Racial and Social Justice Policy Manager

Public Health Solutions

Job Description

Racial and Social Justice Policy Manager

Full 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 DOHMH) 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.

DOHMH is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health, using grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 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 work will be supervised by DOHMH. This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

Summary of the Position:

In 2015, NYC DOHMH launched Race to Justice, an internal reform initiative to support the agency’s mission in becoming an anti-racist organization to address racial health gaps and improve health outcomes for all New Yorkers. As part of this effort, the NYC DOHMH is further establishing the Race to Justice theory of change and institutional change framework (Normalize, Organize, Operationalize) within its Agency-wide infrastructure. Normalizing by educating, training and building skills amongst staff on how racism and other systems of oppression can affect health and studying how racism has impacted our past work. Organizing through infrastructure development, intentional convenings and partnerships that develop strategies that aim to undue and mitigate harm caused by racist and other oppressive systems. Operationalizing through the implementation of new policies, tools, and metrics that address upstream drivers of health to lessen that impact and collaborating across divisions as well as with local communities to iterate on methods that counter systemic injustices. The Racial and Social Justice Policy Manager will be charged with implementing Race to Justice Theory of change within specific divisions by building out equity initiatives within the respective division and liaising with broader and more localized equity activities across the agency.

Racial and Social Justice Policy Manager will join agency wide community of colleagues to advance equity. Namely, this role will support and be supported by the Race to Justice Management team and the Chief Equity and Strategy Officer (CESO). The Chief Equity and Strategy Officer oversees DOHMH’s internal and external equity and health strategic planning efforts, initiatives, policies and program development in support of protecting and promoting the health and safety of New Yorkers.

Positions are available in the Office of the General Counsel, Office of External Affairs, Division of Environmental Health, Division of Information Technology, Division of Administration. Division overviews are listed below. Please indicate your division of interest in your application. The position will either be located in New York or Long Island City, Queens.

Office of the General Counsel:

The Office of General Counsel works to ensure that innovative programs and initiatives of NYC DOHMH are supported by a dedicated legal team comprised of health justice-focused attorneys. In addition, the attorneys help to develop the appropriate regulatory / legal avenues for DOHMH policy work and support an array of initiatives addressing health disparities through targeted initiatives. OGC’s docket has included issuing Commissioner Orders to mandate vaccination (and assisting to defend those mandates when subject to challenge); advising on legal issues related to reopening schools and businesses; protecting data systems; and ensuring vaccine distribution compliance with federal and state laws.

Office of External Affairs:

The Office of External Affairs oversees many of the agency’s most critical interactions and messages with the public, from raising awareness and promoting health behaviors to advancing policy priorities and responding to health emergencies. External Affairs serves as the agency’s in-house publisher, advertiser and marketer of trendsetting, culturally responsive campaigns and initiatives, maintains a strong digital presence – both web and social media, and oversees press relations and government affairs. External Affairs also oversees the Department’s Call Center and supports customer service activities throughout the agency.

Division of Environmental Health:

The Environmental Health Division works to prevent and control illness and injury related to environmental and occupational health risks through outreach, education, surveillance and enforcement. With over 1,000 staff, the Division covers a broad range of subject matter, including oversight of environmental investigations, lead poisoning, injury prevention, occupational health, food safety, childcare, radiation control, recreational and drinking water quality, air quality, climate health, vector control, veterinary public health and pest control.

Division of Information Technology:

The Division of Information Technology aims to align technology solutions with the DOHMH mission by prioritizing resource use and deploying innovations that facilitate the agency’s day-to-day activities and enhance staff productivity and efficiency. Our goal is to provide users with a reliable, stable, and safe computing environment. The Division includes Technology Strategy, Project Management, Application Development, Data Services, Network Technology, Desktop Management, Help Desk, and Cybersecurity.

Division of Administration:

This Division works to ensure all DOHMH programs have critical resources to protect and promote New Yorkers’ health, and that the workplace is equitable, inclusive, and healthy. The Division includes Human Resources and Labor Relations; Facilities Planning; Operations; Clinical Quality Management and Improvement; Health and Safety; Equal Employment Opportunity; Disability Access and Justice and Worksite Wellness.

Duties in collaboration with equity teams across the specific division they work within as well as the office of the Chief Equity and Strategy Officer and Race to Justice Management team:

  • Co-develop, implement, and project manage a Racial and Social Justice centered equity strategic plan, Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIA), equity goals and outcomes for the division.
  • Provide direct support to Division Equity Liaison Committee, Division and Bureau Action Teams and other division equity workgroups.
  • Provide guidance and technical support to Division’s leadership, particularly on equity and social justice matters.
  • Coordinate with other Divisional Equity Liaisons to identify, discuss, align and implement opportunities to advance equity across divisions and the agency to embed equity in all policy.
  • Develop materials and presentations for internal and external stakeholders to communicate the importance of racial and social justice within the content areas targeted by the division, including identifying opportunities for submitting abstracts to conferences, manuals, and journals and submitting to requests for proposals.
  • Support capacity building practices by disseminating resources, articles, events to divisional staff, and equity partners across the agency.
  • Provide ongoing updates to division and agency leadership through reports, presentation as well as agency accountability process.
  • Work in collaboration with division and agency wide staff to develop systems to monitor and evaluate racial and social justice initiatives, goals, and outcomes.

Qualifications and Requirements:

  • A minimum of 1-3 years of racial equity and/or social justice program implementation (which includes non-paid experience), preferable developing and leading internal reform teams in organizations or offices.
  • Extensive knowledge of and experience in health equity programs, racial and social justice.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills with experience in facilitation and presentation.
  • Ability to build strong relationships and work with diverse groups of individuals at all levels of the agency.
  • Prior experience leading multi-faceted, complex initiatives.
  • Background in trauma-informed systems approach (some familiarity, at a minimum; training and experience in implementing, a plus).
  • Demonstrated experience as a leader, mentor, or community organizer for racial and social justice centered campaigns.
  • Experience with stakeholder engagement and project management.
  • Experience working with the government, non-profit, social services and social justice sector and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
  • Salary: $105,000.00-$105,000.00

Preferred Skills:

  • Strong analytical skills and ability to manage and report complex information.
  • Experience with data collection, analysis, and reporting.
  • Desire to grow professionally, develop new skills and willingness to work outside of comfort zone.
  • Ability to prioritize and work in fast-paced environment with hard deadlines.
  • Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
  • Prior government experience, a plus.

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.

NOTE: All applicants must comply with PHS’ vaccination policy. Effective October 1, 2021, employees will be required to provide verification that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (with an FDA-authorized vaccine).

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

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