Coleman Lew Canny Bowen

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Director of Public Health

Mecklenburg County

ORGANIZATION:
Mecklenburg County is home to over a million residents and the City of Charlotte. With 6.9 million residents within 100 miles, Mecklenburg County and Charlotte lie in the heart of a region that is the sixth largest urban area in the United States. Mecklenburg County has the largest population of any county in the State of North Carolina. The County includes the City of Charlotte; the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville (north of Charlotte); and the towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville (southeast and south of Charlotte). With a world-renowned park and recreation system, a range of professional and minor league sports teams, and diverse communities, people who come to Mecklenburg County find an energized downtown (also known as “Uptown”) and a variety of living options. This access has helped attract several Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies that bring millions of investment dollars into the local economy.

With an annual operating budget of $2.5 billion and over 6,000 employees, Mecklenburg County is a Council/Manager form of government, governed by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC is a nine-member board made up of representatives elected from six single-member districts, and three at-large representatives elected by the entire county. Mecklenburg County contains seven municipalities including the City of Charlotte.

As one of the largest counties in North Carolina, Mecklenburg County is recognized by Niche.com, a market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families, as one of the Best Counties for Families in North Carolina (#2), Best Counties for Young Professionals in North Carolina (#2), and Most Diverse Counties in North Carolina (#3). Mecklenburg County has also been recognized as one of the hottest housing markets in 2024 (#7) by Zillow.

For more information, please visit MeckNC.gov.

REPORTS/RELATIONSHIPS:
This position will report directly to ­­­­the Deputy County Manager.

BASIC FUNCTIONS:
The individual who occupies this position will direct all public health and environmental health activities of Mecklenburg County’s Public Health Department – one of four departments within the Consolidated Health and Human Services Agency. This key position is responsible for providing the vision and direction for all public health operations across multiple divisions including Clinical Services, Case Management and Health Partnerships, Population Health, Preventative Health, and Administrative Services. This individual provides significant leadership in and interaction with the community on issues related to public health and is the main spokesperson for the Department and the County on public health issues.

Specific duties will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

    • Administer programs as directed by the Health and Human Services Director/County Manager/BOCC.

    • Enforce the rules of the local board of health (which in Mecklenburg County is the BOCC) or the Health and Human Services Director/County Manager.

    • Investigate the causes of infectious, communicable, and other diseases.

    • Exercise quarantine authority and isolation authority pursuant to GS §130A-145.

    • Disseminate public health information and promote the benefits of good health.

    • Advise local officials concerning public health matters.

    • Enforce the immunization requirement of the General Statutes.

    • Examine and investigate cases of sexually transmitted disease pursuant to the General Statutes.

    • Examine and investigate cases of tuberculosis pursuant to the General Statutes.

    • Examine, investigate, and control rabies pursuant to the General Statutes.

    • Abate public health nuisances and imminent hazards pursuant to the General Statutes.

    • Employ and dismiss employees of the local health department in accordance with the General Statutes.

    • Serve as a cabinet member on the Executive Leadership Team.

    • Provide guidance on public health issues and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners, the County Manager, and the county at large.

    • Develop and implement strategic initiatives.

    • Set the tone, climate, and vision for the department or agency.

    • Assure that all federal, state, and county deliverables are met and review reports submitted by staff members to address inconsistencies and communicate efforts appropriately.

    • Deliver speeches, write articles, or present information at meetings or conventions to promote services, exchange ideas, or accomplish objectives.

    • Address questions and interact with media.

    • Interpret and explain policies, rules, regulations, or laws to organizations, government or corporate officials, or individuals.

    • Prepare or present reports concerning activities, expenses, budgets, government statutes or rulings, or other items affecting businesses or program services.

    • Serve as liaison between organizations, shareholders, and outside organizations.

    • Establish departmental responsibilities and coordinate functions among divisions and worksites.

    • Provide leadership in emergency preparedness response in the event of a pandemic, hurricane, flood, or other natural disaster/hazardous event.


REQUIREMENTS:

    • Minimum of ten years of public health experience, including three years of supervisory or departmental leadership experience at a leading county, state, or federal institution.

    • Bachelor’s degree in public health, public health administration, or a related field.

    • Master’s degree in public health or a related field preferred.

Knowledge of

    • Theory, principles, and practices of general and preventive medicine as related to public health administration and improvements, new innovations, techniques, and procedures into specialties that affect public health.

    • Laws, regulations, and policies that impact public health and ability to interpret same.

    • Business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Principles and processes for providing customer services; this includes assessment of customer needs, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

    • Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

    • Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

    • Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

    • Communicate effectively in writing and verbally, including excellent presentation skills to individuals or groups; delivering presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience.

Abilities

    • Aligning Performance for Success: focusing and guiding others in accomplishing work objectives.

    • Building Strategic Work Relationships: developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals.

    • Leading through Vision and Values: keeping the organization’s vision and values at the forefront of associate decision making and action.

    • Safety Intervention: having knowledge of conditions that affect patient, self, and/or employee safety under normal conditions and conditions that occur in crisis situations; skilled in identifying conditions that might cause health or safety hazards and takes action to remove such hazards; understands all aspects of providing a safe environment for patient, self, and/or others in crisis.

    • Strategic Decision Making: obtaining information and identifying key issues and relationships relevant to achieving a long-range goal or vision; committing to a course of action to accomplish a long-range goal or vision after developing alternatives based on logical assumptions, facts, available resources, constraints, and organizational values.


COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
A competitive salary based on experience will be offered for this position with generous benefits. Benefits include medical, dental, vision care, flexible spending accounts, short- and long-term disability, as well as basic and supplemental term life insurance. The selected candidate will be automatically enrolled into the North Carolina Local Government Retirement System upon their employment. In addition, there is optional participation in one of two deferred compensation plans, a 457 Plan or 401(k) plan, with a 5% match from the County.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:
To apply, provide a referral, or obtain additional information, please use the contact information below. Interested candidates may submit a cover letter and resume via email directly to DirPublicHealth@CLCBSearch.com to apply. Resumes will be screened based on the criteria outlined above. Please visit MeckNC.gov to learn more about the municipality.

Mecklenburg County is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at all levels of its workforce.

For more information, please contact:

Jonas Hedin, Managing Partner
DirPublicHealth@CLCBSearch.com
704-377-0362
Coleman Lew Canny Bowen