How to hire a public health specialist

How to hire a public health specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step public health specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a public health specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new public health specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a public health specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a public health specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A public health specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, public health specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of public health specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Public Health Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Public Health Specialist	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$16-35
   Safety Representative	A safety representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing... Show more	$15-37
   Safety Trainer	The Safety Trainer ensures that all employees are safe from dangers and are educated well on handling threats and problems. Alongside this, the Safety Trainer properly educates and informs all company employees on the company's safety protocols and procedures... Show more	$14-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Health
   • Technical Assistance
   • Community Health
   • Health Services
   • State Agencies
   • Public Health Programs
   • External Stakeholders
   • Data Analysis
   • Data Collection
   • CDC
   • TB
   • Chronic Disease
   • School Health
   • Medical Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.
   • Assist with hiring and training of new sanitarians.
   • Assist with HACCP food service program training classes and certifications.
   • Audit restaurants and food facilities in accordance with HACCP guidelines.
   • Conduct food and beverage review to ensure compliance with city and state regulations, as well as OSHA and FDA.
   • Review medical records of patients who suffer serious injuries in automobile accidents and classify injury by type.

   More public health specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your public health specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A public health specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a public health specialist in Tennessee may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level public health specialist usually earns less than a senior-level public health specialist. Additionally, a public health specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average public health specialist salary

   $50,999yearly

   $24.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level public health specialist salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average public health specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$70,813	$34
   2	California	$66,663	$32
   3	Washington	$61,936	$30
   4	Oregon	$61,320	$29
   5	Maryland	$60,434	$29
   6	Colorado	$59,558	$29
   7	Virginia	$55,617	$27
   8	New York	$54,504	$26
   9	Maine	$53,955	$26
   10	Minnesota	$52,694	$25
   11	Oklahoma	$50,852	$24
   12	Texas	$50,816	$24
   13	Massachusetts	$50,713	$24
   14	Pennsylvania	$50,398	$24
   15	Iowa	$49,995	$24
   16	Wisconsin	$49,731	$24
   17	Missouri	$47,883	$23
   18	Florida	$47,817	$23
   19	Georgia	$42,964	$21

   Average public health specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc.	$66,928	$32.18	1
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$65,220	$31.36	1
   3	Health Federation of Philadelphia	$62,861	$30.22
   4	University of Washington	$62,743	$30.16	1
   5	Carnival Cruise Line	$61,284	$29.46	3
   6	Veritas Health Services Inc	$60,984	$29.32
   7	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	$58,713	$28.23
   8	Deloitte	$58,645	$28.19	43
   9	Tarrant County	$58,642	$28.19
   10	Health Research, Inc.	$57,623	$27.70	4
   11	City of Houston	$57,375	$27.58
   12	Texas	$55,034	$26.46	23
   13	The University System of Maryland Foundation	$54,412	$26.16
   14	Missouri Department of Transportation	$54,345	$26.13
   15	MPHI	$53,858	$25.89
   16	ICONMA	$52,123	$25.06
   17	Johnston Companies	$52,092	$25.04	2
   18	Public Consulting Group	$50,767	$24.41
   19	PSEA	$49,998	$24.04	4
   20	Colorado State Express	$49,692	$23.89

4. Writing a public health specialist job description

   A good public health specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a public health specialist job description:

   Public health specialist job description example

   Who is DRT?DRT Strategies delivers expert management consulting and information technology (IT) solutions to large federal agencies, the U.S. Navy, state and local government and commercial clients in health care, technology, and the financial services industries. The three letters of our name, DRT, stand for Driving Resolutions Together, which is the core philosophy on which the company was founded. That is, we collaborate with our clients to solve their most pressing IT challenges - together.
   
   We are problem solvers dedicated to your success, combining Fortune 500 experience with small business responsiveness. We have established a reputation with our clients as a forward-thinking consulting firm with demonstrated success in implementing solutions that lead to meaningful results. Our world-class consultants unite people to work collaboratively to achieve project goals and make your vision a reality.
   
   What are we looking for?You, our next Public Health Data Specialist to work directly with public health GIS analysts, coordinators, epidemiologists, and other technologists. You will source, analyze, clean, organize and provide recommendations on public health data for use in analyses. Accesses public health databases, data structures, and data flows to recommend and perform the import, structuring, and encoding of public health data.
   
   Project you will support:DRT provides GIS solutions to address diverse, complex, and emerging problems within the public health domains of environmental health, infectious disease, chronic disease, and emergency preparedness/response. Our support includes the design, development, and enhancements of internal and external applications, websites, and database solutions with geospatial components. Our team develops innovative data capture and analysis techniques in the field to enhance emergency response efforts all around the world.
   
   Your day to day: • Designs, builds, and maintains multiple datasets for use with public health analyses and data sharing initiatives• Works with analysts, subject matter experts, and technologists to determine and implement data structures• Recommends and implements solutions to meet data requirements• Develops and manages a schedule to meet deliverables and establish estimated completion dates• Follows the government's software development lifecycle framework and provides agreed upon project documentation• Completes tasks on time with minimal supervision but supports collaboration across teams
   
   This is you:• Bachelor's Degree in Public Health, Data Science, Computer Science, or related field with at least seven years' experience in data-focused roles. 4 years of experience may be used in lieu of degree• Must have or be able to obtain a Public Trust with the US federal government• Five or more years of experience with data tools for storage, manipulation, ETL, analyses, and visualization• Advanced understanding of public health data sources and analyses• Knowledge of public health data and related privacy requirements (HIPPA, PII, etc.)
   
   You will wow us even more if you have these skills:• Recent experience with CDC environment and standards: SDLC, technical architecture, release processes• Experience with Agile and DevOps methodologies
   
   DRT Strategies, Inc. (DRT) celebrates diversity and is proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetics, disability, or protected veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, DRT complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.
   
   Presently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DRT employees are teleworking from home and leveraging video conferencing along with other virtual productivity tools. During normal circumstances, the requirement of this position is to be onsite, however, DRT has not yet determined when employees will be required to return to their workspaces. Please be aware that at the time a date is determined, the requirement of this position will be to report to the worksite. At this time, Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors, which mandated the creation of a Federal Acquisition Regulation clause requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19, is in a pending status. Please note that, as a government contractor, DRT may be required to ask for proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status upon hire or anytime thereafter if the executive order is upheld. Per the requirement, federal contractors and subcontractors must submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or have an approved accommodation to begin work.
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5. Post your job

   To find public health specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any public health specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level public health specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your public health specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit public health specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit public health specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new public health specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect public health specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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