Director, Office Of Public Health Preparedness

DUTIES

The Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP) is a division of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). The mission of OPHP is to enhance community, public health, and healthcare system resilience in order to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies that impact the health of the public. OPHP envisions a resilient Boston through healthy, informed, and connected communities that are supported every day and during emergencies by strong, integrated public health and healthcare systems.

General Statement of Duties & Responsibilities

The Director will be responsible for collaborating with a wide range of public and private partners to ensure comprehensive preparedness strategies are developed. The Director will also be expected to advise the Executive Director on matters and policies related to emergency preparedness and response operations. The Director will also serve as a point of contact to emergency management, public safety agencies, community partners, and other city agencies to ensure public health and healthcare systems representation.

Emergency Preparedness Planning:

• Lead interagency collaboration on preparedness and planning activities between BPHC and key internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure that BPHC emergency preparedness plans are maintained and regularly updated, continually strengthen BPHC programs' response capacity, and ensure coordination and integration with other emergency preparedness response partners.
• Ensure Boston Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, the City of Boston's Health & Medical Coordinating Coalition, is supported by OPHP staff to facilitate the development and implementation of strategic goals and objectives based on state and federal guidance and best practices.
• Build and maintain relationships with government agencies on the local, state and federal level; other public health partners including hospitals & community health centers; as well as civic, community, business, education & volunteer organizations.
• Serve as the BPHC representative on various local, state, and regional committees related to emergency preparedness, management, and community resilience.
• Oversee course development and emergency preparedness training and education activities at the DelValle Institute.
• Oversee the Boston Medical Reserve Corps, a community-based volunteer program.

Response & Recovery Operations:

• Coordinate response efforts of the BPHC (including BPHC staff and volunteer deployment), and provide representation to the city of Boston Emergency Operations Center (EOC) when activated to represent Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8).
• Lead multi-agency coordination across public health, healthcare, and community partners for Medical Intelligence Center activations.
• Provide oversight for regular communications drills, and lead the identification of trainings and exercises to enhance BPHC preparedness and response capabilities as well as the response capabilities of healthcare system and community partners. Develop strategy for a programmatic and systems-based Multi-Year Training & Exercise Program.
• Collaborate with other BPHC staff including the Division of Violence Prevention to support trauma response and recovery initiatives.
• Ensure operational OPHP resources are procured, inventoried, maintained, and have necessary distribution protocols.
• Maintain partnerships and protocols for city of Boston mass dispensing response operations, specifically as related to the Centers for Disease Control Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) and Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) programs.

Management & Budgetary Oversight:

• Lead strategy development and implementation across all OPHP programs and initiatives.
• Manage staff, recruit staff, oversee onboarding, training and performance management; provide direct supervision to designated staff.
• Develop and operationalize the OPHP budget.
• Ensure proper management controls for all reporting and compliance needs of State DPH and federal government funding agencies are met.
• Lead all grant management to ensure deliverables are met.
• Provide budget oversight and evaluation to other BPHC bureaus/programs involved in emergency preparedness to ensure program requirements are met and that integration is achieved.
• Responsible for the establishment of annual workplans.
• Assist in the identification of funding opportunities, and participate in the process for obtaining and justifying future funding.
• Develop, implement and manage projects and/or initiatives related to the program for the provision of services and/or to ensure effective operations and compliance with established standards.

Core competencies include the ability to: describe the agency role and follow the chain of command in emergency response; demonstrate her/his role in regular drills; adapt to and support rapidly changing and evolving emergencies; and recognize deviations from the norm that might indicate an emergency and take/facilitate appropriate action(s) such as communicating clearly within the chain of command.

Work confidentially with the BPHC Executive Director and BPHC leadership; meet regularly regarding all aspects of program operations. Uses independent judgment and discretion to make decisions affecting the program and staff as it relates to program operations/services and BPHC policy. Promotes OPHP's mission and vision while upholding its core values. Performs other duties as required.