HEALTH OFFICER

Beautiful Coastal Community
Mediterranean Climate
Excellent Quality of Life Environment  

$10,000 Recruitment Incentive Pay may be available.

Candidates may be eligible for relocation assistance and advanced paid leave accrual.  

THE POSITION
The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency seeks a highly qualified medical professional who has a passion for public health, strong leadership in improving the health status and reducing health disparities among all residents of Santa Cruz County and a proven track record in the public health field to fill a full-time health officer position.  This executive level position, which is appointed by the County Board of Supervisors, is responsible to the Director of Health Services Agency to plan, organize, direct and administer the medical oversight and enforcement of public health regulations for a variety of public health programs and services.  The incumbent will have a key responsibility to assist the Agency Director and other Agency executives in working with internal staff, other county departments and community stakeholders to strategize, plan, implement and evaluate activities which are related to obtaining a national public health accreditation status and positioning the local health department for the future to improve the health status of the local community. The initial activities include but are not limited to, strategic planning, community health assessment and community health improvement plan. (Note: The official title for this position is Medical Services Director/Health Officer.)

THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ
Santa Cruz County has approximately 270,000 residents and is situated in the northern area of Monterey Bay, 70 miles south of San Francisco and 35 miles southwest of the Silicon Valley.  The County’s natural beauty is apparent in its pristine beaches, lush redwood forests and rich farmland. It has an ideal Mediterranean climate with low humidity and 300 days of sunshine a year.  Its unique shops and restaurants, coupled with a multitude of cultural and recreational activities, including theatre, music, art, as well as golfing, surfing, hiking and biking offer a wealth of leisure activities. Higher education includes Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz, with two additional State Universities less than an hour away. These elements of high quality living make Santa Cruz one of California’s most desirable areas.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain these knowledge and abilities would be:       

                                                            Three years of public health medical experience 
                                                                                                OR
Certification or eligibility for certification by a recognized American Specialty Board and two years of public health medical experience 
                                                                                                OR
Possession of a Master's degree in public health from an accredited school of public health and one year of public health medical experience  

Special Requirements:      

> Possession of a valid Physician and Surgeon's certificate issued by the State of California*    
  
> Possession or eligibility for possession of a State and/or Federal narcotic license for administration of narcotics to inmates and patients   
  
> Possess and maintain a valid California* Class C Driver License

*Out of state candidates may apply and go through the recruitment and examination process.  Candidate must possess a California License/Certification by start of employment.

Medical, Dental, and Vision
Medical coverage is available through CALPERS with the County paying a majority portion of the cost for the employee and dependents. The cost of the dental plan is entirely County-paid for employees and dependents. The County pays for the cost of an employee vision plan and the employee may purchase dependent coverage.  

Retirement and Social Security
Pension formula 2% at age 60 or 2% at age 62 as determined based on provisions of the CA Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013(PEPRA). Pension benefit determined by final average compensation of three years. County pays a portion of retirement contribution and participates in Social Security.   

Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Plan
County paid $50,000 term life insurance policy. Employees may purchase additional life insurance. The County pays for a long term disability plan that pays 66⅔ % of the first $13,500, up to $9,000 per month maximum benefits.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Candidates must submit a County Application, answers to the supplemental application questions and a resume.  The completed application packet must be received by the Personnel Department, 701 Ocean Street, Room 310, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 or online at www.santacruzcountyjobs.com by 5:00 p. m. on Friday, July 1, 2016. For more information, contact Nisha Patel, Employment Services Manager at (831) 454-3067. Hearing Impaired TDD/TTY:  711.  

Following a review for minimum qualifications, applicants who are selected    to move forward in the recruitment process will be notified that they must  submit a completed conviction history questionnaire in order to continue to  the examination phase of the process.

If you have a disability that would require a test accommodation, call (831) 454-2600.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Application Deadline:                                                                           Friday, July 1, 2016  

Review of qualifications and competitive
screening based on experience,
education and response to supplemental questions:                          Week of  July 18, 2016

Examination:*                                                                                      Approximately August 8, 2016

*You may be required to compete in any combination of written, oral, performance examination or a competitive evaluation of training and experience as described on your application and supplemental application. You must pass all components of the examination to be placed on the eligible list. The examination may be eliminated if there are ten or fewer qualified applicants. If the eligible list is established without the administration of the announced examination, the life of the eligible list will be six months, and your overall score will be based upon an evaluation of your application and supplemental application.

                  NOTE: The provisions of this bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract.

       The County of Santa Cruz is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse workforce.