Public Health Planning Specialist III - 0069

Department Information

This position is only open to Colorado state residents.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

This announcement will remain open until February 8, 2021 or until we have identified an adequate applicant pool, whichever comes first. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early.

Although the full salary range for this position is provided, appointments are typically made at or near the range minimum.

Be BOLD and make a real difference . . .

Do you desire a career that provides you with opportunities to improve the world around you? The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is seeking diverse individuals from all backgrounds to apply for a career position that makes a direct impact on improving the lives of Colorado citizens. Our mission is to advance Colorado's health and protect the places we live, work, learn, and play. Our vision is to create a healthy and sustainable Colorado where current and future generations thrive.

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Our tobacco-free campus offers free parking and is conveniently located near RTD bus lines, Glendale City Set, and the Cherry Creek bike path. In addition to a great location and rewarding, meaningful work, we offer:

• Employee wellness programs and facilities
• Extensive internal professional development opportunities on a wide variety of subjects
• Bike to work programs, including access to storage lockers and bike racks
• Distinctive career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
• Strong, yet flexible retirement benefits including a choice of the PERA Defined Benefit Plan or the PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 10 paid holidays per year plus generous personal time off
• Mentoring program with opportunities for mentors and mentees
• Tuition assistance for college level courses including Masters degree programs
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, and
• A variety of employee resource groups

Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information, go to: https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/pslfFlow.action#!/pslf/launch

Description of Job

The Work Unit:
The mission of the Office of Public Health Practice, Planning, and Local Partnerships (OPHP) is to collaborate and partner across the public health system to maintain and further strengthen statewide infrastructure and capacity. The Office of Public Health Practice, Planning, and Local Partnerships exists to build capacity and improve performance of state and local public health agencies. Office staff members, based in Denver work across the department and with local public health agencies, boards and organizations to foster collaboration and leverage resources to:

• Lead Colorado's assessment and planning system for state and local public health.
• Develop infrastructure to ensure all counties provide the core public health services and local public health directors meet the defined minimum qualifications.
• Distribute funds to local public health and monitor contracts.
• Provide technical assistance to state and local public health agencies for accreditation, assessment and planning, public health nursing, performance improvement, student opportunities and environmental health.
• Provide professional development trainings to local public health professionals.
• Represent the department in professional public health organizations.
• Support the development of the public health workforce through the coordination of student opportunities at the department and local public health agencies.

What You'll Be Doing:
The Public Health Planning Specialist III will lead public health planning for the State and will provide support to local public health agencies for their community health improvement processes (assessments and improvement plans), which are required in Colorado statute. This position will provide technical assistance and training the Local Public Health Agencies per the 2008 Public Health Act. The 2008 Act requires a coordinated system of state and local public health planning on a 5-year cycle. This is also in line with the national Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), which has the same cyclical requirements with emphasis on stakeholder engagement and partnerships between state and local public health. This position will maintain an expert level knowledge related to best practices and national standards for community health assessments and improvement planning in order to provide the highest level of support and technical assistance. This includes the continuous process of state and local community capacity assessment, prioritization, improvement planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation in accordance with statute and national accreditation standards. Having a point person for related guidance and technical assistance at OPHP has been cited by local public health agencies (LPHAs) as integral to their success in this process. It also helps bolster capacity for the core public health service of assessment, planning and communication and accreditation readiness among LPHAs in Colorado.

This position will also assist, and at times lead, CDPHE’s community health assessment and improvement planning process. This will include assisting with all aspects of the Colorado Health Assessment and Planning System (CHAPS). This position ensures that CDPHE's statewide public health improvement plan (as required for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board) is aligned with the strategies and recommendations in local improvement plans. In order to achieve this, this position identifies and analyzes strategies and issues in local health assessments and public health improvement plans, and makes recommendations to CDPHE public health and environmental programs to address gaps and areas for needed alignment. This position increases accreditation readiness among LPHAs in Colorado because community health assessments, public health improvement plans, strategic plans and quality improvement activities are required for national public health accreditation. Increased accreditation readiness ensures a stronger, higher quality public health infrastructure across the state allowing CDPHE to better achieve its mission.

