Health and Human Services Director
St. Johns County, FL
Background
St. Johns County boasts the beautiful and historic city of St. Augustine as its county seat. Founded in 1565, it is recognized as the oldest, continuously occupied city in the United States. The county is one of Florida’s two original counties, founded (along with Escambia County) in 1821. It and its neighbor Flagler County were among the top 1% of the fastest growing counties in the United States until the recent downturn. St. Johns County has a population of 184,000 and covers 821 square miles. Jacksonville is a 30-minute drive north, Daytona Beach is about 60 minutes south and Orlando with its theme parks is about 2 hours southwest.
The Government
The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is composed of five (5) members who serve four-year, staggered terms. Two of the current Commissioners were newly elected in November 2006, two in November 2008 and one was recently appointed to fill a vacancy. Only one member has served more than one term. The BCC has approximately 1,000 employees under its jurisdiction, and the County Administrator serves at the pleasure of the Commission. As a General Law county, it has the usual contingent of independently elected Constitutional Officers.
Health and Human Services
The Health and Human Services Department is responsible for overseeing the County’s integrated system of community based care and is composed of four basic units that reflect the services they provide. Social Services focuses on indigent medical care and assisting those in need with navigating governmental assistant programs such as disability and food stamps. Family Integrity/Community Based Care attempts to keep families together but also, where necessary, place children in a safe and nurturing environment such as foster care. Mental Health deals with the chronically mentally challenged and provides group and individual therapy as well as two drop in resource centers. The Substance Abuse program assists those who have problems with drugs and alcohol. Overall, the Department has a budget of approximately $4 million and in spite of the revenue shortfalls most counties, including St. Johns are experiencing, the County Commission has maintained the Department’s funding essentially at prior year levels. The Department has an excellent staff composed of approximately 90 employees. They are all dedicated to their programs with years of experience in their profession.
Much of the Department’s work depends on coordination with not-for-profits and other agencies such as the State Department of Health, Flagler Hospital, the Clerk of Courts, Medicare and Medicaid. The Department also works with the St. Johns County Health and Human Services Advisory Council which was established in 1995. At that time, the BCC determined that while County government historically had provided health and human services, it could not and should not attempt to solve all health, mental health, substance abuse and social problems. It can, however, find ways to address these problems and seek solutions and remedies in a coordinated and efficient manner. In keeping with this focus, the HHSAC was established to exist and serve as an advisory body to the BCC and the Department on such matters.
The Director is part of the County Administrator’s senior management team and reports to one of two Assistant County Administrators.
The Challenges
The Department’s challenges are typical of many other similar public health departments. In the current economic climate with increasing numbers of clients needed services and resources shrinking statewide, meeting the community’s needs is an ongoing challenge. With the very different basic business programs, intradepartmental communications can always be improved to maximize efficiencies. Proactive communication is further complicated by a building with several wings, each of which houses a different program resulting in a physical barrier to staff members interfacing with one another regularly. Finally, coordination with outside programs and agencies requires proactive and ongoing effort.
The Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be pro-active, achievement oriented, have a proven track record of accomplishments, and will strongly value high quality customer service. He/She will have exceptional communication and financial skills, and a talent for developing consensus among diverse groups would be a major advantage. The ability to juggle the demands of several very different programs at the same time is also critical. The individual will have high ethical standards, creativity, and excellent communications skills. Relationship building is crucial and the successful candidate must possess the ability to build strong and lasting relationships with County administration, department staff, the HHSAC and the community as well as the non-profits and other stake holders the Department interfaces with. As such, the individual will be very comfortable the community and with people. He/She will be a decision-maker and will manage the day-to-day operations of the Department. Given the variety of the work, it is not expected that the individual will be knowledgeable in all areas. In fact, while a Public Health background is helpful, the County will actively consider those who have demonstrated strong management capabilities in other fields. He/She will have a minimum of ten years of supervisory and management experience in public health or as a manager in a complex business with working knowledge of community based care, foster care, behavioral health and related services. A masters degree from an accredited college or university, with a major in business, administration, health care, social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling or related field is required.
Compensation
Compensation is negotiable and depends on qualifications, but the starting salary is expected to be between $81,200 and $118,300. Associated benefits are excellent.
HOW to Apply
Qualified candidates should e-mail their resumes (faxed or mailed resumes will not be accepted) RecruitNine@cb-asso.com no later than October 19, 2009. All questions should be addressed to Colin Baenziger at 561-707-3537.
Recruitment Schedule
Applications will be screened between October 20th and November 19th. Interviews are anticipated to be conducted on December 14th with a selection being made shortly thereafter.
Other Important Notes
Under Florida law, all applications become a public record upon receipt by Colin Baenziger & Associates. The County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug-free/smoke-free workplace. Veteran’s preference will be awarded if applicable under Florida law. |
