Senior Director, Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation

About the role

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Division of Environmental Health works to prevent and control illness and injury related to environmental and occupational health risks through outreach, education, surveillance, and enforcement. With staff of 1,000, the Division covers a broad range of subject matter, including oversight of environmental investigations, lead poisoning, injury prevention, occupational health, food safety, childcare, radiation control, recreational and drinking water quality, air quality, climate health, vector control, veterinary public health and pest control.

The Senior Director will report directly to the Executive Director of Field Operations and will manage the Bureau of Food Safety through enforcement of the New York City Health and Administrative Codes, the New York State Sanitary Code, and various laws of the City of New York for a broad spectrum of environmental health concerns. The Bureau of Food Safety performs over 50,000 food safety inspections per year, such as pre-permit, routine inspections-initial re-inspections and compliance inspections, complaint inspections, limited inspections, etc.

Duties Will Include but Not Be Limited to

• Oversee the inspection program for all food service establishments, including restaurants, mobile food vendors, public and private schools, senior centers, shelters, and food commissaries, including the pre-permit inspection process, routine cyclical and letter grade inspections, and complaint inspections. Make determinations about enforcement action for establishments failing to comply with legal requirements, including issuance of notices of violation, closures/embargoes, and referral for hearings, as applicable.
• Oversee the Bureau's enforcement and preventive programs by evaluating systems, including statistical analysis, setting priorities, overseeing scheduling, ensuring that established targets are met and adjusting targets as appropriate to meet the Bureau's objectives.
• Oversee the response to complaints through 311 and the Correspondence Tracking System, ensuring that staff address these complaints in a timely manner and in accordance with policy.
• Manage and coordinate emergency response capabilities within the Bureau to ensure rapid, efficient, and expert response to environmental emergencies such as power outages or water main breaks, collaborating with senior management to provide expert opinion in field operations and deployment of staff.
• Use data and data infrastructure to accomplish mandates, measure performance, and improve output including using data to identify staff training needs and performance gaps to strengthen program outcomes.
• Develop written protocols and procedures for implementing policies and enforcing applicable regulations; Create Compliance Guidelines for the regulated industry and assure that all staff involved in implementing policies and procedures are appropriately trained staff.
• Arrange for routine inspections, sweeps and complaint-generated inspections related to the Smoke-Free Air Act, ensuring that violations of the NYS Clean-Indoor Air Act and the New York City Smoke-Free Air Act are followed up and remedied.
• Manage the Bureau's staff development and training activities to meet NYSDOH requirements and the Bureau's objectives. Oversee the coordination, development and implementation and trainings for the bureau.
• Develop written protocols and procedures for implementing policies and the enforcing applicable regulations; Create Compliance Guidelines for the regulated industry and assure that all staff involved in implementing policies and procedures are appropriately trained.
• Manage supervisory and office staff of the Bureau of Food Safety ensuring the programs, procedures, processes, publications, and training materials are accurate, relevant, and updated as required and that the programs are provided with proper resources including properly trained staff.
• Represent the Department and Bureau at high level departmental, inter-agency and extra-agency meetings as necessary, respond to elected officials and other stakeholders as needed, and provide training and workshops for the regulated community.
• Manage emergency preparedness and response for food-related emergencies, (such as outbreaks of listeria, salmonella, or other food hazards), collaborating with senior management to provide expert opinion in field operation and deployment of staff.
• Participate in the periodic revision of the New York City Health Code to ensure it remains aligned with current food safety science, best practices in the field, applicable city, state and federal laws, regulations, and guidance, and serves to protect and promote the health of all New Yorkers.

Preferred Skills

The Senior Director must possess excellent leadership skills and be able to implement new strategies and protocols as well as have the knowledge to detect when current procedures needing improvement in a large and complex field staff operation. This includes knowledge of how both field and office staff should perform, the ability to take appropriate disciplinary action, when necessary, as well as the knowledge and ability to:

• Interpret and enforce rules and regulations.
• Complete statistical analysis and use data to drive decisions.
• Write and communicate effectively with staff and the public.
• Excellent interpersonal skills (including conflict resolution).
• Good motivational skills (including coaching and performance management)

Why you should work for us

• Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:

• o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
• o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position's associated union/benefit fund.
• o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
• o a tax-deferred savings program and o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.

• Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
• Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Additional information

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC.

We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives.

As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

Qualifications & Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by 30 credits in the eh biological and/or physical sciences, and four years of satisfactory full-time experience performing inspections to assure compliance with pertinent laws, rules and regulations governing the areas of food, drugs, and general environmental sanitation, eighteen months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or in supervising staff performing food, drug and general environmental sanitation inspectors or related work; or
• An associate degree from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by 12 credits in the biological and/or physical sciences, and six years of satisfactory full-time experience as described in question "1" above; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However all candidates must have at least 60 credits from an accredited college or university, including 12 credits in the biological and/or physical sciences, and at least two years of experience as a public health sanitarian, including or supplemented by eighteen months of experience in an administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory capacity as described in "1" or "2" above.