Overview
About this Role
Job Summary
This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by creating customer focused solutions that are responsive and agile; supporting a modern infrastructure, tools, architecture, and standards; to effectively provide efficient services following service level agreements. The Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) leverages data and technology to create sustainability across CDPH by creating efficient solutions that meet customer expectations and reduce waste. As well as creating innovative solutions, strengthening partnerships and collaborations, and embracing technology.
All California Department of Public Health (CDPH) employees perform work that is of the utmost importance, where each employee is important in supporting and promoting an environment of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, essential to the delivery of the department’s mission. All employees are valued and should understand that their contributions and the contributions of their team members derive from different cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences, supporting innovations in public health services and programs for California.
The competencies required for this position are found on the classification specification for the classification noted above. Classification specifications are located on the California Department of Human Resource’s Job Descriptions webpage.
Key Responsibilities
25% Organizational IT Policy, Oversight & Strategic Leadership – Responsible for formulating or administering organizational information technology policies and programs and planning, organizing, and directing the work of ITSD technology branches or units. Guide and oversee the development and elaboration of plans and artifacts to obtain internal and external project approval. Responsible for the oversight of ITSD branch and projects while aligning with technological modernization strategies in support of CDPH programs.
25% Portfolio Governance Leadership, Strategy & Framework Ownership – Lead development, administration, and enforcement of the enterprise IT Portfolio governance framework including, policies, standards, stage gates, and decision-making criteria. Maintain and continuously improve the IT Project Portfolio governance framework by managing revision cycles, updating governance components, and coordinating stage-gate activities. Collaborate with ePMO managers and the Portfolio Manager to plan, organize, and direct branch-level governance functions aligned with modernization strategies. Oversee PAL/PDL application, governance checkpoints, artifact quality, and compliance with CDT requirements. Direct creation, maintenance, and improvement of enterprise project management standards, policies, and procedures. Integrate governance decisions with enterprise change management impacts, ensuring readiness for high-visibility IT initiatives. Establish this role as the enterprise owner of the IT Project Portfolio governance framework, distinct from operational execution performed by subordinate roles and that governance responsibilities here apply specifically to the enterprise IT Project Portfolio rather than operational IT units.
20% IT Project Oversight, Planning, Execution & Governance Controls – Ensure IT projects comply with PMI, CA-PMF (SIMM 17), PAL/PDL (SIMM 19), and CDPH governance standards. Lead PAL lifecycle development and coach teams on full, alternative, or abbreviated CDT-approved pathways. Oversee project expenditures aligned with CDPH mission and program needs. Train project managers in governance, SDLC, Agile, risk/issue management, forecasting, and reporting. Manage schedules, scope, and budgets across multiple projects. Monitor legislative bill analyses, BCP alignment, and control-agency reporting. Promote continuous improvement and standardized practices that strengthen project management maturity. Establish that this oversight is strategic and governance-focused, not technical system management.
15% Enterprise Portfolio Analysis, Health Measurement, Risk Insights & Executive Reporting – Define, collect, and maintain enterprise IT Project Portfolio health, performance, and maturity metrics. Build dashboards, analytics, and visualizations for executives, governance boards, oversight agencies, and stakeholders. Conduct capacity assessments, demand analyses, dependency mapping, and bottleneck identification. Evaluate investment prioritization, balancing, and enterprise tradeoffs across CDPH programs. Identify systemic risk patterns and establish thresholds, mitigation strategies, and escalation paths. Own and advance the PMO toolset roadmap, including AI-enabled and automated capabilities supporting forecasting, reporting, intake, planning, and decision-making. Establish exclusive authority for interpreting and communicating portfolio health with technical production handled by the ITS III role.
10% PAL/PDL Governance, Cross-Agency Integration & Strategic Alignment – Oversee PAL/PDL governance performance and ensure smooth lifecycle progression across the IT Project Portfolio. Lead PAL/PDL forecasting, throughput analysis, cycle-time analytics, and approval monitoring. Implement process improvements; coach teams on CDT governance requirements and best practices. Coordinate PAL/PDL dependencies across projects and platform initiatives; escalate enterprise-level risks as needed. Maintain strategic partnerships with California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) and CDT beyond core PAL/PDL compliance. Lead documentation, briefings, and preparation for governance engagements, investment reviews, and statewide portfolio activities. Establish that this role is the primary agency liaison to state control agencies for portfolio governance matters.
5% Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
All employees shall possess the general qualifications, as described in California Code of Regulations Title 2, Section 172, which include, but are not limited to integrity, honesty, dependability, thoroughness, accuracy, good judgment, initiative, resourcefulness, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.
Conflict of Interest (COI)
Background Check and/or Fingerprinting Clearance
Medical Clearance
Travel: Up to 5% travel to Richmond, California to conduct onsite project oversight activities.
Bilingual: Pass a State written and/or verbal proficiency exam in
License/Certification:
Other:
About California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
CDPH works to protect the public's health in the Golden State and helps shape positive health outcomes for individuals, families and communities. The Department's programs and services, implemented in collaboration with local health departments and state, federal and private partners, touch the lives of every Californian and visitor to the state 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our Shared Vision
CDPH public health professionals, researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses, and other staff members have a shared vision to protect and improve the health of all Californians. We are dedicated to public service and passionate about our work and the people and communities we serve and protect.
Diversity Statement
At 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.
Apply Now: https://bit.ly/4zraiOB
