STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Health Program Associate (35 Hour)

Hybrid

Recruitment #230605-4406HC-001

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Introduction


THE POSITION
The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH), is currently seeking a qualified individual for the position of Health Program Associate. 

The Health Program Associate will provide support to the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Hospital Preparedness Program. This position will have the opportunity to: play a key role in ensuring and enhancing healthcare system preparedness in the state of Connecticut; develop federal grant applications which will support all HPP activities; develop contract language and budgets for contracts that support the operation of the statewide healthcare coalition, long-term care mutual aid program, and other key facets of the HPP; convene committees and workgroups with a wide array of partners, within and outside of state government, who are critical to healthcare preparedness, response, and resiliency; conduct site visits and interviews with healthcare preparedness coordinators in acute care hospitals to assess their readiness and advise them on any gaps; play an important role in supporting healthcare organizations during emergencies to coordinate state and federal resources when needed; and be a part of the on-call system and act as a DPH liaison at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC, or to fulfill operations, operations, planning or logistics roles in the department’s Emergency Command Center during declared emergencies and disasters. 
 
Please note: this position funding ends on 6/30/2024.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • LOCATION: DPH Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR)
  • ADDRESS: 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT
  • WORK HOURS: Full-time, first shift, 35 hours per week
  • SCHEDULE: Typically Monday through Friday. There may be opportunities for flex schedule or teleworking, in accordance with State policies and based on operational needs. 
    • Incumbents will be required to work on weekends, during inclement weather or during night hours. 
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU 
  • To work for a Forbes top company: ‘Forbes’ State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
  • We offer a competitive benefits plan that includes healthcare coverage, a retirement plan as well as paid time off, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year. 
  • We encourage a strong work/life balance for all state employees. 
  • We offer opportunities for professional and personal growth. 
  • We have limitless areas for you to perform relevant and significant work.
DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO
  • Administer key aspects of the hospital preparedness program, including developing grant applications based on guidance and deliverables provided by federal funders; developing contract language and budgets, and monitoring and tracking contract deliverables and payments with vendors, healthcare providers, and other organizations;
  • Implement OPHPR policies to support all aspects of public health and healthcare systems preparedness and ensure integration of public health and healthcare activities within cross disciplinary health and medical planning;
  • Provide strategic guidance to the Connecticut Health Care Coalition and support the development and sustainment of the HCC to ensure they fulfill federal grant requirements and deliverables;
  • Coordinate with public health and healthcare organizations and other agencies and stakeholders in planning for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies affecting public health and healthcare services and systems;
  • Be a critical member of the OPHPR staff for the preparation of grant applications, preparing progress reports and completing of grant reporting requirements and to ensure the timely development and completion of work plans and budgets to support grant requirements and deliverables. The HPA will support the planning, training, exercising, operational readiness, evaluation, and ongoing development of the CT HCC and will provide technical assistance for their response activities according to their plans;
  • Work with other state agencies, such as the Connecticut Military Department, Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and others to ensure that statewide emergency management, and recovery plans address public health needs as identified under Emergency Support Function (ESF) 8. The HPA will convene committees and subcommittees of partners to advance healthcare preparedness and may represent OPHPR on national, regional, and statewide meetings and initiatives. 
ABOUT US 
The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state. 

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

DPH OPHPR assists Connecticut hospitals, health care systems and community partners to:
  • Enhance hospital and health care system emergency planning and response.
  • Integrate public and private sector medical planning and assets to increase preparedness, response, and surge capacity of hospitals and other health care facilities.
  • Improve infrastructure to help hospitals and health care systems prepare for public health emergencies.
Funds are administered by the OPHPR’s Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to fulfill these functions. HPP is affiliated with and supported by the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which provides leadership and funding through grants and cooperative agreements to states, territories, and eligible municipalities to improve surge capacity and enhance community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 
Please visit our 'Applicant Tips on How to Apply' page.

Please Note: In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited.  If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.

TO APPLY
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
  • You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
  • In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
  • This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
AFTER YOU APPLY 
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
  • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
CONNECT WITH US 
  • Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. 
  • Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Jensine Tran at jensine.tran@ct.gov. 

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state health program or project, this class is accountable for performing high level work in the implementation and coordination of the non-clinical aspects of health care programs or projects.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

The specific duties and responsibilities of this generic class vary widely depending on the nature of the program and the current stage in its life cycle. Typical examples of duties include the following: serves as regional coordinator for a statewide health program or project with responsibility for developing and maintaining appropriate programs, projects and liaisons in their assigned regions; participates in planning, organization and implementation of a statewide health program by having responsibility for major components of program such as staffing, work assignment and distribution decisions; initiates and oversees public relations efforts; establishes and maintains relationships involved in program within agency and with other state, community or public agencies; assists division head in expediting program; prepares comprehensive reports on planning and progress of program; develops objectives so program functions within cost estimates; analyzes, evaluates and interprets data; advises and participates in formulation of task forces within or outside agency and coordinates activities so program is successfully accomplished; works with federal, state and community agencies on new, proposed or revised programs to clarify or develop objectives, determine method of integrating programs in agency operations and establish cost estimates; provides technical assistance to community agencies; assists in drafting of legislation and regulations; gathers fiscal and programmatic data on programs and participates in planning budget and programmatic aspects of program; may also be assigned to conduct health planning, program monitoring and grants management for particular programs; may be involved in approval of grants or projects; may speak publicly about program issues and develop information for public distribution; performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of purposes, plans, objectives and programs of public health agencies including changing patterns of preventive medicine and environmental health; considerable knowledge of relationships between risk factors and evidence of health problems; considerable knowledge of changing aspects of social-medical philosophies; knowledge of research and evaluation design methodologies; knowledge of state and community organizations and programs involved in field of public health and medical care; considerable oral and written communication skills; interpersonal skills; considerable ability to plan, organize and direct a complex technical program; ability to analyze, evaluate and interpret data; ability to lead and train staff.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Seven (7) years of professional experience in a health organization.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in health care program administration, a health systems agency or other health care organization in at least one of the following areas: 

1. grant writing or monitoring; 
2. formal program planning, development, management or evaluation; 
3. program consultation; 
4. public relations activities. 

For State Employees this is interpreted at the level of Health Program Assistant 2. 

Note: A health care organization is defined as a large multi-dimensional agency with responsibility for developing health programs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
2. A Master's degree in health education, hospital administration, public administration, public health or other closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
3. For State Employees one (1) year as a Health Program Assistant 2 may substitute for the General and Special Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience with grant writing including a proven track record of managing competing grant priorities, and experience reporting performance data to funders
  • Experience developing contract language and budgets, as well as monitoring and tracking contract deliverables and payments with vendors, healthcare providers, and other organizations
  • Experience effectively delivering products efficiently under tight deadlines and strict grant guidance and program requirements and in collaboration with other preparedness grant funding organizations (e.g. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, or other sources of preparedness funding from states or non-governmental organizations
  • Experience using written and verbal communication skills to present complex information to a variety of audiences (ranging  from subject matter experts to the general public) by utilizing  a variety of formats (written documents such as formal memoranda and letters for internal and external partners, web pages, powerpoint slides, oral presentations, etc) 
  • Experience with the operation of state government and its interactions with local and federal governments and non-governmental entities
  • Experience convening committees and workgroups, comprised of an array of partners, including state agencies, hospitals and other health care organizations, local health agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesses, as well as diverse population groups, to advance healthcare preparedness
  • Experience with the National Incident Management System, appropriate training and exercises and procedures including the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, and experience working in an emergency operations center

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.





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