Director, Employee and Occupational Health
Job Summary: Provides strategic leadership for the business and clinical affairs of the Employee and Occupational Health Divisions of Human Resources. Divisions include Employee Health Clinic and Employee Injury/Illness Management. Leads institutional efforts and committees related to worker health and safety and partners with other departments, such as Healthcare Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Safety, and the Galveston National Lab, to establish institutional safety programs. Sets occupational health goals and ensures execution.
Scope: High level of impact on the efficiency, operations, and effectiveness of Employee and Occupational Health for UTMB’s workforce.
Essential Job Functions:
- Responsible for the evolution and strategy for the Employee and Occupational Health program.
- Responsible for strategic decision making and short- and long-range plan development, implementation, operations, and evaluation of the impacts on worker health and safety with a focus on prevention.
- Provides oversight for all programs for protecting the health and safety of all employees, contractors, volunteers, and staff.
- Ensures compliance with mandated occupational health requirements for health care workers, members of the research community, and Correctional Managed Care.
- Sets priorities and functional standards as needed and provides guidance to staff to ensure understanding of how the work impacts the institution.
- Develops and updates relevant institutional policies and procedures for Employee and Occupational Health. Responsible for program development resulting from policy implementation and oversight of operations.
- Coordinates effectively with other parts of the institution, peer institutions, and UT System. Establishes effective working relationships with organizational peers to advance the Occupational Health program.
- Designs and implements systems, processes, and reports on opportunities to enhance service and assure clinical quality, productivity, and performance excellence with cost consciousness.
- Creates metrics for measuring program effectiveness utilizing evidence-based practice and tools.
- Oversees regulatory compliance areas of drug and smoke free workplace, drug screening, fitness for duty evaluations to assure employee safety.
- Assesses safety risk for employees and work areas. Monitors and analyzes employee injury reports for trends. Coordinates case management of workers compensation claims providing direction when needed.
- Prepares, justifies, administers, and reconciles budgets for the division and its related areas for financial viability.
- Provides leadership, mentoring, coaching and direction to managers and staff within all areas of operation.
- Coordinates information systems development, reporting and maintenance. Responsible for configuration and installation of new hardware/software in support of department programs and records management.
- Leads or participates in institutional and departmental committees and task forces to provide a safe workplace. Reports data trends and operational opportunities.
- Manages special projects and activities, often of a highly sensitive and/or confidential nature, to ensure proper management and resolution.
- Identifies appropriate reporting and internal controls for Division; provides mechanisms to monitor, report, and enforce compliance for the Institution.
- Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure.
- Performs related duties as required.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Excellent mediation skills.
- Personnel management and supervision; management of professional employees.
- Financial analysis skills.
- Problem solving skills.
- Ability to interpret, analyze and present data of a complex nature.
- Ability to manage service delivery to multiple locations.
- Ability to function and lead in a highly complex environment.
- Flexibility and creativity to accomplish novel tasks and coordinate action plans and innovation of occupational health practices.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.
- Master’s Degree in Nursing, Safety, Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
- Seven (7) years of progressive experience in Occupational Health, Human Resources, Medical Case Management, Disability Management, or related field.
- Registered Nurse in the State of Texas
- At least one of the following certifications within one (1) year of hire:
o Certified Occupational Health Nurse
o Certified Safety Professional/Safety Management Specialist
o Certified Professional Disability Manager
o Certified Case Manager
Preferred Qualifications:
- Occupational health expertise, management of worker’s compensation, outpatient clinical operations and Six Sigma or Lean processing and management experience.
- At least one of the following certifications:
o Certified Occupational Health Nurse
o Certified Safety Professional/Safety Management Specialist
o Certified Professional Disability Manager
Equal Employment Opportunity:
UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. As a VEVRAA Federal Contractor, UTMB Health takes affirmative action to hire and advance women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
