Job Title: Director of Environmental Health

Department: Tohono O'odham Nation Health Care (TONHC)

Division: Environmental Health

Status: Exempt/Full-Time

Salary: $92,250.50 - $115,208.29/annual (DOE)

Position Summary:

The Director of Environmental Health Services (EHS) provides leadership and management within the Tohono O'odham Nation Health Care (TONHC), Clinical Services. The Director of EHS is the principle Professional Environmental Health Specialist representing the Tohono O’odham Nation and its Department of Health and Human Services. The Director of EHS will direct prevention strategies and recommendations for corrective interventions to promote health and minimize illness/injury impacted by environmental health matters. The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Medical Officer Administrator (Clinical Director).

Scope of Work:

The mission is to promote safe, reliable, effective, and economical use of resources and through the delivery of environmental health services to TONHC and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Program components will provide General and Institutional EH, Environmental Sustainability, and community Injury Prevention. Program emphases include: 1) routine and follow-up surveys of the built environment (homes and tribal facilities); 2) professional advice and technical consultation; 3) investigations for emergent/emergency issues such as food-borne illness and communicable disease outbreaks, indoor air quality, etc. 4) policy development; and 5) training.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Depending on the area of assignment, an incumbent may not be required to perform some of the duties listed below):

• Serve as the primary advisor on general environmental health, injury prevention, institutional health, and safety management programs.
• Provide consultation to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Medical Officers, Clinical Director, Tribal Health Directors, Nation staff, and EHS personnel on environmental health matters, including program priorities, performance improvement, and program plans.
• Coordinates and EHS Program through the EH staff to assure they can assess needs, plan, and implement a comprehensive program.
• Provide oversite to direct EHS on the Nation, including surveys of commercial, tribal, and private facilities, including food service operations, healthcare facilities, casinos, schools, head starts, and homes.
• Collaborate and consults with District staff in addressing or conducting special activities or investigations such as communicable disease outbreaks and rabies vaccinations clinics.
• Strives toward a holistic perspective and practice of environmental health by obtaining training and incorporating principles of environmental sustainability into all aspects of the EHS Program.
• Formulates and implements policies, programs, and procedures to administer projects/programs to prevent or mitigate environmental hazards, plans, and conducts environmental health education.
• Reviews analyses of morbidity and mortality data associated with environmentally related diseases and unintentional injuries and develops new (and revises existing) standards, methods, and procedures to develop, improve, and maintain environmental health programs administered by EHS staff.
• Resolves problems related to environmental health services investigates complaints and other incidents. Determines and advises actions to assure the availability of resources to meet program needs.
• Selects and assigns EHS personnel to affect maximum utilization of staff and funds.
• Plan, evaluate, develop, implement, and administer the Injury Prevention and Institutional Health Programs, including oversight of grant administration and performance management.
• Serve as a technical authority for surveillance, education, and control of foodborne, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases.
• Provide consultation for food and safety, home safety, moisture control (mold), sanitation, and vector control.
• Serve as the administrative authority on EHS data systems.
• Ensure maintenance and management of WebEHRS, WebCIDENT, and other program-specific systems. These management programs are available to tribes through IHS.
• Provides oversight to assure that the web-based EH reporting system (ex: WebEHRS) is up-to-date and effectively utilized. Ensures that EHS staff using WebEHRS to track facility-based activities and maintain current facilities required to calculate tribal shares.
• Collaborates and coordinates program activities with other staff and officials of the city, state, county, tribal, and federal agencies to achieve a comprehensive health program.
• Provide professional consultation regarding planning or renovation of community healthcare facilities.
• Communicate pertinent information on grants, training, and other relevant resources.
• Communicate as a representative of the Tribe with IHS and other EH agencies on program management, administration, and funding.
• Submits for hiring new staff and new projects.
• Communicate about potential emergencies or significant risks for staff.
• Provide direct supervision, program technical oversight, program expertise, professional consultation, etc.
• Provide technical consultation on accreditation (Environment of Care) and environmental health and occupational safety and health issues.
• Communicates the EHS program objectives to other departments as needed.
• Completes or reviews the annual Safety Management report, the annual EHS report, and annual WebEHRS workload calculations by tribe-required OSHA reporting documents (e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Injury and Illness Recording logs).
• Works with Tribal departments and Finance office on budgetary matters, contract modifications, Professional Service Agreements, and communicates/assists with contracts.
• Communicates EHS information to staff via meetings, emergency drills, investigation of OSHA incidents via WebCident, etc.
• Provide program updates and administrative information, including facilities inventories, proposed work plans, and program priorities.
• Maintain liaisons with national, state, tribal, county, and local health officials on environmental and public health matters relating to the Tribe, Pima County, and the State of Arizona and international border areas.
• Directly supervises the other EH Officers, including any subspecialty areas.
• Assign work to technical and administrative staff as necessary.
• Provide general policy and specific technical guidance.
• Holds meetings to provide additional guidance, obtain information about operations' status and discuss proposed plans or procedures to understand existing operational requirements.
• Evaluates performance; recommends promotional opportunities, quality increases, or other incentive awards (or penalities) as appropriate and writes letters of recommendation.
• Provides recruitment, evaluation, career planning, training, and related functions in assisting EHS staff.
• Approve leaves, resolve minor grievances, maintain discipline, negotiates Individual Development Plans, identify training requirements, and provide or request training for assigned personnel.
• Develop an affirmative action plan for the area supervised, including appropriate objectives and goals.
• Communicate with Human Resources regarding recruitment and selection of staff for positions.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the Tohono O’odham culture, customs, and traditions.
• Knowledge of public health and disease prevention with specific knowledge of environmental health practices to plan, organize and implement a comprehensive EH program for general and special populations: children, the elderly, special needs populations, and issues specific to Native Peoples intended to protect the general public health, welfare, and safety and emergency management.
• Knowledge of and ability to interpret and apply Tribal, State, Federal, and local codes, standards, ordinances, guidelines, and recommendations to provide technical advice regarding organizational objectives, environmental health, safety compliance, and policy development.
• Knowledge in conducting environmental health facility surveys, special environmental health investigations, develop effective environmental health training, and environmental health/injury prevention data analysis.
• Knowledge in a broad range of environmental health program elements includes injury prevention, environmental sustainability, institutional environmental health, epidemiology, environmentally-related communicable diseases, food safety, drinking water quality, waste management, vector control, occupational health and safety, and emergency preparedness, and indoor air quality.
• Knowledge of federal codes and standards relating to environmental health and protection (water quality, wastewater, air quality, hazardous materials, etc.) They should also know the agency's policies, procedures, and program goals as they relate to the provision of EHS.
• Knowledge, skills, and abilities to assess community EH needs, establish priorities and develop action plans.
• Knowledge of policies, procedures, and program goals of the agency to provide optimal EHS.
• Knowledge of financial and technical competence, use professional judgment on significant decisions with little or no supervisory guidance.
• Knowledge of basic epidemiology and statistics.
• Skill in operating computer programs for word processing, spreadsheet, database, PowerPoint presentation, statistical analysis, GPS, and other software used in the environmental health field.
• Skill in analyzing problems, projecting outcomes, identifying solutions, and implementing recommendations.
• Skill in providing superior customer service to external and internal customers.
• Ability to operate a tribal or government-owned, leased, or rented motor vehicle to conduct official duties.
• Ability to communicate environmental health findings, professional recommendations, and principles orally and in writing to a broad audience of professional disciplines.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships with other employees and the general public.
• Ability to maintain privileged, confidential information.
• Ability to work extended hours and various work schedules.
• Ability to work independently and meet strict timelines.