The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.  

• Application Opening: Thursday, September 26, 2024 

• Application Deadline: Submit applications by Tuesday, October 1, 2024 12PM PDT to be considered for the first-round review

• Salary: 0955 Deputy Director V (https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=0955)  (Range A Salary between $226,798 and $289,380) 

• Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/role-types/)  

• Recruitment ID: PEX-0955-EXEMPT 

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services. 

The Chief Health Equity Officer provides visionary leadership and strategic direction to advance health equity initiatives across the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The Chief Health Equity Officer oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of health equity focused programs and policies, ensuring alignment with the department’s mission to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for all communities, especially underserved populations.  

The Chief Health Equity Officer drives change management and program design, balancing community needs with the pace of government system changes. Responsibilities include overseeing the Office of Health Equity (OHE) functions, supervising and managing OHE staff and services, representing the Department in equity work, consulting on equity policies, and developing and coordinating efforts to reduce health disparities. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Strategic leadership and vision 

• Identify health disparities and root causes that lead to disparities 

• Data analysis and metric development  

• Cross Departmental Coordination and integration of health disparity work 

• Clear Communication and transparency 

• Evaluation and accountability 

• Community engagement 

• Cultural and organizational change management

• Speak, teach and consult on issues of racism and other ideological and structural sources of inequity 

• Investigates the role of structural, institutional and interpersonal inequity including racism in determining current health conditions

1. EDUCATION: Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;  

AND 

2. EXPERIENCE: Four (4) years of experience managing multiple department-level divisions or functions in a healthcare or social services organization, of which all must include experience supervising professionals. 

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of two (2) years. One year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units. 

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted. 

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience (one year if performed full-time at 40 hours per week).  

The most competitive applicants will have: 

• Deep expertise in delivering healthcare and public health services to vulnerable populations. 

• Comprehensive understanding of federal, state, and local regulations governing healthcare and public health activities. 

• Exceptional sensitivity and judgment in handling complex, specialized proposals and challenging decisions. 

• Proficient in the GARE model for racial and utilizing LEAN tools for effective planning and communication. 

• Skilled in analyzing policies and programs through an equity lens, facilitating collaboration among diverse staff to create unified strategies and allocate resources. 

• Adept at engaging with diverse communities to set priorities and drive planning efforts. 

• Experience in measuring and analyzing health disparities and implementing interventions that reduce identified disparities

• Ability to provide strong leadership skills and develop leadership skills in staff 

• Proven track record in mentoring, developing, and coaching staff

• Understanding of healthcare access, population initiatives and experience in value-based care, quality improvement programs

• Focus on health equity, digital health, community engagement

• Experience working with social determinants of health and health equity

• Demonstrated knowledge of past success in applying health equity concepts to an organization’s operations in a meaningful, results-driven way

• Professional experience with team building and organizational change management

• Demonstrated experience in the evaluation of existing and proposed policies to ensure public health strategies are inclusive to close the gap in health status

• Experience partnering with senior leadership on strategic initiatives

• Masters in healthcare administration, business administration, public health administration

• Master’s degree in a clinical discipline and MD or RN preferred

Important Note: Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

How to apply: 

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.  

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link.  

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address.  

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.  

DPH Health Critical Requirements and Information: (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp) Please review the following policies regarding DPH employment requirements that safeguard yourself and others.  

• COVID-19 Policies (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)   

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)  

• Medical Examination Prior to Hiring (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)  

• Electronic Health Record (EHR) (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)  

• Licensure/Certification/Registration (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)  

• Note on ICARE (https://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/jobs/requirements.asp)   

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:  

• Information about the Hiring Process (https://sfdhr.org/information-about-hiring-process)   

• Conviction History (https://sfdhr.org/conviction-history-faq)   

• Employee Benefits Overview (https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview)   

• Equal Employment Opportunity (https://sfdhr.org/equal-employment-opportunity)   

• Disaster Service Workers (https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers)  

• Reasonable Accommodation (https://careers.sf.gov/accommodations/)  

• Right to Work (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#identification)  

• Copies of Application Documents (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#copies)  

• Diversity Statement (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#diversitystatement)  

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Marielle Saldajeno at marielle.saldajeno@sfdph.org or (628) 271-6820.  

We may use text messaging to communicate with you on the phone number provided in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging. 

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.