Planning Specialist

Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health Department – Planning Specialist Positions

The Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health Department is hiring three Planning Specialist positions in the Administration;
Epidemiology, Preparedness & Resilience; and Healthy Communities divisions.

Administration Division – Planning Specialist

Perform high-level planning functions supporting the department, including data analyses using public and private sources, data visualizations/storytelling, oversight of the open data portal, and facilitating presentations to elected officials, community groups, and internal staff. Survey development and analysis using Qualtrics for primary research is also part of this role. Requires experience in supporting development, monitoring, and updating department-wide plans and initiatives;

and experience with data analysis software (e.g., SPSS, STATA, Power

BI, ArcGIS).

Epidemiology, Preparedness & Resilience Division – Emergency Preparedness & Response (EPR) Planning Specialist

Support the county’s ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies and emerging threats. Responsibilities include supporting Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant requirements; developing, updating, and exercising all‑hazards and hazard‑specific plans; and integrating epidemiologic trends, climate‑related health risks, community vulnerability data, and equity considerations into preparedness strategies. Requires experience in emergency preparedness planning, cross‑sector coordination, and integration of epidemiologic trends and climate‑related health considerations into actionable plans.

Healthy Communities Division – Planning Specialist

Develop, implement and evaluate the County’s cannabis and substance use prevention work to reduce prevalence of cannabis and other substance misuse. Primary responsibilities include designing and implementing evidence‑based educational materials and recovery programs informed by community needs, key stakeholders and County leadership. Requires experience in cannabis or substance use prevention programming; community engagement; policy, system and environmental changes; designing health promotion interventions;

and grant reporting and evaluation.

To develop comprehensive long and short‑range plans, projects and programs in the area assigned; to develop recommendations on policies, procedures, or services in response to specific issues, problems or disputes; to provide leadership and coordination of projects, procedures and plans in the area of specialization or department assigned; to review services and programs to develop recommendations for service changes or to make budget recommendations;

and to perform related duties as assigned.

• Conduct studies, needs assessments and special projects to determine the need for and type of changes required in services in response to changes in the environment and make recommendations for departmental implementation.
• Coordinate the work of county and applicable community groups to develop, implement plans and structures to carry out strategies and action steps.
• Analyze trends, research data, and changes in laws, rules and regulations to determine impact on the county or department and make recommendations for response.
• Participate with other staff in developing and implementing long and short range plans to address changing service needs, changes in legislation, and to respond to specific problem areas.
• Coordinate with state and regional planning and implementation efforts related to the targeted population.
• Develop recommendations to integrate and coordinate county efforts across departments to improve the response to the needs of the population.
• Develop recommendations regarding the level and distribution of funding necessary to meet the needs of the target population.
• Develop and implement targeted fundraising strategies to raise private and public non-county resources to help meet the needs of the target population.
• Analyze evaluation data on services provided or purchased by the county or department for compliance with goals and objectives, and recommend corrective…