SUPHR Deputy Division Director

Philadelphia, PA, United States

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Agency Description

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), with some 900 staff and a budget of $350 million, promotes and protects the health of all Philadelphians and provides a safety net for people who are disproportionately impacted by societal factors that limit their access to healthcare and other resources necessary for optimal health. PDPH leads programs to prevent communicable diseases (including HIV, other STDs, tuberculosis, and vaccine-preventable diseases); prevent chronic diseases and injuries and promote healthy behaviors; prevent environmental health risks; investigate outbreaks of disease; respond to public health emergencies; and promote the health of women, children, and families. In addition, PDPH operates eight primary care clinics. Recently, PDPH has participated with other City agencies in responding to Philadelphia’s overdose crisis and to the COVID-19 pandemic. PDPH has been an innovator in public health, pursuing novel policies to prevent and mitigate disease and injury, and intends to continue that tradition with creative solutions to both long-standing urban health problems and new crises.

The Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR)

Many cities have been impacted by the overdose crisis, but Philadelphia has been hit especially hard. The City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health responded by creating the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR), a division focused on improving the health and well-being of people who use drugs in Philadelphia. SUPHR has ten specialized teams: Bereavement Care (Philly HEALs), Communications, Community Engagement, Environmental Services, Epidemiology, Harm Reduction, Medical Services, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Philly LIFTS), Operations, and Overdose Death Fatality Review (OD Stat) Team. The division’s mission is to prevent overdoses and other health issues by offering services and shaping policies to promote the dignity, autonomy, and health of people who use drugs. SUPHR also focuses on reducing the number of people initiating use of illicit opioids and other substances while ensuring that individuals in active addiction are receiving harm reduction and treatment resources they need. The Division manages and analyzes data on local drug use and its consequences, including overdoses, hospitalizations and drug treatment utilization and prepares summary reports and statistics that are used to inform City policy and initiatives.

Job Description Position Summary:

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is seeking a highly qualified candidate to serve as Deputy Director of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction. The Deputy Director works with the Division Director, program managers, and other staff of the division to develop, implement, and evaluate programs and policies to reduce the number of people initiating use of illicit substances. This also includes reducing the number of people experiencing fatal and nonfatal overdoses. Under the supervision and direction of the Division Director, the Deputy Director will assist with overseeing the overall day-to-day operations of the division. The Deputy Director assists the Division Director and Program Managers in working with partners inside and outside of government to coordinate programs and strategies, identify critical issues, and help to manage the Division’s budgets and contracts. The Deputy Director assists the Division Director in leading all aspects of the Division, including programmatic, policy, evaluation, fiscal, and administrative activities. The Deputy Director supervises program managers at the direction of the Division Director. The Deputy Director works closely with other Health Department Divisions, the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Department of Prisons, The Opioid Response Unit and other city and non-city agencies involved in addressing substance use in Philadelphia.

Essential Functions:

Works with the Division Director to shape the vision of the Division and develop/modify strategic plans and priorities aimed at better understanding the overdose crisis in Philadelphia.

Works with the Division Director to develop, implement, and oversee the evaluation of grant- funded programs and activities relating to substance use prevention and surveillance using an equity lens.

Works with the Division Director to interpret policies and program content and goals for a wide range of division staff, and representatives of local health agencies, hospitals, and community groups; make recommendations concerning health ordinances, rules, regulations, and policies.

Works with the Division Director to identify, interpret, implement, and direct federal-and-state funded programs; prepare and submit progress and cost reports on funded programs; order changes in procedures to comply with objectives; coordinate the various phases of the programs; prepare and submit requests to city, state, and federal funding authorities for funding of new or current programs.

Works with the Division Director to supervise a management team directly responsible for programmatic, analytic, fiscal, and operational issues.

Works with the Division Director to manage organizational change for the Division, including team building, strategic re-alignment, and workforce planning.

Works with the Division Director to ensure rigorous evaluation of interventions, resulting in quality improvement activities, resource re-allocation (as needed), peer-reviewed manuscripts, and national conference presentations.

Works with the Division Director to foster collaborations with other City agencies, universities, businesses, non-profit entities, health systems, and health insurers through contractual agreements, coalitions, MOUs, and other affiliations.

Works with the Division Director to inform, assess, and help implement City legislation, regulations, and administrative actions to address substance use related challenges.

Works with the Division Director to serve as a content expert and liaison to the Mayor’s Legislative Office, the Board of Health, and City Council as directed by the Health Commissioners.

Works with the Division Director to develop successful applications for funding from local, state, and federal government agencies, along with foundations and non-traditional sources.

Works with the Division Director to represent PDPH and the City at local, state, and national forums on substance use related topics and public health preparedness.

Works with the Division Director to work with other PDPH Division Directors and City of Philadelphia agency leaders to identify and execute cross-sectoral interventions.

Works with the Division Director to brief the Health Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner regularly on key policy, program, evaluation, and administrative issues.

Works with the Division Director to prepare testimony, talking points, press releases, and other documents enabling the Health Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to engage with stakeholders.

Performs related work as required.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Ability to assist the Division Director to shape, implement, and evaluate a shared vision for the Division.

Ability to recruit, supervise, nurture, and assess the performance of a diverse staff.

Ability to manage internal organizational changes related to funding, staffing, and leadership agendas.

Ability to represent the interests of the Division and the Department of Public Health before diverse audiences, including the public, the media, public health stakeholders, advocates, academic institutions, policy makers, and funders.

Ability to build and sustain multi-sectoral coalitions to advance population health.

Ability to manage complex program, policy, and evaluation partnerships with governmental and non-governmental partners.

Knowledge of principles of harm reduction and stages of change as well as response to strategies for the prevention of nonfatal/fatal overdoses.

Knowledge of the social and environmental determinants of health at the individual, family, and community levels.

Knowledge of public health evaluation principles, epidemiology, and health services research.

Ability to synthesize the scientific literature on substance use prevention and harm reduction and integrate findings into program design and policy development.

Ability to design and implement evidence-based programs with well-articulated outcomes and well-conducted evaluation.

Ability to identify policy gaps and recommend policy and regulatory solutions.

Ability to analyze complex problems and proactively adopt an effective course of action.

Ability to express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, for lay and scientific audiences.

Demonstration of strong listening skills to enable the building of relationships and trust with division staff as well as the ability to synthesize information shared to prepare appropriate responses.

Sensitivity to and experience working with ethnically, culturally, and sexually diverse individuals, communities, agencies, and organizations.

Ability to develop large, complex proposals for funding from governmental, foundation, and private sector sources.

Ability to develop and manage budgets based on multiple sources of funding with various rules, expectations, and reporting requirements.

Familiarity with the rules and regulations of City, State, and Federal funding.

Qualifications Doctorate in Public Administration, Public Health, Social Work, Education, or related field preferred but will consider a master’s degree in public administration, public health, health administration, social work, business administration, education, nursing, or a related field.

Minimum of 3 or more years’ experience in direct supervision of staff.

Minimum of 3 or more years of experience successfully managing a complex initiative providing public health and/or health care services related to substance use or harm reduction.

Training in epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, public policy, public administration, and/or business administration is desired but not required.

Experience working in local, state, or federal government desired but not required.

Additional Information TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and references.

Salary Range: $100,000 to $105,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

Transportation : City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program.Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.

Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 6 weeks of paid parental leave.

We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.

Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan

Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays

Generous retirement savings options are available

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Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected].

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