NYC DEPT OF HEALTH/MENTAL HYGIENE
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:
1) 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
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) 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 New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is a public health leader serving over 8.4 million New York City residents from diverse ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. The NYC Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is one of the largest local public health laboratories in the United States offering a dynamic and innovative work environment where employees contribute to the health and safety of NYC residents by providing clinical and environmental laboratory testing services. With more than 100 years of leadership in public health, a team of over 200 scientific and support staff are committed to its mission to safeguard the health of all NYC residents by providing quality laboratory testing services that support the priorities of the NYC DOHMH and its community partners to prevent and respond to clinical and environmental public health concerns.
The DOHMH PHL seeks a qualified candidate to serve as an Associate Laboratory Microbiologist I. This position will play an integral role in laboratory testing and responding to public health threats, including but not limited to COVID-19, vaccine preventable diseases, HIV, Legionella as well as respiratory, foodborne, and waterborne disease outbreaks. This is an excellent opportunity to join our multidisciplinary team, and collaborate with local, state, federal, and academic partners.
DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Assist laboratory supervisors with routine laboratory operations and administrative tasks.
Perform high and moderate complexity laboratory testing and procedures on clinical and environmental specimens submitted to the PHL.
Use manual and automated methods and specialized instrumentation within the BSL-2 laboratory and high containment laboratory (BSL-3).
Generate reports, keep records, and perform tasks related to laboratory testing.
Cross-train in various methods and techniques across PHL to assist with routine and surge events as needed.
Perform and/or provide oversight of administrative functions in the laboratory.
Use the Laboratory Information System to perform data entry, queries, and verify testing results.
Maintain laboratory supplies and equipment using the PHL inventory tracking system or alternative system when implemented.
Assist lab supervisors in maintaining a program of quality control, participating in a program of quality assurance, and taking corrective action when needed.
Maintain and monitor general and unit specific program of biosafety and infection control.
Minimum Qual Requirements
1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional, or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) with a major in the biological, chemical, or physical sciences or medical technology, and one year of experience as a microbiologist performing at the technician or higher level in a clinical or environmental laboratory setting; or
2. An associate degree in medical technology, or sixty college credits from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional, or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) including six credits in mathematics and six credits in either chemistry or biology
and three years of experience as described in “1” above; or
3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization plus any combination of college education and experience described in “1″ or “2” above to make up the equivalent of five years of education and experience. One year of experience credit will be given for each 30 semester credits of college education which includes at least 3 credits in mathematics and at least 3 credits in either chemistry or biology. However, all candidates must have at least one year of acceptable experience as described in “1” above.
Additional Information
**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”
To Apply
Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/. In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number # 574993.
We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
The NYC Health Department is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply.
All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest; or any other basis prohibited by law.
NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate in your resume that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.
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 in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County.
Due to the current State of Emergency in the City of New York for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Laboratory Microbiologist and Associate Laboratory Microbiologist titles do not have a residency requirement. When the State of Emergency ends, candidates have 6 months to move to New York City to comply with the residency requirement. AMENDED **
To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
To apply for this job please visit a127-jobs.nyc.gov.