Health Officer Jobs

Position Information

The County of Sonoma is seeking an experienced and mission-driven leader to serve as the County's next Health Officer.

Starting salary up to $290,193/annually,
a cash allowance of approximately $600/month,
and a comprehensive benefits package, PLUS a $25,000 Signing Bonus^
What We Offer
Benefits
You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including
Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

• A hybrid telework schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance of up to $1,700 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options

^Hiring Incentives
The Department of Health Services is currently offering a $25,000 signing bonus paid over three installments during the first two years of service.
Other Incentives Which May Be Offered, If Applicable, Include

• Relocation reimbursement up to $10,000
• Advanced paid vacation and/or sick leave (up to 24 hours per leave type)

The Health Officer Position
Sonoma County is seeking a skilled and dynamic physician who is passionate about community health improvement as its next Health Officer. Recognized for its commitment to innovation and collaboration, the County of Sonoma strives to be the healthiest county in California. The Health Officer plays a key leadership role in bringing this vision to reality. The Health Officer is appointed by the Board of Supervisors and reports to the Director of Health Services for administrative direction.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
In Addition To Being Trustworthy, Approachable, Flexible, And Decisive, They Will
The ideal candidate will be passionate about serving the public and working to find the best solution in a collaborative manner.

• Be an initiator, identifying new possibilities for combining opportunities and resources to advance community health policies and goals
• Be able to work independently, while supporting various work team models, in support of the Department of Health Services Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan implementation
• Be a relationship builder who understands the strengths and roles of the health care community, fosters relationships with County and community partners, and leads in the advancement of shared vision
• Provide forward-thinking direction in the application of the principles and practices of community health, preventive medicine, environmental health, emergency medical services, and integrated behavioral health
• Be a strategic thinker who can identify courses of action and paths that advance the health goals of the community and opportunities for engagement
• Be action and results-oriented, passionate about improving social factors that influence health outcomes for the community, with hands on experience in community health practice
• Possess excellent communication skills, skilled in communicating orally and in writing, with presentation skills that move audiences to engagement and action

The Health Officer position provides leadership on key public health priorities and activities affecting the whole Department and the health of the community. The Health Officerwill be a champion of a "Health in all Policies" approach to improving community health in Sonoma County. In doing so, the Health Officer will actively engage County and community partners; successfully articulate the connections between broad systems and the integration of primary care, behavioral health care and public health prevention strategies; and lead efforts to improve health status, including system level changes that address health inequities and the socio-economic and environmental determinants of health such as land use planning, transportation, housing, income, and education.
The Health Officer will collaborate with an energetic and visionary Department of Health Services staff in implementing policies and initiatives to improve these systems. Examples of local initiatives include, but would not be limited to, local food systems, water and environmental quality, and health care system integration supporting the "Triple Aim" of improved care, decreased cost, and increased access. Sonoma County's Health Officer will work to promote health across the lifespan. This approach diverges from traditional disease-by-disease prevention approaches and attempts to organize, support, and build long-term community capacity to identify and address priority health issues.
The Health Officer develops medical protocols for the Department of Health Services; serves as an advisor to elected and appointed officials, school systems, members of the medical community, and the public; and plays an integral role in the development of reports on the health status of the community. The position is responsible for ensuring medical oversight and enforcement of public health laws, regulations, and ordinances across the jurisdiction, and in the nine (9) cities in Sonoma County.
THE FUTURE OF THE POSITION
Jurisdictional boundaries don't limit the social factors that influence health outcomes and there is the potential for the Health Officer to play a broadened role on a regional basis, through collaborative multi-county efforts to address the areas noted above. This opportunity will be considered during the recruitment process, informed by the strengths and experience of the most qualified candidates.
The Health Officer Can Look Forward To

• Collaborating with partners regarding the impact and influences on health where people live, work, learn, and play.
• Employing a spectrum of prevention strategies in multiple settings to collectively impact community health goals.
• Influencing systems and strategies to expand access to quality, integrated primary care, and behavioral health services.

