CHIEF VETERINARIAN

Job Description:

CHIEF VETERINARIAN

Description

Position/Program Information

EXAM NUMBER:
PH5734B

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
Open Competitive Job Opportunity

FIRST DATE OF FILING:
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 8:30 A.M. (PT)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

No out-of-class experience will be accepted.

DEFINITION:
Supervises the investigation, diagnosis, control, prevention and eradication of animal infectious diseases (zoonoses) and animal bite reporting in the Department of Public Health.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class report to the Director, Disease Control Programs and have responsibility for supervising the Veterinary Public Health Program. Incumbents must exercise a knowledge of the principles and practices of veterinary medicine including preventive veterinary medicine; clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory aspects of animal infectious disease, and the methods used in the prevention and control of such diseases; principles and practices of epidemiology, public health administration and agencies and organizations involved and community resources available for public health programs; and various Federal, state, local and education organizations concerned with veterinary public health and veterinary medicine.

Essential Job Functions

Provides overall direction and management oversight for the Veterinary Public Health Program:

• Supervises veterinary, administrative, and technical staff, as well as select trainees (e.g. Cal EIS Fellow, CDC PH Associate, veterinary students); plans, coordinates and evaluates their work.
• Ensures program compliance with county and departmental administrative policies and procedures, by providing general oversight and the development of supporting program policies and procedures.
• Interprets and enforces established department policies, procedures, state laws, local ordinances and regulations related to the control and prevention of animal diseases, zoonoses and animal bite reporting.
• Directs program response to animal disease outbreaks, emerging threats and other public health emergencies.
• Supports the department on human outbreaks as needed.
• Sets goals and objectives for improvement of program activities using a collaborative process; delegates assignments to designated personnel and reviews progress toward achievement of the objectives.
• Develops and revises protocols, guidelines and program priorities to reflect evidenced based practice, program evaluation and emerging needs.
• Recommends revised or new laws, rules, regulations, procedures and programs related to veterinary public health.
• Provides general oversight and direction regarding program budget, personnel, and other areas that are essential for effective program management.
• Serves as main program contact for the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, and media questions.
• Provides information on animal health issues to departments within Los Angeles County, citizens, health professionals and outside agencies.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Four (4) years of veterinary medical experience; two (2) years of which must have been in the appropriate specialty as listed below:

For Veterinary Public Health:
Two years (2) of experience in veterinary public health work -AND- a graduate degree* from an accredited school of public health** which substitutes for the two (2) years of non-specialized experience or a Master's degree* in Preventive Veterinary Medicine.

LICENSE(S) REQUIRED:
1. California State License to practice veterinary medicine.

• The required license and certification MUST be current/active and unrestricted or your application will not be accepted.
• Applicants must ensure the License and Certificate Section of the application is completed. Provide the title of your required license and certifications, number, date of issue, date of expiration and the name of the issuing agency as specified in the Minimum Requirements on your application at the time of filing or e-mail the information to hrexams@ph.lacounty.gov within fifteen (15) calendar days of filing or your application may be rejected.

2. A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class III - Moderate: This class requires that the incumbent stand or walk most of the time with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, occasional lifting of objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS INFORMATION:

* In order to receive credit for any type of college or university degree, such as a Master's Degree or higher, you must attach a legible copy of the Official Diploma, Official Transcripts, or Official Letter from the accredited institution***, which shows the area of specialization and the date the degree was awarded , to the application at the time of filing, or e-mail to hrexams@ph.lacounty.gov within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission or your application may be rejected.
Foreign degrees must be evaluated for equivalency to United States accredited institutions standards by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or The Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). (see Employment Information under Accreditation Information).Official Transcripts is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's registrar office. A printout of the courses from the school's website is NOT considered official transcripts and will not be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete and rejected.
**Accredited schools of public health can be verified by visiting: https://ceph.org/about/org-info/who-we-accredit/accredited/

***Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Additional credit will be awarded to candidates that possess the following desirable qualifications:

• Experience supervising veterinary staff.
• Experience in designing and leading public health projects related to the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and/or other infectious diseases.
• Experience working in a large public health organization on evidence based programs and policy development that protect humans and animals from the transmission of infectious diseases.
• Experience in writing or reviewing public health related publications, reports, manuscripts, abstracts, or research protocols.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

This examination will consist of an evaluation of education and experience based on application information, desirable qualifications and supplemental questionnaire information submitted at the time of filing weighted 100% .

Applicants must meet the Minimum Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination (evaluation of education and experience) to be added on the Eligible Register (hiring list).

Passing this examination and being added on the Eligible Register does not guarantee an offer of employment.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

The names of candidates receiving a passing score in the examination will be added to the Eligible Register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.

Complete applications will be processed on an as-received basis and promulgated to the Eligible Register accordingly.

VACANCY INFORMATION:

The Eligible Register resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies in the Department of Public Health as they occur.

AVAILABLE SHIFT:

Any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

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APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

Applications must be filed ONLINE ONLY. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will NOT be accepted. Any required documents and/or additional information, if any, must be received with your application at the time of filing online or sent t o HRExams@ph.lacounty.gov within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on the County of Los Angeles Job Opportunities Website , you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button located on this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Applicants must submit their completed applications before 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing.

Please make sure you put in the time and effort when filling out your application and supplemental questions completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Requirements as listed on this job bulletin. Fill out your application and supplemental questionnaire completely and correctly to receive full credit for any relevant education, training, and job experience you include. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job/position title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, description of work and duties performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be REJECTED.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Please note that ALL information supplied by applicants and included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made.

• Applications may be rejected at any stage of the examination and selection process.
• FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION or RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT.
• Utilizing VERBIAGE from Class Specification(s) and/or Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. In doing so your application will be dispositioned as INCOMPLETE and will not be accepted.
• Comments such as "SEE RESUME" or "SEE APPLICATION" will not be considered a valid response; therefore, using such statements will also result in your application being rejected as INCOMPLETE.

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COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Check the website for updated information at: https://lacountylibrary.org/library-locator/ .

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

DO NOT SHARE USER ID, EMAIL, AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYER: The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability or any other characteristic protected by State or Federal law. All positions are open to qualified men and women pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The County will follow all of its obligations under State and Federal laws regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations to applicants.

ANTI-RACISIM, DIVERSITY, AND INCUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Have any questions about anything listed above? Contact us:
Department Contact Name: Exam Analyst
Department Contact Phone : (323) 659-6546
Department Contact E-mail: HRExams@ph.lacounty.gov

California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
ADA Coordinator Phone: (323) 659-6546
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077

For detailed information, please click here

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

Salary:

$158,943.36 - $238,753.20 Annually