County Commissioners Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Hillsborough, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 2026-35
Employer: Orange County
Opening Date: 09/01/2026
Closing Date: 9/28/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Max Number of Applicants: 1000
About Us
Applicants should apply by September 28, 2026
Lead a department dedicated to promoting and protecting health, enhancing quality of life,
and preserving a safe and healthy environment for everyone in Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County is seeking a visionary, decisive, and empathetic leader to serve as its next Health Director. This executive leadership role offers a dynamic opportunity to guide a progressive public health department through an evolving healthcare landscape, serving a diverse community with an emphasis on health for all, data-informed innovation, and collaborative service delivery.
Position Overview:

• Annual Department Budget: $14.1 Million
• Department Multi-Disciplinary Workforce: 100 permanent employees, 7 temporary staff, and 7 direct reports, including a Deputy Director.
• Work Structure: In-Person (Hillsborough/Chapel Hill, NC region)
• Governance & Oversight: Reports to an 11-member Board of Health (BOH) while working closely with the County Leadership and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).

About the Community:
Nestled in the beautiful Piedmont region of North Carolina between Research Triangle Park and the Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point), Orange County offers an unparalleled quality of life that blends rich historical heritage with a progressive, forward-thinking spirit. Orange County is a community, home to over 150,000 residents.
Orange County features 4 municipalities: historic Hillsborough, the county seat; Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina (the oldest state-supported university in the United States); the bustling commercial corridors of Carrboro, and parts of Mebane, a former railroad and mill town.
Orange County forms a key corner of the Triangle region. The Triangle is home to major universities (UNC, Duke, NCCU, NCSU and numerous colleges) and leading non-governmental organizations such as RTI International and FHI 360.
Orange County perfectly pairs an energetic urban vibe with scenic, peaceful farmland to the north. Rolling hills and lush green countryside deliver a welcoming, rural feel that blends seamlessly with a cosmopolitan worldview.
Orange County's economy is driven by top-tiereducation, advanced healthcare, and stronglocal business and agricultural sectorsAt its center isUNC-Chapel Hill, the flagship campus of a 16-member state university system that is consistently rated as one of the country's finest public institutions of higher learning. UNC-Chapel Hill is the home of top tier Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Social Work.
Orange County is strategically positioned along the Eastern Seaboard, with major metro areas like Washington, D.C., and New York just a quick flight or a few hours' drive away. Interstates I-40 and I-85 crisscross the region, facilitating quick and efficient travel in all directions and providing quick proximity to major universities, worldclass healthcare, the Blue Ridge mountains, and Atlantic beaches.
Duties/Responsibilities
About the Organization:
Orange County government is a highly collaborative and forward-thinking organization, governed by an seven--member Board of Commissioners. The commissioners are elected to four-year terms by district and at-large in partisan elections. The County's mission is to serve as a visionary leader in providing governmental services valued by its community, beyond those required by law, in an equitable, sustainable, innovative, and efficient way.The County's FY 25-26 budget of $435M ($312M General Fund) supports its nearly 1,200 FTEs across 27 departments.
Orange County's Strategic Plan, adopted in 2024, outlines a clear vision to be a diverse, inclusive, and healthy community that continuously enhances quality of life for all residents.
About the Department:
The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) is a community-centered public health agency dedicated to creating conditions for all residents to achieve optimal health. OCHD serves a diverse population spanning both urban and rural communities. OCHD and the BOH operate under a Strategic Plan and use feedback from their recent Community Assessment to drive their decision-making.
Operating under a servant-leadership framework that prioritizes transparency, innovation, equity, and trust, the OCHD is known for its:

• foundational public health and environmental health protection practices and services;
• direct clinical, dental, and maternal-child health care; and
• high-impact, equity-driven, stakeholder collaborative initiatives like the Family Success Alliance.

The department thrives on deep cross-sector collaboration, working closely with county leadership, the Board of Health, community partners, and world-class institutions like the University of North Carolina. OCHD is actively shaping a supportive, sustainable workplace culture focused on empowering its staff, addressing systemic health disparities, and driving data-informed initiatives that safeguard the community's future.
Key Priorities & Strategic Leadership:

• Departmental Stability & Culture: Provide compassionate, visible servant leadership to establish trust, enhance morale, foster cross-functional collaboration and relationship building following recent organizational shifts.
• Fiscal Stewardship & Data-Driven Strategy: Navigate an evolving funding environment by making data-informed decisions regarding clinical, environmental, and preventive health programming, optimizing payor mixes, and securing competitive grant opportunities.
• Executive Team Building: Recruit, retain, and develop key leadership roles, including filling the newly created Deputy Health Director position to establish a resilient, high-performing executive team.
• Stakeholder & Community Engagement: Stand firm on core public health values and state and federal regulations, while navigating complex, high-level relationships across the University of North Carolina Health system, corporate partners, county departments, and community members.
• Equity & Social Determinants of Health: Advance the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan by addressing health disparities, access to care, behavioral health needs, and supporting the strategic implementation of key initiatives like the Family Success Alliance and the new Crisis Diversion Facility.

