0000001487.DIRECTOR, PUBLIC HEALTH, COMMUNITY & QUALITY ENGINEERING.INFO TECH SERVICES
Dallas, TX
| Employer: | Dallas County |
| Job Type: | Full Time |
Description | |
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Leads the technology strategy, service modernization, and quality assurance for Dallas County departments supporting public health, human services, social equity, and community programs. Ensures the delivery of secure, scalable, and equitable digital solutions while establishing enterprise-wide quality engineering and service reliability practices. Enables service transformation, compliance with public health regulations, and a high-quality digital experience for community-facing services. Management Scope: Manages exempt staff. Responsibilities Defines and leads the IT strategy for public health, human services, juvenile, and community programs, ensuring alignment with department missions and federal/state mandates. Establishes and leads the County's enterprise Quality Engineering (QE) strategy to improve delivery assurance, automation, and continuous testing. Collaborates with department directors and executives to prioritize technology investments and support public-facing innovation. Champions technology modernization efforts, including EHR upgrades, case management systems, and mobile-first capabilities. Promotes health equity, community impact, and data-informed program decisions through better access to digital services. Leads strategic initiatives that strengthen cross-departmental collaboration, citizen engagement, and digital service transformation. Aligns technology strategies with regulatory requirements in public health, mental health, justice-involved youth, and community programs. Drives the adoption of human-centered design and agile delivery principles across program technologies. Translates executive and policy goals into deliverable technology roadmaps. Serves as an advisor to the CIO and County leaders on technology opportunities for social and public health impact. Directs daily operations of application development, maintenance, and support across multiple health and human services departments. Ensures the reliability, usability, and compliance of critical systems such as EHRs, case management platforms, inspections, eligibility, and reporting tools. Oversees service quality, performance engineering, and automation testing as part of system lifecycle management. Implements DevSecOps practices and delivery pipelines to improve reliability, scalability, and velocity. Ensures systems are updated and maintained in accordance with regulatory deadlines and service-level agreements. Manages multi-vendor and multi-platform delivery environments while maintaining compliance and consistency. Drives mobile, cloud, and low-code platform adoption for citizen and field service applications. Aligns operational planning with Countywide emergency response, service coordination, and community equity goals. Monitors system availability and field technology effectiveness for clinicians, social workers, and public service staff. Ensures timely and secures deployment of application upgrades and enhancements. Ensures systems meet HIPAA, FERPA, CJIS, HITECH, and other relevant federal/state compliance standards. Oversees QE protocols that enforce validation, auditability, and traceability across mission-critical systems. Leads efforts to align programmatic technology with Countywide privacy, security, and accessibility policies. Serves as liaison with regulatory agencies and ensure accurate technical reporting for audits and grants. Implements robust defect tracking, test case management, and regression control processes. Ensures all public-facing systems meet digital accessibility (ADA/WCAG) requirements. Drives security testing, user provisioning, and data sharing policies in collaboration with the CISO. Establishes automated controls for data quality, integrity, and interoperability across systems. Partners with legal, compliance, and public health ethics offices to align policies with emerging technologies. Provides governance for vendor compliance, platform SLAs, and third-party data integrations. Defines and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) for service quality, application uptime, delivery velocity, and citizen experience. Drives improvement cycles for system performance, defect resolution, and time-to-release. Establishes continuous feedback loops from departments, frontline staff, and end users. Benchmarks service performance against peer counties, national standards, and public health best practices. Leads efforts to optimize testing pipelines, reduces defects, and increases automation coverage. Monitors digital usage trends and implements enhancements based on analytics and satisfaction metrics. Conducts quarterly reviews of quality metrics, delivery outcomes, and compliance results. Aligns modernization metrics with department KPIs such as service access, case outcomes, and community impact. Fosters a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and excellence in public service delivery. Champions improvements to technology user experience based on empathy, usability testing, and behavioral data. Leads high-performing engineering teams focused on healthcare, human services, juvenile justice, and community applications. Builds and grows the County's Quality Engineering practice, including automation engineers, performance testers, and QA analysts. Provides coaching, mentoring, and career development pathways for engineers and QA professionals. Promotes workforce diversity, inclusion, and equitable development opportunities across roles. Ensures succession planning for mission-critical systems and subject matter expertise. Recognizes and rewards staff contributions to service delivery, compliance, and