Mental Health Program Specialist 2 (NY HELPS), Central Office;

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Review Vacancy

Date Posted 06/08/26

Applications Due06/23/26

Vacancy ID217558

• Basics
• Schedule
• Location
• Job Specifics
• How to Apply

NY HELPYes

AgencyMental Health, Office of

TitleMental Health Program Specialist 2 (NY HELPS), Central Office;

Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers

Salary Grade23

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $90681 to $113650 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 10%

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

County New York

Street Address NYS Office of Mental Health

City New York

StateNY

Zip Code10001

Duties Description Under the direction of the Associate Commissioner for the Office of Prevention and Health Initiatives (OPHI) and in close collaboration with the Medical Director of Adult Community Services, within the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), the Mental Health Program Specialist 2 will function as a key staff member in developing and implementing various prevention related initiatives, programs and policies with a lifespan, population health approach. The incumbent will handle activities related to tobacco use disorder, Violence Prevention/Public Safety, the Black Youth Mental Health Workgroup, and the Suicide Fatality Review Project.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Represent OMH at various meetings and on task forces with external agencies, mental health advocacy groups, and trade organizations.
• Collect and synthesize information, develop recommendations, draft policy and guidance, and disseminate best practices.
• Collaborate to develop appropriate monitoring and evaluation schema, methods, and infrastructure.
• Consult with internal and external stakeholders on designing, implementing, and evaluating projects.
• Lead the process toward consensus among program leadership.
• Manage the design, implementation, and monitoring of interventions to address tobacco use disorder within the public mental health system.
• Collaborate across the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) program areas to coordinate efforts to enhance programmatic and educational approaches to decrease the rate of tobacco use in populations served by programs operated, licensed, or otherwise overseen by OMH.
• Coordinate with the NYS Department of Health and local partners to facilitate the implementation of statewide initiatives intended to reduce the rate of tobacco use in populations with serious mental illness.
• Assist in developing regulatory updates to promote better treatment and prevention of tobacco use disorder across mental health services.
• Ensure clinical and programmatic goals and queries are appropriately framed and incorporated into program evaluation plans in collaboration with OMH's Office of Population Health and Evaluation.
• Develop prevention initiatives including but not limited to Violence Prevention/Public Safety, the Black Youth Mental Health Workgroup, and the Suicide Fatality Review Project.
• Initiate implementation of OMH's new violence prevention and public safety initiative through intra-and inter-agency collaboration as well as with relevant external stakeholders.
• Partner with public safety, education, and youth justice systems to expand upstream violence prevention strategies including place-based interventions in communities disproportionately impacted by violence, investing in trauma recovery supports, community peacebuilding efforts, and peer-driven programs.
• Convene relevant stakeholders to develop actionable, culturally responsive, trauma-informed statewide recommendations and strategies that promote mental health equity, and well-being among Black youth.
• Collaborate with the Suicide Prevention Center of NY program and data staff on Suicide Fatality Reviews, particularly in Rural Regions, to organize the overall strategy in response to the agency's priorities; Based on up-to-date research and relevant data, develop a model for Suicide Fatality Review committees.
• Provide technical assistance to healthcare and behavioral healthcare organizations, preventative services, and higher education institutions to assist with initiative implementation.

Minimum Qualifications Non-competitive (NYHELPS):

A bachelors degree in biology and all subspecialties of biology relating to human biology, child and family studies, counseling and community psychology, creative arts therapy, criminal justice, health administration, hospital administration, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, nursing, psychoanalysis, psychology, public administration, public health, public policy, recreation therapy, rehabilitation counseling, social work, sociology, or special education and three* years of professional clinical or administrative experience in a federal or state operated, licensed, certified, or funded mental health program.

• A masters degree in biology and all subspecialties of biology relating to human biology, child and family studies, counseling and community psychology, creative arts therapy, criminal justice, health administration, hospital administration, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, nursing, psychoanalysis, psychology, public administration, public health, public policy, recreation therapy, rehabilitation counseling, social work, sociology, or special education can substitute for one year of specialized experience.

Transfer Opportunity:

Candidates must have permanent competitive or 55b/c status as a Mental Health Program Specialist 2, Grade 23, and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law to the Mental Health Program Specialist 2 title; Transfer candidates must also possess a bachelor's or higher degree in a qualifying degree field* listed above.

Additional Comments The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. OMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, OMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring OMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. OMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Specific scheduled hours and telecommuting availability for this position will be discussed during the interview process. Please note, employees are required to apply and obtain approval through management to telecommute according to operational needs and Agency Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of NY HELPS, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected that employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Name Brianna Cherrier

Telephone

Fax (518) 486-3897

Email Address OMHHRM@OMH.NY.GOV

Address

Street NYS Office of Mental Health

44 Holland Avenue

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12229

Notes on ApplyingTo be considered for this position, interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format to omhhrm@omh.ny.gov. Please include the title of the position and Vacancy ID #217558 in the subject line of your email when applying.

You are advised that, should you accept a job offer with the Office of Mental Health, you may be required to be fingerprinted and pay a fingerprint fee.

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