Program Assistant, Nutrition Education, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:

• To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
• Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
• Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
• Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change
  
  

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

Program And Job Description

The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention (BCDP) strives to reduce the burden of chronic disease, including heart disease, obesity, and cancer, among New Yorkers. We work to address the impact of structural racism and other injustices that are a root cause of the inequitable prevalence, treatment and outcomes of chronic diseases in communities of color and among other marginalized communities. BCDP focuses on nutrition, tobacco use, the built environment, screening for cancer, and reducing the incidence and impact of hypertension. BCDP works with partners in government and the community to employ evidence-based policies, programs, communications and research aimed at shifting environments, changing systems and promoting health equity. The Bureau sits within the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness.

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of a public health emergency as deemed by the agency (public health outbreak, natural disaster, etc.), employees may be mandated to assume an emergency response role. In these rare instances and when notified, staff will be re-assigned from their regular day-to-day duties as noted in the job description to take on another role considered assignment and must be prepared to be called upon promptly. The Healthy Eating Unit within the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention is seeking to hire a Program Assistant to perform clerical and administrative tasks in support of the SNAP-Ed funded Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings program (EWPHCCS).

The Program Assistant will be a key member of a large team and will support the activities of EWPHCCS, a nutrition education intervention administered by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) initiative. The Program Assistant will report to the Nutrition Education Program Coordinator.

Duties Will Include But Not Be Limited To

• Improve community services by planning and supporting nutrition education program staff as they prepare for program implementation.
• Plan and coordinate activities to improve community service by maintaining and tracking program supplies and related paperwork appropriately; performing liaison functions between program staff, relevant agency colleagues and external vendors and partners to ensure supplies and inventory are maintained appropriately.
• Perform clerical operations to support community programs including:
• Obtaining price quotes for program supplies and establishing delivery schedules
• Tracking and filing purchasing paperwork and expenses
• Tracking petty cash usage and timesheet records for accuracy of information and for conformity with established program policy and procedures
• Tracking expenditures on program supplies
• Support community nutrition program evaluation by providing support for the collection, maintenance and data processing of program evaluation documents as directed by funders.
• Support clear communication of program updates with the team by attending team and partner meetings and recording and sharing minutes.
• Other duties, as needed to support the goals of the Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings grant.
• IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:
  
  

Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:

• A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.
• Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.
• Current Resume
• Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)
  
  

Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.

If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.

• LOAN FORGIVENESS
  
  

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.

"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”

“This position MAY be eligible for remote work up to two days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program.”

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATE - 56057

Minimum Qualifications

Qualification Requirements

• High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to duties described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" above.
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Candidate with clerical experience strongly preferred. - Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, creative thinking, and follow through. - Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both written and oral. - Knowledge and experience working with the Microsoft Suite, including PowerPoint and Excel. - Interest or experience in nutrition or food related programming and initiatives. - Awareness of health inequities gained through experience in a personal, professional, volunteer, or academic capacity.
  
  

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.