JC-508700 – Section Chief

Overview

The Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) promotes public health policy priorities and supports CDPH capabilities for community health improvement, informed policy development, research and analysis, integrated planning, decision intelligence, lean transformation, and grants management.  The OPP leads comprehensive assessment, long term strategic and health improvement planning to address current and emerging cross-cutting public health and equity priorities, conducts policy analysis, monitoring and impact evaluation, cultivates partnerships with health systems, academic partners and other sectors; facilitates accountability for effective and efficient public health infrastructure funding, supports organizational capacity building to foster a culture that encourages learning continuous improvement, and empowerment of CDPH staff.

CDPH is an E-Verify Employer

The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year.
Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov

If new to California state service, you will need to have taken and passed the examination for this classification in order to be hired for this position. If you are a current state employee, but do not have transfer eligibility or list eligibility, you will need to have taken and passed the examination for this classification in order to be hired for this position. Please go to CalHR’s website to review the exam bulletin: https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=1204

The Health Program Manager (HPM) II (Supervisory), Policy Section Chief, provides policy expertise and leads the Policy Section team to perform complex projects that advance strategic public health policy and address urgent and priority public health needs. The Section Chief will lead the development of a public health policy agenda and collective action initiatives integral to the State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan (SHA/SHIP) process. This process identifies the landscape of public health and the status of California at a population and systems level and establishes shared priorities and strategies for statewide health improvement, with an emphasis on health disparities, social determinants, equity, and cross-cutting intradepartmental work.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and supervision for the Policy Section, including hiring, performance management, staff development, and administrative oversight.

• Lead development and implementation of a statewide public health policy agenda aligned with the State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan (SHA/SHIP).

• Manage and direct complex projects and initiatives addressing urgent and priority public health issues, ensuring alignment with CDPH goals and objectives.

• Oversee funding and resource allocation from multiple streams to support staff, programs, and contracts, ensuring compliance with laws, grants, and regulations.

• Coordinate Departmental responses to proposed legislation, policies, and reports; analyze findings and advise CDPH leadership on implications and emerging issues.

• Facilitate strategic collaborations across CDPH programs, state agencies, local health jurisdictions, and community partners to advance collective impact and equity.

• Act as liaison on key policy issues with local, regional, state, and federal agencies; represent CDPH in hearings and provide legislative testimony.

• Oversee development of policy briefs, data briefs, reports, and action plans, including contributions to legislative updates and health equity plans.

• Promote innovation and best practices by identifying emerging models and strategies to address social determinants of health and expand public health capacity.

• Monitor stakeholder and policy landscapes to identify trends and opportunities; lead engagement strategies to maintain productive partnerships statewide.

Working Conditions

• Headquarters in Downtown Sacramento; telework may be available per CDPH policy.

• Occasional travel within California for meetings, hearings, and stakeholder engagement.

Employee Benefits

As a CDPH employee, you may participate in programs and services including:

• Retirement Program (CalPERS and SavingsPlus)

• Employee Wellness Program

• Resilience and Professional Development Webinars

• Mentoring Program

• Leadership Development Program

• CliftonStrengths Engagement

• 1:1 Coaching and Teambuilding

• Lean Training

• Employee Assistance Program

In July 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program (PLP) 2025. This program temporarily reduces employees’ monthly base pay in exchange for paid leave credits. This position is subject to PLP 2025 and will have a monthly base pay reduction of 3% in exchange for 5 hours of leave credits through June 2027. The salary ranges shown on this job posting do not reflect the salary reduction.

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework permitted is at the discretion of the Department and is subject to change, consistent with CDPH’s Telework Program. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.

Travel may be required for this position. Reimbursement for travel takes into consideration an employee’s designated headquarters, as reflected in the duty statement, and is subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the designated headquarters office will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER II
Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate’s relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Demonstrated leadership experience managing complex policy programs and multidisciplinary teams.
Expertise in developing public health policy and leading strategic planning efforts.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data and drive program improvements.
Exceptional communication skills for diverse audiences, including experience with legislative testimony and consensus-building.
In-depth knowledge of California’s legislative and budget processes and ability to navigate government systems.
Demonstrated experience leading collaborative efforts across programs, departments, and local stakeholders to achieve collective action.
Proven success in policy analysis and development initiatives, including creating issue briefs and actionable recommendations.
Comprehensive understanding of public health principles, including health equity, social determinants of health, and primary prevention.
How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.

https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=508700

At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.