innovation. Establishes a culture of trust, collaboration, and purpose within technology teams. Leads organizational change efforts to transition legacy skillsets into modern digital capabilities. Defines core competencies for public sector software and quality engineering excellence. Aligns hiring and team development with future-state platforms, regulations, and business needs. Acts as the primary liaison between IT and departments such as Public Health, Health & Human Services, Juvenile Services, and Social Equity. Serves on executive teams, governance boards, and interagency task forces related to health and community programs. Collaborates with vendors, community partners, and service providers to coordinate solutions. Leads outreach and communication strategies to support system rollouts and technology adoption. Represents Dallas County at public forums, statewide coalitions, and health IT collaboratives. Engages frontline staff and department leadership to understand needs and continuously improve solutions. Translates policy priorities and public expectations into user-centered product delivery. Facilitates cross-departmental initiatives related to eligibility, case coordination, community impact, and crisis response. Communicates with empathy, clarity, and purpose to drive alignment and shared ownership. Promotes digital equity, access, and trust through inclusive design and community-informed strategies. Performs other duties as assigned. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications: Education, Experience and Training: Education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Information Systems, Public Health Informatics, Computer Science, Business Administration, or job-related field of study. Master's degree in Public Administration, Health Information Technology, Organizational Leadership, or a related discipline is preferred. Eight (8) years of experience in enterprise technology leadership, with five (5) years in senior IT management roles. Certifications (Preferred) • PMP, PgMP, or SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) • ITIL v4, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent in operational excellence or process improvement • Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) or Public Health Informatics Certification • Certified Accessibility Professional (IAAP CPACC) or equivalent digital accessibility certification • Certifications in quality assurance, automation frameworks, or DevOps practices are highly desirable Special Requirements/Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: • Knowledge of public health, social services, juvenile justice, and related community programs • Skill in enterprise QA strategy, including automation, test engineering, performance testing, and defect management • Knowledge of relevant compliance frameworks: HIPAA, HITECH, CJIS, FERPA, 42 CFR Part 2, and related security and data privacy mandates • Knowledge of human-centered design, digital equity principles, and public service accessibility standards (ADA/WCAG) • Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, including elected officials, commissioners, and department heads • Skill in cross-functional leadership, organizational change management, and fostering innovation in large public sector environments • Ability to build a culture of quality, transparency, and collaboration in high-pressure or politically sensitive environments • Skill in advanced project and program management capabilities, with experience overseeing multi-million-dollar technology portfolios • Ability to evaluate, procure, and manage vendor contracts and interlocal agreements to support long-term technology goals • Ability to commit to equity, data-informed decision-making, and delivering high-value digital services for underserved and vulnerable populations • Skill in leading technology in public health, human services, juvenile justice, or social services, preferably within a government or nonprofit setting. • Skill in modernizing and managing large-scale enterprise applications, including EHRs, case management systems, or regulatory platforms • Ability to lead enterprise-wide quality engineering, DevOps, or testing strategies in high-compliance environments • Skill in building and managing multi-disciplinary teams across software development, QA, automation, and performance engineering • Skill in managing portfolios of mission-critical, citizen-facing applications that require accessibility, security, and 24/7 availability • Knowledge of grant-funded systems, federal compliance reporting, and inter-agency coordination is highly desirable • Ability to align complex regulatory frameworks with digital strategies, while ensuring operational readiness and scalability Must possess a valid Texas Driver's License and good driving record. Will be required to provide a copy of 10-year driving history. Must maintain a good driving record and remain in compliance with Article II, Subdivision II of Chapter 90 of the Dallas County Code. "Individuals holding or considered for a position which has, or may have, access to criminal justice databases including the FBI Criminal Justice Information Systems, NCIC/TCIC and similar databases, must pass a national fingerprint-based records check prior to placement in such position and may be denied placement in such positions and/or access to such systems. Individuals must also maintain the ability to pass the records check while in the position or until such time that the Commissioners Court and the County Civil Service Commission deem this position no longer has this requirement." Physical/Environmental Requirements: Occasional travel to County sites, vendor meetings, conferences, and industry events. Ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving technology environment. | |