Qualifications
Minimum and Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: A master's degree in public health or public administration with an emphasis on public health is highly preferred. Any combination of closely related or equivalent education and experience will be considered.
• Experience:
  • Requires a minimum of three (3) years of manager-level experience as a Director or Division Director overseeing public health programming and multi-million-dollar budgets.
  • Five (5) years of public health administration experience within a similarly sized or larger urban/rural mixed jurisdiction is highly preferred.
• Core Competencies: Extensive knowledge of North Carolina public health law and regulatory frameworks preferred with strong command of quantitative skills, program evaluation, public health data analysis capabilities, proven personnel management skills, and emergency response leadership experience.
• Please note that this executive position requires 24/7 availability to respond to public health emergencies.

Additional Information
Salary and Benefits:

• Salary Range: $124,317.00 - $185,000.00 (Starting salary depends on qualifications and experience).
  • Benefits:Orange County provides a comprehensive benefits package, including:
    • 100% employer-paid health, dental, and life insurance
    • Bi-annual leave accrual, sick leave, and 11 paid holidays
    • Participation in the N.C. Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System and supplemental retirement plans
    • Tuition reimbursement, longevity pay, and more
  • Residency: County residency is preferred but not required.

How to Apply:
Please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/developmentalassociates, and click on the Health Director - Orange County, NC title.

• If you have accessed this position from within the Government Jobs portal, simply hit the green "Apply" button in the upper-right corner to begin your application.
• Important: All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) - NOT the County's employment application portal or any other external website. Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
• Application Deadline: September 28, 2026.
• Hiring Process Schedule: Successful semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews and skill evaluations on October 27-28, 2026. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate, as these dates are fixed.
• Questions? Direct all inquiries to hiring@developmentalassociates.com.

Orange County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Recruitment and Selection Process is being Managed by Developmental Associates, LLC
To learn more about our selection process, visit , select "Client Openings," and scroll down to "Important Information for Applicants."
Benefits are specific to the employing organization. Please refer to the benefits information that is in the ad as well as in the recruitment brochure. If you need further information, please contact the employer associated with the position
01
CONFIDENTIALITY DISCLOSURE AND APPLICATION COMPLETION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Developmental Associates works on behalf of this client to recruit and collect information on candidates for this position. All applicant materials will be shared with the employer and their employees who are involved in the hiring process for this position. This application process uses a combination of automated and hand scoring of all application materials against screening criteria that have been established by the employer. 1) By submitting this application, I am consenting to have my application materials shared with this employer. 2) I understand that if I have not completely and fully answered all application questions and/ or supplemental questions with details, my application may not be able accurately evaluated. 3) Further, I understand that merely referring to my resume (e.g. "see resume" in lieu of providing detailed responses) is not sufficient for purposes of ensuring accurate application evaluation.

• Yes
• No

02
What is your highest degree?

• High School or GED
• Some College, No Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Some Graduate School, No Degree
• Master's in Public Health, Health Administration
• Master's of Public Administration
• MD
• PhD, other Doctorate
• Other Public Health related graduate Degree
• Other graduate degree

03
Please list major field of study/ discipline for all areas except MPH or MPA degrees.
04
Please list any relevant public health secondary degrees, certifications or licences you hold, if any:
05
Minimum training and experience requirements are in accordance with NC GS 130A-40 and NC GS 130A-45.5. The position requires progressively responsible public health management experience, including direct supervisory experience. How many cumulative years of experience do you have in a supervisory capacity in health services, health programs, or public health supervision and management, if any?

• I have no health program or services experience.
• Less than 1 year of health program or services management experience
• At least 1 year but less than 2 years of health program or services management experience
• At least 2 years but less than 3 years of health program or services management experience
• At least 3 years but less than 4 years of health program or services management experience
• More than 4 years of health program or services management experience

06
There is a preference for • Requires a minimum of three (3) years of manager-level experience as a Director or Division Director overseeing public health programming and multi-million-dollar budgets. How many years of public health programming and budget experience do you have?

• Less than 1 year
• 1.2-2 years
• 2.2-3 years
• 3.1--4 years
• 4.1-5 years
• More than 5 years of experience in

07
The position prefers public health management experience. Please list the organization (s) from where you received your public health experience, if any. If no public health experience, please say NA.
08
This position prefers progressive leadership experience in a public health management role. In the absence of experience, education and experience in public health will be evaluated in accordance with NC general statutes. What was your highest level in a public health supervisory/ management role?

• I've never served in a health program, health service or public health role.