This position utilizes knowledge of Colorado’s public health structure and systems to continually improve processes and contribute to ensuring a strong public health system for all jurisdictions in Colorado.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

There are three ways you can qualify for this position:

Six (6) years of full time professional experience in public health planning and evaluation including providing technical assistance to diverse partners and communities. Technical assistance includes providing training, consultation, resource development, and quality assurance checks to partners.(Substitution)

OR

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in public health or closely-related field;
AND
Two (2) years of full time professional experience in public health planning and evaluation including providing technical assistance to diverse partners and communities. Technical assistance includes providing training, consultation, resource development, and quality assurance checks to partners.(Minimum qualifications)

OR

A master's or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in public health or closely-related field may be substituted for the bachelor’s degree and two years of the required experience. (Substitution)

This experience must be substantiated within the Work Experience section of your application. "See Resume" will not be accepted. In addition, part-time work will be prorated. A copy of your transcript must be submitted at the time of application (Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.)

Conditions of Employment:

• A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process.
• Critical Status: Must be available in the event of an emergency, (e.g., bio-terrorist attack, chemical attack, disease outbreak or all hazards) and be required to report to work immediately at the regular or alternate location. During this time, travel restrictions may be in place.
• Must be willing and able to independently travel throughout the state up to 20% of the time including occasional overnight stays.

Preferred Qualifications and Essential Competencies:
The preferred experience, competencies and abilities are highly desirable for this position and will be considered in selecting the successful candidate:

• A personable nature that communicates credibility and confidence; strong interpersonal skills; demonstrated proficiency working collaboratively with internal teams, technical and community partners, diverse public stakeholders, and medical providers
• An understanding and appreciation of diversity through Colorado including rural, frontier, and urban communities
• Strong skills to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse partners, including schools and education entities
• Experience using communications strategies and tactics to disseminate information for partners
• Outstanding skills and abilities in verbal and written communications; ability to adapt a style to fit diverse audiences of varying technical levels, and at various levels within an organization, in groups and individual settings
• Critical thinking; ability and motivation to develop creative solutions to complex, interpersonal, process, and systemic challenges
• Initiative and self-management; the passion and ability to dive into the work and accomplish tasks within established timeframes
• Ability to learn new concepts and public health content areas
• Skills to synthesize complex research into understandable and usable resources;
• Experience assisting local public health agencies in aligning their work with state-level messages or priorities
• Experience selecting evidence-based public health strategies and implementing those strategies with fidelity
• Ability to identify the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization; ability to perceive organizational and political reality and acts accordingly
• The ability to anticipate the needs of partners and proactively provide resources or support
• Understanding of public health initiatives, regulations, trends and emerging issues
• Ability to understand and impact public health system characteristics, including opportunities, challenges, and structures in order to improve equitable population health
• Knowledge of health equity and an understanding of the needs of prioritized populations, including low-income individuals and marginalized/disparate populations
• Strong attention to detail; ability to apply care, thoroughness, and high quality to every task using a concern for all areas and people involved
• Excellent organizational skills; the ability to set, track, and accomplish priorities, goals and timetables to achieve maximum productivity, knowing the status of activities at all times
• Strong sense of professionalism, including a strong work ethic and reliability

Supplemental Information

A complete application packet must include:

• A completed State of Colorado application.
• A cover letter that describes how your experience aligns with the minimum and preferred qualifications of this position.

The Selection Process:

• All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications proceed to the next step.
• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process.
  • Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position may be a structured application review, which involves a review of the information you submit in your application materials by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) against the preferred qualifications.
• A top group, up to six candidates, will be invited to schedule an interview with the hiring manager.

Appeal Rights: If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for the position or that as a result of no longer being considered, you were discriminated against, you may protest the action by filing an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the date you receive notice of the elimination. Also, if you wish to challenge the selection and comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the receipt of notice or knowledge of the action you are challenging. If an applicant seeks to have an allegation of discrimination reviewed by the Board, that person must file an appeal (petition for hearing) within 10 days of the action or receipt of any final written selection decision. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for more information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at www.colorado.gov/spb. A standard appeal form is available at: www.colorado.gov/spb. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or representative, and received at the following address within 10 days of your receipt of notice or knowledge of the action: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: 303-866-5038. Phone: 303-866-3300. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination.

E-Verify: CDPHE uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States to be appointed to this position. CDPHE does not sponsor non-residents of the United States.

ADAAA Accommodations:
The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator at cdphe.humanresources@state.co.us or call 303-692-2060, option 5.