The Department is leading several strategic initiatives in which the Health Officer will have an integral role, including a County-wide effort identifying best practices in engaging specific populations to ensure the County and other services providers meet known needs, and identify unmet needs.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
The Department of Health Services is a large, complex department consisting of various divisions including: Administration, Public Health, Homelessness Services, and Behavioral Health. The Department's mission is to promote and protect the health and well-being of every member of the community, and its values form the basis for its operating principles:

• Integration: We understand health as an integrated, complex, dynamic state of being and we strive for an integrated approach in all that we do.
• Innovation: We strive to create a culture of creativity among our staff and encourage innovation in partnership with other organizations and within the community.
• Partnerships: We collaborate with our many partners as necessary to achieve our goals and vision, which are shared by many in our county.
• Quality of Service: We are committed to high quality in all of our direct services.
• Health Equity: We strive for all individuals and communities to have equal opportunity for health and well-being.
• Evidence-Based Practices: We believe that data about real outcomes informs our practice, and we build on demonstrated success.
• Transparency: We believe that we must be transparent in our processes and decisions and accountable to those we serve.
• Transformation: We believe individual and community health cannot prosper without a transformed health system and community environment.

The County of Sonoma Department of Health Services fiscal year 2023-2024 budget of approximately $370 million, consists of over 700 regular and extra-help positions and provides services throughout the County. The Department's revenue sources include State and Federal funds, fees and reimbursements for services, and County General Fund.
Please visit the department's website for information on its programs, services, organization, and partnerships. www.sonoma-county.org/health
SONOMA COUNTY
Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics – including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods. The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water, rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open space.
Sonoma County is home to almost 500,000 residents and offers a wide variety of art and music festivals, farmers' markets, and concert venues. Local schools continually rank high on California's Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities.
Sonoma is a general law county, governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. The Board is fully committed to a mission and vision that values high quality services to support and enrich the community, strong leadership, engaged citizen participation, transparency and accuracy in information, and efficient and fiscally sustainable government. The County Administrator leads a team of dedicated department heads who work collaboratively to address and strategically prepare for County initiatives and challenges. The County has 29 departments, agencies, and special districts and employs over 4,200 regular employees with an recommended annual budget of approximately $2.19 billion for fiscal year 2023-2024.
Please visit www.sonomacountyconnections.org for more information about Sonoma County as a place to live, work, and build your career legacy.

• Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory .

This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination of education, training and experience which would likely provide the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally this would include:
Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited medical school with a Doctor of Medicine degree and a minimum of three years of responsible work in a public health service that included both clinical and managerial experience. Training in Family Practice, Pediatrics or Internal Medicine is desirable. Additionally, possession of a Master's Degree in Public Health from an accredited school must be achieved within three years of appointment.
License/Certification: Possession of a valid Physician's and Surgeon's Certificate issued by the State of California.
Eligibility to obtain a Controlled Substances Registration Certificate issued by the United States Department of Justice. Eligibility to obtain Medicare and Medi-Cal provider licenses from program fiscal intermediaries.
Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required, depending upon assignment, to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
Thorough Knowledge Of: the principles and practices of modern medicine, including preventive medicine; the medical principles and protocols associated with the management of public health and environmental health problems; the principles and practices of emergency medical services, including advanced life support; laws, ordinances, and regulations relating to public health, environmental health, hazardous materials, and emergency medical services.
Considerable Knowledge Of: modern management principles and practices; organizational dynamics, conflict resolution, and behavior and performance management; public health administration; principles and practices of personnel management.
Ability To: establish and maintain effective working relationships with the Director of Health Services, County Administrator, the Board of Supervisors, other County managers, subordinates, community groups, other public health agencies, medical professionals, the general public, and others who have an interest in public health issues; evaluate and define community public health needs and develop cost effective proposals to meet defined needs; establish and maintain modern systems of record keeping, information retrieval, and statistical analysis of public health data; speak and write effectively and to prepare clear and comprehensive reports.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
• You should list all your employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the application, examination, and department selection processes.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses which state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient.
The Selection Procedure Will Consist Of The Following Examinations

• The selected candidate will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors and may be required to interview and/or meet with the Board prior to appointment.
• An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (Weight 100%). Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be placed on an employment list and referred to the department for selection interviews.

IMPORTANT NOTES
Due to the selection procedure listed above, it is important that you make every attempt to clearly describe your qualifications for this position. We recommend that you list all employers and positions held within at least the last 15 years in the work history section of your application and to include history beyond 15 years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, please list each position separately. In addition, be sure to respond thoroughly and clearly to the supplemental questions at the end of this job announcement.
Resumes can be submitted or inserted into the online application; however they will not be accepted in lieu of a fully completed job application and supplemental question responses.
Additional Information
A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer are contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
How To Apply
If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please submit an online job application and responses to the supplemental questions, which articulate your experience, responsibilities, and pertinent accomplishments. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
Apply at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org .
Questions Can Be Directed To
David Phillips, Human Resources Analyst
County of Sonoma Human Resources Department
Telephone: (707) 565-2147
Facsimile: (707) 565-3770
[email protected]
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: DP
HR Technician: RR