JOB SUMMARY

The mandate of the Environmental Health Protection and Outbreak Management branch is to implement Ontario’s Public Health Standards with a focus on environmental health and infectious diseases, as well as relevant regulations under the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA).

You are responsible for leading environmental health projects, initiatives and activities that protect the public’s health from harmful elements in the environment; identifying and developing strategies to effectively address environmental health hazards; developing, implementing and enforcing policies, and ensuring compliance with federal, provincial and municipal legislation and regulations; providing technical expertise, advice and guidance on environmental health matters to internal and external partners to minimize health hazards; and developing and maintaining strong business relationships with internal and external partners and stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Master’s degree in public health sciences with a focus on environmental health sciences

5 years experience developing and implementing strategies to address environmental health hazards, including developing health policies, chairing meetings and managing projects.

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENCES

KNOWLEDGE

• Relevant federal, provincial and municipal legislation and regulations
• Health implications of human impacts on the environment including air and water quality, contaminated land, climate change and shifts in the distribution of vector-borne diseases (related to changes in land use, climate, and human migration)
• Project management strategies
• Program evaluation techniques and best practices
• Health policy analysis, research and implementation within an environment health framework
• Theories, concepts and practices of exposure evaluation and population health risk assessment
• Principles of epidemiology, toxicology, hydrogeology, air dispersion modeling
• Principles of risk communications and health promotion and education
• Principles of health equity
• Ethical, pedagogical, and policy approaches to understanding and addressing environment and health issues
• Data collection methodologies, and modeling and analysis techniques
• Knowledge of applicable health and safety legislation, including the rights and duties of workers
  

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Able to critically appraise sources of evidence to inform risk assessments and ensuing risk management strategies including risk communications
• Able to demonstrate sound judgement and decision-making capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to think and act strategically
• Possess organizational skills and flexibility to deal effectively with multiple demands, conflicting priorities, pressures and deadlines
• Possess a client service focus tempered by the recognition of the need for compliance to corporate standards, formats and systems
• Able to develop and maintain excellent relations with representatives from other departments, partner organizations and outside agencies,
• Able to influence and work collaboratively with others representing a wide range of interests and bring conflicting points of view to consensus
• Able to plan, lead, coordinate, implement and manage projects to completion and to lead/support/mentor project teams
• Monitor and synthesize information from a variety of sources to establish future directions, research and data collection needs
• Possess persuasive and assertive interpersonal and oral/written communication skills
• Possess strong documentation, report writing and presentation skills
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal direction, and collaboratively with others as part of a team
• Able to use other advanced computer applications or software specific to the work assignments
• Possess research skills and the ability to interpret/analyze/evaluate issues and to make decisions/formulate recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage environmental health projects
• Possess skills for chairing committees/public meetings on technical and non-technical subjects
• Possess a focus on quality of services, innovation and on-going process improvement
• Possess a positive, inclusive approach to project development and implementation
• Thorough, self-motivated and reliable
• Organized, analytical and attentive to detail
• Possess sound judgment, tact and discretion
• Flexible in dealing with a variety of stakeholders
• Able to negotiate and influence effectively and to deal with contentious issues and situations
• Possess effective interpersonal and presentation skills
• Possess leadership skills, initiative and creativity