The Assistant Deputy Director (ADD), Chief Artificial Intelligence and Security Operations Officer (CAISOO), supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by ensuring that Information Technology (IT) is available to all departmental programs. The ADD is responsible for defining the vision of the modern public health information infrastructure and developing strategies to achieve that vision. Responsibilities include transforming the CDPH public health information technology enterprise via policy creation and oversight of the Artificial Intelligence functions: collaborating internally with other executives, and externally with stakeholders in California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA), California Department of Technology (CDT), other departments and agencies, other oversight and governing bodies, local health jurisdictions, and other partners. 

Public health program services include surveillance, response, decision intelligence, and related capabilities under the purview of CHHSA and CDPH, for utility of public health information, and interoperability with local and State public health entities. As the CDPH has over 200 public health programs, the CAISOO is responsible for identifying business and technical capabilities that when deployed can be shared across programs to ensure that innovation aligns with department strategy and goals. 

The CAISOO provides leadership over artificial intelligence innovation and modernization initiatives to build flexible and scalable technological backbones for dynamic public health activities that emphasize artificial intelligence services and licensing activities. 

The CAISOO is responsible for developing policies and processes such as governance for collaboration, prioritization, and strategic blueprints to encourage enterprise-level collaboration throughout the organization; developing policies to enhance enterprise services, expand data access and interoperability to enable data driven decisions, mature systems, infrastructures, and ecosystems; defining and implementing strategies to support responsive and sustainable public health operations across all systems; and identifying opportunities to drive technology innovation and transformation throughout the enterprise. This includes the development and scaling of artificial intelligence solutions, as well as agile, on-demand shared services, all aimed at maximizing return on investment while reducing overall costs. 

The CAISOO serves as an artificial intelligence leader to communicate the artificial intelligence vision and future state direction, major change transformation initiatives, cross-functional business process automation, as well as the real-world transformation challenges and enterprise opportunities including encouraging and supporting employees to become artificial intelligence champions and driving business results via imported transformation execution. 

The ADD is responsible for providing administrative direction, guidance, and leadership to ITSD managers and staff to guide artificial intelligence transformation and drive the future of artificial intelligence across the state and directs project intake, architecture portfolio management, and agile development teams to ensure that their efforts reflect customer needs as well as innovative thinking. 

Responsibilities include overseeing the development and execution of Budget Change Concepts (BCCs), Budget State of California – Health and Human Services Agency California Department of Public Health Budget Change Proposals (BCPs), and projects to implement artificial intelligence strategies that support future state innovation. 

THE CAISOO leads agile transformation delivery for enabling an agile framework for greater agility, scalability, and efficiency to meet continually evolving business needs by developing and implementing policies and strategies to modernize artificial intelligence infrastructure, processes, and systems. Incorporates improved technology interoperability, sustainability, security, and adherence to standardized enterprise-wide artificial intelligence guidelines. 

About California Department of Public Health

At 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. The Human Resources Division (HRD) partners with CDPH’s programs and management to provide guidance and consultative services on HR matters that are necessary for the Department to carry out its mission to deliver quality public health services.

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