Assistant Director of Health Services - Exempt (Detention Health Services Director)

  • Contra Costa County, CA
  • Martinez, California
  • Jul 13, 2024
Administration and Management Clerical and Administrative Support Public Health Public Safety
  • Salary: $139,299.00 - $222,690.36 Annually USD

Job Description

The Position

The Board of Supervisors have authorized the following future salary increase: 5% on July 1, 2025

Contra Costa County recognizes that our employees are our strongest and greatest assets.

We have an excellent career opportunity to fill the role of Detention Health Services Director (DHS Director). The DHS Director plans, organizes, and directs day to day operations of detention health services in all adult and juvenile facilities. The DHS Director provides administrative leadership and managerial advice to the Health Director or his/her designee; and performs related work as required.

Why join Contra Costa Health?

Contra Costa County is one of the few counties in the nation to offer a full spectrum of health-related services under one organizational structure. Contra Costa Health is the largest county department in Contra Costa County with over 4,700 employees. Our mission is to care for and improve the health of all people in Contra Costa with special attention to those who are most vulnerable to health problems. We provide services through nine operational areas: Behavioral Health, Contra Costa Health Plan, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials, Health, Housing & Homeless Services, Public Health, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers, and Detention Health. Please see our website for more information about Contra Costa Health: cchealth.org.

Detention Health Services is committed to delivering quality health services that support patients’ dignity, privacy, and timely access to care. Multi-disciplinary teams of physicians, dentists, nurses, mental health clinicians and other allied professional staff provide care and work to improve the health of all patients throughout their incarceration and re-entry back into the community.

We are looking for someone who is:
  • A strong leader. You will develop and maintain effective working relationships with your team and lead by example.
  • A strong relationship builder. You will need to establish relationships across operational areas, departments and with external agencies.
  • An effective communicator. You will need exemplary communication skills to effectively convey complex policies and procedures across all levels of the organization and foster an environment of open dialogue and feedback while respecting confidentiality and discretion in sensitive matters.
  • A strong motivator and supporter. You will need to encourage and support your line supervisors who are responsible for providing day-to-day supervision of Detention Health staff.
  • Organized, data- and results-driven. You will need to balance multiple priorities and know when it is appropriate to delegate. You should utilize data analytics to inform decisions, improve workforce planning, and measure the effectiveness of initiatives in meeting departmental objectives.
  • Able to adapt to constant change. You will need to be flexible and able to shift priorities quickly as needs change.
  • Innovative and solutions focused. You will need to be a champion for change in establishing an environment of continuous improvement within the unit.


Typical Tasks

Plans, organizes, and directs the central administrative support services for detention health including but not limited to contract services, budget development, procurement, personnel management, program planning and evaluation, and management information systems development.Acts as the designated health services administrator responsible for arranging all levels of healthcare services and ensuring quality and accessible health services for patients in accordance with accepted correctional healthcare practices, policies, and procedures.In collaboration with the Medical Director, ensures adherence to community standards of patient care and safety, as well as meet current regulatory standards for correctional health facilities.Interpret policies, procedures, and regulations and determine the impact of pending and approved healthcare and/or corrections legislation on the detention health.Ensures effective performance management program and continuous improvement processes are implemented, including systems for data and project tracking. Work with the finance unit to coordinate and manage the overall fiscal program of the division including preparation of the annual budget with justifications for personnel, capital outlay, and operating expenses.Coordinates the conduct of administrative studies and directs the preparation of reports and analyses of detention services and operations.Selects, assigns, directs, manages, and evaluates the performance of subordinate staff.Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clinical leaders to ensure smooth daily operations and steady progress towards established goals.Develops policies and procedures for the effective operation of detention health services; initiates corrective action if services do not meet established standards.Makes presentations to County Administration, the Board of Supervisors, local community advisory board or interest groups as necessary.Performs other related duties as assigned.Must pass a detention facility security clearance.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Some job assignments may require a specialized degree, certifications and/or licensures. Depending upon the assignment, a typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities would be

Education: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Health Administration, Public Administration, Health Education, Business Administration, Communications, Nursing, Environmental Health, biological or physical science from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Six (6) years of full-time, or its equivalent, experience in a Healthcare or Hospital setting performing duties either as a Clinician, Administrator or Public Information Officer, three (3) years must have included supervisory experience.

Desirable qualifications: Executive/senior management experience in a correctional health care setting at the State or local level.

Selection Process

Application Filing: Interested individuals should submit an online application and provide all required documentation to be considered.

Those candidates deemed most qualified will be invited to interview.

This recruitment will remain open, and applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

This position is exempted from the merit system and will not follow regular County recruitment and selection procedures. Not all applicants will be invited to participate in the evaluation and interview process.

To find more information on Benefits offered by Contra Costa County, please go to https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/1343/Employee-Benefits

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

Job Address

Martinez, California United States View Map