professional nursing, plus three years of public health nursing experience, including two years in a supervisory capacity; or
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• Graduation from a school of professional nursing and five years of professional nursing experience, four of which must have been in public health, including two years in a supervisory capacity; or
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• An equivalent combination of directly related education, training, and experience.
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Required Licenses and Certifications

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• Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in North Carolina
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• Current Basic Life Support/CPR certification
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• Valid driver’s license
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• Continuing nursing education consistent with North Carolina licensure requirements
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• Completion of applicable North Carolina DHHS public health nursing orientation and refresher requirements
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Preferred: North Carolina Certified Public Health Nurse designation.

Work Location and Schedule

This full-time position is based in Oxford, North Carolina, and serves Granville and Vance counties. Regular office time and travel to the Henderson location, clinics, schools, community programs, meetings, and partner locations are required.

The usual working hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Board of Health meetings, state and local agency meetings, school-health schedules, community events, clinical operations, outbreak investigations, staff needs, and emergency response may occasionally require evening or weekend availability.

Flexibility is encouraged. A regular schedule of work-from-home days may be arranged whe