Program Integrity Unit Chief

The Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) has been part of the nation’s nutrition safety net for 50 years.

Extensive research has found WIC to be a cost-effective investment that leads to healthier infants, more nutritious diets, health care for children, and subsequently higher academic achievement for students. WIC helps families receive healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to healthcare and other community services.

This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by advancing the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities.  As an employee of the Data and Integrity Branch, the incumbent serves as part of a team that collects, analyzes, monitors, and leverages data, research, and policies to benefit, optimize, and protect the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and its participants, local agencies, and vendors.

The candidate works under the general direction of the Chief, Program Integrity and Audits Section, Staff Services Manager II (SSM II). The Staff Services Manager I (SSM I) of the Program Integrity Unit (PIU) oversees the staffing and activities of the Unit. The PIU implements specific integrity and analytical procedures and provides oversight that will be sufficient in detecting program abuse and potential fraud under the newly established and highly sophisticated California WIC Card system (EBT) implementation program. The PIU Chief oversees the development, facilitation, coordination, and evaluation of Program Integrity operations and supervises PIU staff who conduct regular independent review and analysis of WIC data to identify activity that may be fraudulent in nature. The PIU Chief functions as a member of the WIC management team.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

1. Ability to communicate effectively with staff at various levels, external agencies and the general public.
2. Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills including reviewing and editing documents.
3. Ability to provide guidance and technical assistance to improve systems, policies, and procedures to detect fraudulent activity.
4. Ability to provide leadership on the design and implementation of strategies and processes.

Experience In:

1. Managing, prioritizing, and meeting multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
2. Maintaining confidentiality when handling sensitive information.
3. Creating processes and procedures based on policies and regulations.
4. Analyzing and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of program, policies, regulations, and/or procedures as they relate to community outreach programs.
5. Analyzing complex program implementation problems and developing effective courses of action to solve them.
6. Communicating sensitive and confidential materials clearly and concisely in written and verbal formats.
7. Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting various forms of data.

Knowledge Of:

1. State and federal policies and regulations as it relates to the WIC Program.
2. Data-driven decision- making techniques.
3. Management and staff engagement methods.

How To Apply

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareer Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.

At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.