Public Health Planner

CG Public Health; Mason City (IA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

CG Public Health is seeking a Public Health Planner to support grant development, accreditation and performance management. You will work under supervision to research external funding, analyze data, and help improve program outcomes.

The role emphasizes coordination across grants, reporting, and emergency preparedness activities to strengthen community health efforts and organizational performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in public health, English, communications or data-related field with 1 year of relevant experience.
• Associate degree with at least 5 years of significantly relevant work experience; substitution allowed.

Responsibilities

• Oversee external funding and grant opportunities; coordinate reporting and data collection.
• Lead quality improvement, performance management and accreditation efforts across programs.
• Prepare quarterly and annual governance reports for the Board of Health.
• Support emergency preparedness planning and department-wide responses.
• Coordinate start-up activities for grants, including timelines and documentation.

Skills

Organizational skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Data interpretation

MS Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in public health or related field

Associate degree with 5+ years relevant experience

Job description

The Public Health Planner supports planning functions for the department by understanding health issues facing the community; assists with department plans development and is responsible for researching, developing and writing grant proposals to support external funds development and evaluating programs. This position will assist with maintaining accreditation, performance management and will have an integral role in quality improvement. Through this work, the position supports continuous improvement, strengthens organizational performance, and advances the department’s commitment to high-quality public health practice.

Duties to Include:

Under supervision of the Director, performs the following essential functions within the framework of CG Public Health’s provision of core functions and essential services:

Responsibilities:

External Funding/Grants

• Explore external funding opportunities that address health indicators and other data sources.
• Analyze funding opportunities and provide guidance on pursuing; ensure alignment with Department plans and priorities.
• Provide recommendations about pursuing solicitations and provide information for leadership to make determinations.
• Serve as the lead grant writer on all applications; conduct research and data gathering for proposals
• Collect and manage reporting data and other information to inform reports for all assigned grant/contract reporting.
• Serve on at least one community health improvement plan priorities or other like coalition.
• Develop a calendar and system for ensuring all reports are submitted on time to the funder.
• Serve as the coordinator for all grant portals, websites, etc.
• Review all submitted data, analyze and report in a coherent and timely fashion to the funders per their guidelines.
• Conduct reviews and participate in the community health assessment, annual updates, community health improvement plan and groups, etc.
• Coordinate grant start up activities, including facilitating kick-off meetings, confirming roles, and responsibilities, and ensuring tracking systems and documentation are established.
• Develop and maintain standard templates, tools, and guidance documents for grant oversight and coordination.
• Evaluate programs, grants and other external funding - Designs measurement frameworks, tracks program outcomes and writes compliance/impact reports to show how funds were used.

Quality Improvement (QI), Performance Management (PM) and Accreditation

• Ensure QI, PM and Accreditation work as a system and serve as a resource for staff.
• Lead one Strategic Plan priority team.
• Facilitate the QI-PM council, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, documenting discussion and decisions, and tracking follow-up actions.
• Maintain QI and PM Plans & ensure integration with strategic plan and its initiatives.
• Oversee PM tracking system ensuring data is submitted accurately and fully.
• Prepare and distribute quarterly PM report and assist with annual performance cycle summaries.
• Coordinate follow-up on performance findings, including documenting action items and supporting cross-program collaboration when needed.
• Recognize and recommend QI projects (from PM data and other sources).
• Facilitate QI projects by helping teams define the problem, establish goals and measures, develop timelines, clarify roles, and use QI tools consistently.
• Serve as a resource to staff for QI, PM and Accreditation.
• Understand PHAB Standards and requirements.
• Assist leadership in department efforts to maintain public health accreditation through the National Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).
• Maintain the electronic accreditation filing system, upload required documentation to the PHAB online system, and track submission status. Complete and submit required annual or bi-annual PHAB reports.

Governance Reporting

• Lead the development, synthesis and timely submission of comprehensive quarterly and annual reports for the Board of Health.
• Partner with managers to identify and track health data indicators and outcome metrics for public-facing reports.
• Translate data into clear, visually compelling and digestible reports for stakeholders.
• Ensure connection to departmental plans, accreditation and other requirements.

Sustain an effective knowledge of the department’s public health preparedness and response plan.

• Review appropriate plans & train for emergency response roles(s).
• In response, fully participate in all assigned roles to respond to health emergencies.
• Assist with reporting and documenting emergency response activities.
• Assist with review and timely updates to the All-Hazards Emergency Response Plan.
• Participate in emergency preparedness trainings and exercises.

Other duties as assigned

Education and Experience Required:

• Graduation from an accredited four (4) year college or university with major coursework in public health, English, communications, data or a related field with one (1) year of relevant work experience, or
• An associate degree in a related field with at least five (5) years of significantly relevant work experience that will have provided the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Experience may be substituted for education.

Physical Requirements:

Position involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time.This position frequently will reach with hands or arms and occasionally involves stooping and kneeling. This position may exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (up to 1/3 of the time) and/or exert a negligible amount of force frequently (from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. This position will occasionally be required to carry or lift up to 35 pounds. This position will alternate between working indoors in a controlled climate and proper lighting, in an outdoor environment with variable climate and lighting. Must be able to exchange and receive information over the telephone. Must be able to interact with all types of individuals, be mentally alert, detail-oriented, and with good reasoning skills. Specific vision abilities required include utilizing all types of visual acuity to accurately complete documents and forms necessary for the department (close, distance, depth, focus adjustment, peripheral, and color), and excellent manual dexterity for machine usage. 20/40 corrected vision for driving.

Special Requirements:

Skills:

• Strong organizational judgment, including the ability to prioritize competing demands, anticipate dependencies, and adapt work plans as circumstances change.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information and tailor clear, accurate content for staff, leadership, partners, and funders.
• Effective verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex requirements in plain language and to maintain good working relationships with outside agencies as well as co-workers.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative information, identify meaningful patterns and limitations, and draw well-supported conclusions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and other software applications.

Abilities:

• Ability to build alignment, navigate differing perspectives, and move cross-functional work forward without direct supervisory authority.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with staff at all levels of the department.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment when requirements, priorities, or evidence conflict and to recognize when an issue requires leadership review.
• Ability to support continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to strengthen processes, consistency, and performance.
• Ability to maintain professionalism, accountability, and consistency when working with diverse teams and perspectives.
• Ability to define problems, distinguish root causes from symptoms, evaluate practical options, and recommend solutions appropriate to available resources and organizational constraints.
• Ability to follow various policies.
• Ability to respect the rights of all persons visiting the CG Public Health.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of how accreditation, quality improvement, performance management, and strategic planning work together to support accountable and effective public health practice.
• Knowledge of the 10 Essential Public Health Services and their application to community assessment, program planning, service delivery, and organizational improvement.
• Knowledge of emergency preparedness principles, including coordinated response structures, role clarity, documentation, and continuity of public health operations.