Director, Public Health

General Description

POSTING TYPE: Open Competitive
DEPARTMENT: Public Health
HOURS: Full-time
PREFERRED HIRING RANGE: $124,278 - $139,813/annually (Salary Grade 113)
FULL SALARY RANGE: $124,278 - $194,184/annually
LOCATION: In-person at the Northern Service Center, West St. Paul, MN
UNION: None
CLOSE DATE: Open until filled with first review of applications on 2/19/2025

Dakota County employs over 2,000 skilled individuals whose talents and contributions make Dakota County a premier place to live and work. The work County government does is unique. Dakota County offers important careers- the kind of careers that make a difference in people’s lives.

Dakota County welcomes and is inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and perspectives. The County aims to reflect the community and clients it serves and fosters an equitable and respectful working environment where everyone is empowered to be their authentic selves.

The Public Health Director serves as the Community Health Services Administrator for the County, providing strategic leadership in directing, planning, and implementing comprehensive public health services to achieve the County’s vision for protecting and promoting the health of the residents of the County. The responsibilities include the overall administration of disease prevention and control, emergency medical services, environmental health, family health, health promotion, and public health preparedness. In addition, the Public Health Director is on the senior leadership team of the Community Services Division.

To view additional information for the Director of Public Health, please click here (Download PDF reader).

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Public Health or a related field AND
• Five years of progressively responsible management and supervisory experience in a large, public health organization.

• An equivalent combination of education and experience of 11 years or more.

Duties & Responsibilities

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position’s management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

1. Provide leadership in establishing and achieving an integrated service delivery vision for public health and the broader Community Services Division in Dakota County.
2. Actively participate in and contribute to the divisional and departmental leadership teams.
3. Provide leadership to support effective personnel management practices. Directly supervise the Public Health leadership team including deputy directors and administrative manager.
4. Oversee the preparation and administration of the annual departmental budget, fiscal and program activity reporting, and comprehensive community health assessment and planning processes.
5. Responsible for the effective and efficient management of resources allocated to the department.
6. Research, prepare and present executive summaries and recommendations.
7. Analyze and evaluate program performance and manage change necessary to continually improve the delivery and outcomes of department programs and services.
8. Manage the development and maintenance of effective Public Health policies and practices.
9. Assure collaboration and coordination of services and programs with other County departments, community organizations, and local, state and federal agencies.
10. Monitor, review and recommend legislative initiatives related to Public Health.
11. Represent Dakota County and the department in the community and on special committees and before governmental bodies.

Essential Job Functions: Duties 1 – 5 are essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities and Work Environment

• Ability to inspire others to achieve results by promoting involvement, participation and cooperation.
• Makes the vision shareable, tangible, and operational by everyone in the department.
• Ability to support and encourage employees in fully developing their knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Ability and skill to effectively organize, direct and coordinate the activities of professional and administrative support personnel.

• Demonstrated skills in analyzing project needs and in preparing long-range and strategic responses to meeting these needs.
• Demonstrated skills in analyzing, preparing and managing comprehensive department budgets.
• Ability to analyze and change existing processes to reduce process time and resource requirements while continuing to conform to customer requirements.

• Ability to create and support effective working relationships within and between departments, divisions, and outside agencies.
• Ability to identify and effectively respond to changing customer needs, interests and requirements.

• Ability to effectively present analysis and recommendations through spoken and written communications.
• Ability to effectively conduct meetings and public forums.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work through complex systems.

• Ability to plan, implement and evaluate programs, systems, policies and procedures.
• Ability to understand trends and interpret research that may affect the provisions of services.
• Ability to establish departmental objectives and performance measures as well as communicate, support and evaluate the achievement of those objectives and measures.

• Comprehensive knowledge of principles, techniques, and laws related to the field of Public Health.
A working knowledge of computers and information systems.