Review Vacancy

Date Posted: 11/05/25
Applications Due: 11/21/25
Vacancy ID: 201937

Position Information

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 $86681 to $109650 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8 AM

To 4 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County Albany

Street Address NYS Office of Mental Health

44 Holland Avenue

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12229

Job Specifics

Duties Description The Office of Mental Health (OMH) is recruiting to fill a Mental Health Program Specialist 2, G-23, position in the Office of Planning & Quality Management.

Under the direction of the Planning Director, the Mental Health Program Specialist 2 will focus efforts on community engagement, rapport building within OMH and local communities, and planning of transformative changes of delivery of services for children, youth, and families.

The duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Study community engagement feedback that OMH has collected in the past 3 years to inform direction and decision making around services for children, youth, and families.

Engage OMH staff as well as county leadership to identify youth and family questions for community feedback sessions.

Plan and conduct community engagement feedback sessions to ensure that local community feedback from youth and families is incorporated in Local Services Planning as well as implementation of new OMH programs and initiatives, locally and statewide.

Compile and trend information gathered.

Ensure data from community feedback sessions are available and utilized to inform OMH decision making, policy development, and new initiatives.

Collaborate with the OMH Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services (OAPSS), the OMH Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families, and other partners throughout the agency as needed.

Build relationships and coordinate planning meetings with other state agencies such as OASAS, OPWDD, OCFS, and Office of Probation to problem solve systemic issues for children youth and families brought to light in community engagement and stakeholder feedback sessions.

Facilitate meetings between county Directors of Community Service and OMH program staff and track action items.

Coordinate with OMH funded training platforms so that feedback from community engagement can be incorporated in the development of trainings delivered to OMH licensed and funded programs, with a focus on staff working with children and families.

Track relevant OMH policies and impact on county planning.

Provide examples and support for counties as well as OMH stakeholders on how to use information in OMH data reports, such as Tableau visualizations and PSYCKES, to identify needs and gaps and plan new services and initiatives.

Update the OMH Planning Document (5.07 document) for Integrated Community Services for Children & Families.

Assist with high priority projects within the planning office as needed.

Minimum Qualifications Non-Competitive Minimum Qualifications Under the NY HELPS Program:
A bachelor's degree in a qualifying field* AND three years of professional clinical or administrative experience in a federal or state operated, licensed, certified, or funded mental health program+.

+A master's degree in a qualifying field* can substitute for one year of specialized experience.

*Qualifying degrees: 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


Transfer Opportunity:
Candidates must have permanent service 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 by having at least one year of permanent service in a qualifying title within two salary grades of the Grade 23 level.

Additional Comments Employment with New York State offers unmatched benefits, individual support, and career mobility for motivated individuals including: NYS pension and retirement programs; annual cost of living and performance advance increases; comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans; flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care; paid time off, including thirteen paid holidays per year, and paid personal leave, vacation leave, and sick leave.

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.

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.

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title maybe 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 this time, agencies may recruit and hire employees by making temporary appointments. In June 2024, if a temporary NY HELPS employee is satisfactorily performing in the position, the appointment will be changed from temporary pending Civil Service Commission Action to permanent non-competitive and the official probationary period will begin.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected 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.

How to Apply

Name Ciara Palmo

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 #201937 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.