The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH)’s Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (BHHS) oversees the City’s response to viral hepatitis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Across a range of programs and through extensive collaboration with other parts of NYC DOHMH and external stakeholders, BHHS leads testing initiatives; prevention, care, and treatment programming; epidemiology and surveillance; research and evaluation; training and technical assistance; community engagement; social marketing; policy advocacy; and racial equity and social justice initiatives. BHHS has an opening fora Senior Project Officer who will play an important role in the NYC Health Department’s HIV testing and prevention initiative, New York Knows. New York Knows seeks to make HIV testing, with referral to care and prevention services, an integral part of the lives of all New Yorkers, while also promoting testing and screening for Hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections (STI).

The project officer will engage and collaborate with organizations, health care facilities, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and businesses to reach the goals of the initiative. The project officer will also provide technical assistance to partner agencies related to HIV testing and prevention. In addition, the project officer will also manage the Free Test Kits Program and participate in activities related to management of PHPC HIV testing records within Salesforce and additional projects for the HIV Planning Group (HPG),as needed. New York Knows re-launched its successful collaborative initiative in 2019 following the success of its first five years. Since 2008, the Health Department has engaged community partners through the Bronx, Brooklyn, and New York Knows program to promote HIV testing, prevention, and linkage to care. In 2020, NYK began to incorporate Hepatitis C and STIs into its efforts, which aligns with the recent merger and creation of the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STIs (BHHS).

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Lead a borough coalition to convene community partners to discuss HIV and other prevention services.
Lead ad hoc coalitions as identified by community to develop HIV prevention strategies for priority populations.
Establish and maintain working relationships with New York Knows community partners.
Coordinate, in collaboration with other project officers, the planning and execution of workshops and meetings for community partners.
Coordinate community testing events with other project officers and community partners.
Coordinate with the Prevention Research and Evaluation Unit to support the monitoring and evaluation of the initiative, including data collection and analysis, as well as event and programmatic evaluation.
Provide technical assistance and coordinate trainings to community partners on HIV testing, linking people living with HIV to care, and linking those who test negative for HIV to prevention services, as well as on Hepatitis C and STI screening and testing.
Collaborate with community partners to collect initiative data, including aggregate testing data, data from outreach events, and evaluation data from meetings and workshops.
Support and guide community partners in implementing prevention and testing programs and events.
Lead, plan, and manage the Free Test Kits Program, including monitoring and evaluating the impact of the initiative.
Oversee monitoring of Free Test Kit Program partner data, ensuring complete and timely reporting.
Support Free Test Kit Program partners in applying quality management approaches to assess and improve program services; and Work with Research and Evaluation Unit to assess the performance of Free Test Kit Program partners and provide performance feedback to them.
Serve as the HIV Prevention Partnerships lead in internal and external projects related to data management of HIV testing records, specifically in regard to Open Data and PHPC.
Participate in projects related to The HIV Planning Group, as needed.

PREFERRED SKILLS:
The candidate should have strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work with a variety of people including healthcare providers, faith leaders, and community members.
Professional working knowledge relating to HIV/AIDS and the history of the epidemic, epidemiological profile,
transmission, prevention treatment, and associated socio political issues, with specific expertise around women.
Candidates should have experience working with contracted agencies and providing capacity building assistance.
Candidate should be highly organized, with the ability to work on multiple projects concurrently.
Candidate should exhibit proficiency in Word, Excel, and Access. Experience with Salesforce is also highly encouraged.
Candidate should be comfortable navigating within and among diverse and inclusive, equity-based organizations, communities, institutions and groups with competing priorities.
The candidate should have the ability to lift up to 30 pounds, have a valid driver’s license, and work evenings and weekends for community events as needed.
Knowledge of social media and community engagement strategies area plus.

Why you should work for us:

- Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website (https://studentaid.gov/pslf/)
- Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
o a tax-deferred savings program and
o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
- Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
- Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of 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 social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at [email protected] or 347-396-6549.

CITY RESEARCH SCIENTIST - 21744

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

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.