Director, Fairfax County Health Department

About the role

The incumbent serves at the pleasure of the County Executive under the general direction of the Deputy County Executive for Health, Housing and Human Services. The position is subject to appointment by the County Board of Supervisors.

Responsibilities

• Provides executive leadership, strategic direction, oversight, and evaluation for all public health programs and services administered through contract with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and on behalf of Fairfax County Government, the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Herndon, Vienna, and Clifton.
• Serves as an integral member of the County’s Health, Housing and Human Services System, collaborating across agencies to address complex community issues and advance coordinated human services strategies, including integrated service delivery, case management coordination, universal access to services, information technology integration, and collaborative budget planning.
• Develops and implements the Department’s multi-year strategic plan, incorporating community health assessments, stakeholder collaboration, partnerships with private-sector and community organizations, and ongoing engagement with residents and consumers to inform priorities and improve outcomes.
• Collaborates with regional healthcare systems and community partners to maintain a robust safety net and ensure the delivery of essential public health services to all residents; maintains strong, effective relationships with VDH and other state agencies to secure essential funding, advance policy priorities, and support public health legislation.
• Participates in regional workgroups, committees and taskforces focused on public health programming, preparedness and response, including the committees and convenings of the Council on Governments, Northern Virginia Health Officials, Northern Virginia Emergency Response System, others; maintains Memoranda of Understanding and ensures mutual aid and working relationships with a wide variety of local, regional, state and federal authorities and organizations to ensure capacity for and coordination on public health response activities.
• Directs the development, administration, and oversight of the Health Department’s operating and capital budgets for Fairfax County and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, including presenting budget recommendations and public health priorities to governing bodies, advisory boards, community organizations, and residents.
• Leads and supervises senior management staff by monitoring agency operations, providing strategic guidance on complex issues, resolving organizational challenges, overseeing program development and implementation, and evaluating organizational and staff performance.
• Represents the Health Department as the public face of public health in Fairfax County by communicating critical public health information through media relations, public presentations, community outreach, and engagement with local, regional, and state partners.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited medical school, with a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia or capacity to obtain a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia within 3 months of hire; and five years of professional experience working in either a public health agency or public health-related position, including three years of experience in a senior leadership role, such as senior manager, department director, executive director, or equivalent level position;
• Possession of a master's or doctoral degree in the area of public health, with at least seven years of professional experience working in either a public health agency or public health-related position, including three years of experience in a senior leadership role, such as senior manager, department director, executive director, or equivalent level position.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications: Graduation from an accredited medical school, with a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia or capacity to obtain a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia within 3 months of hire; and five years of professional experience working in either a public health agency or public health-related position, including three years of experience in a senior leadership role, such as senior manager, department director, executive director, or equivalent level position; or Possession of a master's or doctoral degree in the area of public health, with at least seven years of professional experience working in either a public health agency or public health-related position, including three years of experience in a senior leadership role, such as senior manager, department director, executive director, or equivalent level position.
• Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate has knowledge, experience and demonstrated success in the following: Licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia or capacity to obtain a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Virginia within 3 months of hire; and board certification in preventive medicine, primary care, or related specialty.

Skills

• Knowledge, experience and demonstrated success in the following: Comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of public health administration, epidemiology, health promotion and health education, and public health emergency preparedness and response, including the application of medical science to community health trends, communicable disease control, and environmental sanitation.
• Senior, director or executive-level management experience in personnel administration, strategic planning, and budget development and management, including demonstrated ability to formulate and justify complex budgetary requirements and supervise multi-fund expenditures.
• Proven ability to select, train, and supervise a large, multidisciplinary workforce, and the analytical skill to resolve complex administrative and operational problems.
• Exceptional ability to establish and maintain cooperative, high-level relationships with federal, state, and local public and private agencies in the field.
• Thorough knowledge of community resources and the ability to apply a social equity lens to public health programs and community trends.
• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a work environment that is respectful and accepting of diverse opinions while fostering a healthy organizational culture that encourages teamwork and collaboration.
• Exceptional executive-level verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking, presentations to elected officials and governing bodies, stakeholder engagement, and media relations.

Benefits

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Pay

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Schedule

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