Deputy Commissioner, Division of Family and Child HealthOffice of the Deputy Commissioner

About Us: The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of all New Yorkers. With a commitment to public health excellence we strive to create a healthier and more equitable city. Our team is composed of passionate professionals who work collaboratively to address the diverse health needs of all New Yorkers.

Job Summary: Reporting to the Commissioner of Health the Deputy Commissioner is responsible for directing and managing the Division of Family and Child Health (DFCH) of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. DFCH is charged with the creation and oversight of programs policies services and environments that support physical and socio-emotional health and promote primary and reproductive health services health equity social and racial justice safety and well-being for New York City families and children. The vision of the DFCH is that every child woman and family recognize their power and is given the opportunity to reach their full health and development potential.

The Deputy Commissioner will provide leadership and direction for a division that includes more than 2000 employees and an operating budget of over $600M annually. The Deputy Commissioner directs a robust portfolio of family and child health related issues and programs within the Office of School Health the Bureau of Early Intervention the Bureau of Maternal Infant and Reproductive Health and the Bureau of Administration. The Deputy Commissioner partners with outside entities such as other government offices at the community city state and federal level as well as elected officials. The Deputy Commissioner further collaborates with colleagues internally on cross-cutting issues and collaboratively develop and implement policy and program initiatives with family and child health components.

The Deputy Commissioner is responsible for developing implementing and evaluating a comprehensive strategy for the division and its staff in alignment with Agency and Commissioner priorities; City State and Federal mandates; and community priorities. The Deputy Commissioner is responsible for working closely with the Commissioner and routinely updating and engaging with them on emergent and ongoing issues. The Deputy Commissioner is also responsible for fostering application of an equity lens across the division.

Key Responsibilities:
-Provide overall direction for all DFCH activities including executive decision making problem-solving and strategy;
-Advise Commissioner colleagues and others on issues relating to family and child health including connections and collaboration with subject matter experts;
-Manage development implementation and evaluation of strategies for public health services that help improve health outcomes for all New York families;
-Direct and supervise the Divisions four Assistant Commissioners and immediate executive office staff;
-Practice and support visionary leadership inclusive of staff development and growth strategies;
-Navigate complex administrative and programmatic structures and needs in partnership with staff and collaborators;
-Work efficiently and collaboratively to solve problems and respond to timely inquiries at the request of the Commissioner and others;
-Ensure the division is in compliance with essential Agency functions including public health emergency preparedness Agencywide reporting and other mandated activities;
-Liaise closely with colleagues across the agency to ensure aligned and coordinated programs and policies;
-Represent the agency for external meetings with City Hall elected officials community-based organizations and others;
-Foster external relationships with community partners in collaboration with colleagues to ensure bidirectional communication between the Department and partners;
-Direct the divisions research and evaluation activities for internal and external audiences;
-Foster development of policy and communications strategies in alignment with Commissioner priorities and in partnership with Agency leaders;
-Support teams in pursuit of internal and external funding including philanthropic dollars with an eye to strategically bolstering existing programs and launching new programming;
-Center equity in all program and policy plans and decision making.

Preferred Skills:
-Strong ability to lead support and collaborate with teams internally and externally;
-Exceptional skills in developing and communicating vision and mission; demonstrated track record of lead and inspire a large and diverse workforce; and to develop and implement an anti-racism and equity-driven approach to population health;
-Possession of broad knowledge of public health generally and specific knowledge of children and family health;
-Proven leadership and management experience including ability to manage a large team and evaluate multiple programmatic areas;
-Experience navigating challenging political dynamics including those with elected officials at the local state and/or federal levels;
-Demonstrated record of outstanding judgement sensitivity and discretion;
-Demonstrated ability to assess public health problems formulate and interpret policies manage and implement programs and evaluate program effectiveness;
-Excellent program development skills with proven success in developing implementing and evaluating public health initiatives;
-Extraordinary communications skills (written verbal interpersonal) including public speaking presentation and community engagement;
-Established team player with experience working collaboratively building relationships at all levels of an organization to achieve goals;
-Strong focus on strategic thinking problem-solving and being solution and outcomes focused;
-A track record of managing complex highly regulated organizational operations including multimillion dollar budgets contracts and human resources;
-Experience with programmatic and fiscal oversight of direct service providers and contracted providers;
-Proven multi-tasker with ability to juggle multiple responsibilities and projects at once;
-Able to work in a high-pressure time-sensitive environment effectively;
-Experience developing and measuring health outcomes including reducing inequities; an informed perspective on applying a racial equity lens in decision making and planning.

Why you should work for us:

-Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
oa premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually per a 2024 assessment.
oadditional health fitness and financial benefits may be available based on the positions associated union/benefit fund.
oa public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
oa tax-deferred savings program and
oa robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
-Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
-Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805 the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S. dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone regardless of age background or location can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition anti-tobacco support chronic disease prevention HIV/AIDS treatment family and child health environmental health mental health and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process contact Sye-Eun Ahn Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at or .

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (HEALTH) - 95423

Qualifications :

Masters Degree and a minimum of five to seven years of progressively responsible executive leadership and administrative management experience in a governmental private or not-for-profit program with operational policies procedures and practices that address the needs of children and families their experiences with reproductive health mental health substance use or other public health concerns; or children experiencing intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Additional Information :

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic including but not limited to an individuals sex race color ethnicity national origin age religion disability sexual orientation veteran status gender identity or pregnancy.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time