The County of San Mateo is currently seeking highly qualified applicants for the position of Chief of Health.
The Position
The Chief of Health holds a crucial executive position within the County and the broader San Mateo County healthcare community. As Chief, you will lead a diverse workforce of healthcare staff committed to helping County residents live longer and better lives.
Reporting to the County Executive, the Chief has responsibility for the development, operation, coordination, integration, and implementation of all of the County's health services and public health functions, and providing leadership for many cross-cutting initiatives. The Chief is the lead person within the County for determining strategic direction and priorities related to meeting the County's health mission and mandates and establishing external relationships to maximize collaboration with other providers and stakeholders who influence the health of the community.
In addition to championing the County’s vision for a healthy and prosperous community, the new Chief will also be highly committed to the well-being and development of its workforce.
Ideal Characteristics
Ideally, the next Chief will also possess the following characteristics:
- A passionate leader with a clear vision for the future of the organization that is balanced with realism.
- A thorough understanding of the department, its services, and its functions including health care delivery services provided in partnership with the Health Plan of San Mateo or similar managed care organizations and services focused on population health.
- Astuteness in resolving controversial issues in a participatory and effective manner with a leadership style that quickly fosters trust, loyalty, respect, commitment, and partnership from the community, staff, and other county departments.
- The ability to coach and inspire a highly skilled staff engaged in providing a diverse array of health services as well as driving health policy changes.
- A commitment to personal learning and development, while encouraging the same in others.
- Expertise in partnering with and addressing inequities and systemic problems and barriers facing diverse low-income communities served by health departments.
- A visionary who understands and is experienced in responding to the challenges and opportunities facing California health care delivery systems and proactively develops practical yet innovative solutions.
- Experience in directing and improving operations of a health system by applying Lean and/or similar leadership, improvement, and management systems and continuous learning methodologies.
- A collaborator and consensus-builder who can mobilize a public agency in response to a crisis and partner with state and other local agencies in meeting community needs.
- Effectiveness in working with diverse groups of stakeholders and in lifting up the voices of those with lived experience.
- Success in developing, implementing, and monitoring a large complex budget comprised of diverse health funding streams, patient care/delivery systems, and population health expenditures and programs.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with strong abilities to collaborate effectively with staff, community partners, and stakeholders.
Challenges and Opportunities
- Serve as lead spokesperson on health issues related to the County's system of care and community health and as the County’s liaison to key stakeholders in negotiating an effective health care network.
- Maintain a management structure for all departments under the Chief’s purview that maximizes integration, effectiveness, and efficiency of service delivery.
- Direct and monitor a strategic planning process to map out the County's health priorities, policies, services, and population health initiatives.
- Continue to meet financial targets established by the County Executive.
- Assure that all essential public health functions are carried out appropriately.
- Provide regular reports to the County Executive and County Board of Supervisors on progress in meeting objectives of the strategic plan.
- Direct efforts with major partners, including the Health Plan of San Mateo and the State of California, to maximize opportunities for innovation and efficiency, while maximizing the ability of the County's health system to meet its obligations.
- Advocate for patients and communities served by assuring that the mission of the health services system is being met.
- Serve as a key leader within the County's Executive team to contribute to the County's key responsibilities and accountabilities to its residents.
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
Education: Equivalent to a master's degree in Public Administration, Public Health, Public Policy, and/or Business Administration, or in a related field from an accredited college or university.
Experience: Five years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a multi-faceted health organization and/or healthcare system.
Application/Examination
To apply for this exciting career opportunity, the following materials must be submitted online at https://jobs.smcgov.org .
- Resume
- A detailed Cover Letter that summarizes both your relevant qualifications and your executive leadership experience in healthcare
The examination process for this recruitment will consist of an Application Screening, and a multi-layered interview process. Applicants must successfully pass the Application Screening to move forward to the interview process. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. The Chief of Health is an unclassified position.
The deadline to submit your application is 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
For any questions, please contact Lisa Yapching at lyapching@smcgov.org.
Tentative Recruitment Timeline
Final Filing Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
Application Screening: Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Video Interviews: Thursday, October 10, 2024, and/or Friday, October 11, 2024
In-Person Interviews: Week of October 21, 2024
Finalist Interviews: Week of October 28, 2024
