Why City of Berkeley?

Berkeley is a small city with a big reputation. At just ten square miles of land and seven square miles of water, we're home to over fifty parks, a top-ranked university, and the largest public marina in the San Francisco Bay. And we’re famous around the globe as a center for academic achievement, scientific exploration, free speech, and the arts.

As an employer, the City of Berkeley offers all the benefits of a career in the public sector while fostering diversity, creativity, and innovation. Join a team of high-caliber, experienced staff with a shared mission of serving the Berkeley community and promoting an accessible, safe, healthy, environmentally sound and culturally rich city.

The Position

We are seeking an Interim Health Officer for an 18-month term. The City of Berkeley is one of only three cities in the State of California with a Health Officer. Serving a small jurisdiction, the Health Officer will be actively involved in health services programs and operations. The ideal candidate will be collaborative, focused on health equity and the social determinants of health, and interested in organizational development. This position works within the Health, Housing, and Community Services Department (HHCS).

Major projects during this interim period will be:

• Managing a partnership of consultants and City staff to complete a comprehensive Community Health Assessment and a Community Health Improvement Plan, in collaboration with an active and engaged community; and
• Collaborating with partners to assess the City’s public health staffing and structure, identify and apply lessons learned from the COVID response, and develop recommendations for staffing and structure going forward. 

Duties may include:

1. Consults and coordinates with government officials and representatives of local health agencies in the development and enforcement of health laws and the development of programs to meet public health needs;
2. Disseminates and interprets relevant policies, laws, regulations, and directives to the City Council and City staff, physicians, and representatives of hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, and schools;
3. Serves as Tuberculosis and Communicable Disease Controller and Sexually Transmitted Disease Officer; serves as the City's Registrar on all birth and death certificates;
4. Develops and administers public health programs based on needs and available resources; secures and maintains community support for public health programs;
5. May supervise, plan, organize, and direct the work of technical, professional, and administrative staff engaged in the delivery of health services;
6. Develops and monitors medical protocol for medical staff and ensures implementation of clinical policies and adherence to current medical protocols and procedures;
7. Provides medical supervision of the Department's Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners, and supervision of all medical services provided by the City; participates in the hiring, instructing and evaluation of medical providers;
8. Assists in the analysis and preparation of the annual budgets, health care plans, funding applications, and monitors expenditures and other management activities;
9. Coordinates activities with other division heads and with other City departments, as needed;
10. Participates in clinical and medical administrative management decisions; confers with medical management staff regarding service operation and progress and recommends changes;
11. May serve on management committees and/or staff advisory commissions and be involved in the resolution of administrative concerns;
12. Provides liaison with the County Health Care Services Agency and to the local medical community;
13. Makes public presentations, and meets privately with physicians and administrators of health and social service agencies;
14. Provides medical consultation for requested health service programs;
15. In the event of a city-wide health emergency, may advise City Council directly regarding matters of public health and safety as outlined in the California Health and Safety Code; and
16. Performs related duties as assigned.