Within the Department of Social and Health Services or the Department of Health,

1. Manages a specific public health program,
2. Provides support and direction to public and private agencies on the management and administration of public health programs,
3. Leads professional/technical staff in a public health program or survey team of public health or,
4. Serves as a technical specialist on public health issues.

For purposes of this class series, a public health program involves those activities oriented toward the protection of the citizens by preventing illness or mortality with exposure to environmental hazards.

Positions at this level fall into one of four categories:

1. Manages a public health program and plans, develops, organizes, directs and evaluates the program activities. 
2. Provides support and direction to local health departments, health and personal care providers and/or other public and private agencies regarding the planning, management, administration and evaluation of public health programs, including, but not limited to:  the development of program models, provisions of administrative management support, or performance audits of locally administered public health programs.
3. Leads lower-level professional/technical staff in a public health program or a survey team. 
4. Performs as a technical specialist by providing three or more of the following functions:

• Provides consultation, direction and evaluation on technical components, concerns, policies, regulations and procedures regarding public health program to professional public health staff.
• Develops statewide technical public health standards, regulations and guidelines. 
• Trains professional public health staff in technical public health areas.
• Convenes, directs and coordinates the activities of a technical public health committee. 
• Evaluates and determines the technical public health merits of a product or process for statewide implementation. 
• Technical reviews of institutional and facility construction plans and provides support and direction to industry representatives on technical public health issues. 
• Serves as an expert on technical public health issues at legal proceedings.

With assistance from supervisor is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating an environmental health program in an area such as air quality, chemical hazards, drinking water, food protection, groundwater protection, hazardous waste, health care facilities, injury control, institutional facilities, noise, personal living environments, shellfish protection, solid waste, toxic substances, vector control, wastewater, and water recreational facilities; establishes and monitors program objectives and priorities;

Directs development and implementation of a management information system to monitor administrative and program activities in local health agencies;

Provides administrative consultation to health officers and/or local directors of environmental health on matters relating to their responsibility for conducting environmental health programs, including such issues as: program evaluation and prioritization, problem identification and analysis, resource planning and allocation, personnel recruiting, compensation and classification, administrative organization, and operation;

Directs and participates in periodic review of local health departments and the State Board of Health rules and regulations related to an environmental health program and directs the development of revisions and additions;

Reviews and evaluates the technical merits of a product, process or facility construction plan;

Conducts administrative and program audits and prepares reports; develops program standards and plans; and prepares other materials designed to improve the effectiveness of the administration of local environmental health programs;

Receives direction from superiors and passes it on to subordinates on a survey team or in an environmental health program; reviews staff reports and recommendations to provide uniform interpretation of applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures;

Plans, organizes, and coordinates research, special studies, and/or training;

Performs other work as required.

Knowledge of: principles, practices, organization and objectives of environmental health and sanitation; Federal and State laws and State Board of Health regulations relating to environmental health and sanitation; principles and practices of program administration, personnel supervision and training; new developments in the field of environmental health; principles of planning and evaluation.

Ability to: analyze administrative practices and program function; determine training needs; plan and conduct training programs; coordinate planning and evaluation activities; speak and write effectively; travel frequently and for extended periods.

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position.

Persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. under federal law, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless prohibited by other state or federal law.

A Master's degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in natural or physical science and four years of professional experience in public health, including three years in a consultative, supervisory, administrative or advisory capacity. 

OR

A Bachelor's degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in natural or physical science and six years of professional experience in public health, including three years in a consultative, supervisory, administrative or advisory capacity.

OR

A Doctoral degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science and two years of professional experience in public health in a consultative, supervisory, administrative or advisory capacity, or in post doctoral research in a public health discipline.

General revision: 2-1-69
Revised minimum qualifications: 3-1-69
General revision: 9-1-69
Deleted NOTE: 1-14-83
Revised definition and add distinguishing characteristics: 7 15 82
Revised definition and distinguishing characteristics: 3-3-86
Revised definition, distinguishing characteristics, minimum qualifications, title change (formerly Advisory Sanitarian 3) and general revision: 9-18-89
New class code: (formerly 62240) effective July 1, 2007

Revised Legal Requirements; effective June 6, 2024, due to adopted legislative action.