Associate Director of Virology Section, Bureau of the Public Health Laboratory - New York City, NY : Job Details

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City's yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including 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 racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency's five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:

1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a response-ready organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods

3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness

4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women's health

5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism's impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is a public health leader serving over 8.4 million New York City residents from diverse ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds.

The New York City Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is one of the largest local public health laboratories in the United States offering a dynamic and innovative work environment where employees contribute to the health and safety of New York City residents by providing clinical and environmental laboratory testing services. With more than 100 years of leadership in public health, a team of over 200 scientific and support staff are committed to its mission to safeguard the health of all NYC residents by providing quality laboratory testing services that support the priorities of the NYC DOHMH and its community partners to prevent and respond to clinical and environmental public health concerns.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Public Health Laboratories seeks a qualified candidate to serve as an Associate Director. This position will report to the Assistant Commissioner/ Laboratory Director and oversees laboratory testing, outbreak responses, and laboratory operations for viral agents and other pathogens conducted by the NYC Public Health Laboratory, including direct supervision of Diagnostic Immunology, HIV Phylogenetics, Biothreat Agents and Response, as well as Virology and Mycotic Testing. Responsibilities include participation in strategic planning for the laboratory, participation on the laboratory leadership team, and contributing to the Division of Disease Control and Bureau of Public Health Laboratory strategic plans, financial oversight, and direct supervision of Laboratory Unit Chiefs. Additionally, the Associate Director will contribute to the vision for the laboratory and implement strategic goals, objectives, policies, and procedures to enable the laboratory achieve agency, division, bureau, and section priorities. The position provides laboratory personnel with technical direction, oversight, management, and professional development necessary for the laboratory to effectively meet regulatory obligations and business objectives. The Associate Director will foster an environment that integrates strategic, scientific, and systematic approaches for sustaining the laboratory's mission.

This is an excellent opportunity to join our multidisciplinary team, and collaborate with local, state, national, and academic partners for effective public health interventions during public health emergencies and outbreak investigations.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Provide scientific and administrative leadership for various laboratory units, including but not limited to Infectious Disease Diagnostic Immunology, HIV Phylogenetics, Biothreat Response and Emergency Preparedness, Molecular Mycology (Candida auris), and Virology, to drive the development and enhance technical and programmatic capabilities.

Assist the Assistant Commissioner/Laboratory Director in the operation and administration of the Public Health Laboratory, including the support, maintenance, and enhancement of laboratory testing services.

Work in collaboration with the Laboratory Director and other Associate Directors to ensure alignment and development of critical resources to achieve agency, division, and bureau (laboratory) goals as well as oversee diagnostic, surveillance, and research program activities.

Design, monitor, and implement verification and validation studies for FDA-approved and laboratory-developed tests to support routine clinical diagnostic work, surveillance programs, and outbreak investigations.

Critically evaluate new techniques/methodologies, and compare to existing technologies, modify and adapt for novel diagnostic applications through verification or validation procedures.

Develop and maintain rapid, high-capacity testing systems and laboratory readiness for emergency activation to support investigations and control of epidemics/pandemics caused by known and unknown infectious diseases.

Oversee biothreat agent testing and Laboratory Response Network B (LRN-B) Reference Laboratory to support bioterrorism response and emergency preparedness activities.

Participates in the performance evaluations of subordinates' work consistent with laboratory operations and organizational requirements.

Develops and implements policies, processes, and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.

Maintain current knowledge of clinical and public health microbiology, infectious disease serology, and related laboratory specialties to oversee the technical and programmatic laboratory services.

Collaborates with city-wide and health department information technology (IT) program managers and specialists to configure new and existing tests within Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) to provide efficient laboratory data entry and test result reporting.

Experience with quality assurance, quality control, troubleshooting and solving problems related to laboratory testing procedures, including completing and documenting planned deviations, quality problem investigations, and root cause analyses.

Builds and develops partnerships with colleagues across the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Sentinel Laboratory, and academic laboratories.

Ensures compliance with requirements of state and federal agencies.

Minimum Qualifications

1. A master's degree from an accredited college in nursing, emergency management, public health, disaster management, emergency preparedness / administration, public administration, or a related field and three (3) years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following area(s): hospital nursing, emergency preparedness planning / management, emergency medical services, fire safety, law enforcement, homeland security, public health, project management, health administration, community health services or a related specialized area; including eighteen (18) months of experience in a managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity. Supervision must include supervising professional staff in one of the areas described above; or

2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four (4) years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one of the areas described in 1 above, including eighteen (18) months of experience in a managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity. Supervision must include supervising professional staff in one of the areas described in 1 above; or

3. A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience as described in 1 or 2 above. However, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree and eighteen (18) months of experience in a managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity. Supervision must include supervising professional staff in one of the areas described in 1 above.

Preferred Skills

Possession of (or eligibility for) a clinical laboratory director Certificate of Qualification (COQ) in the category of Bacteriology, Virology, Diagnostic Immunology, Parasitology, and/or Mycology issued by the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP). Possession of a valid NYS technologist license. Possession of a PhD degree in the microbiology or infectious diseases. Has extensive experience in the technical and administrative operations of a clinical or public health laboratory. Interactive and effective communication skills, leadership, experience with competing priorities, strategic thinking, and an understanding of group performance dynamics are critical to this position. It is desired that the candidate has experience with laboratory regulations and working within a BSL-3 environment.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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 individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.