Public Health Officer

Our Princess team lives by our Shared Purpose and Core Values of Respect, Protect and Connect. We seek out people who want to share their passion for travel, work with the latest technology and join a friendly, diverse team to serve our guests and show them the world. We understand our responsibility to safeguard our teammates, our guests and our oceans, and our highest priority is to operate in a safe and socially responsible way every day.

Join our team and enjoy an adventurous career with great incentives, unlimited growth and worldwide travel opportunities.

As a Public Health Officer, you will drive shipboard compliance and commitment to the highest public health standards in the areas of Disease Surveillance, Prevention and Control of Infectious illnesses, Food Safety, Potable & Recreational Water Safety, and Integrated Pest Management through structured audits, training, and effective communication.

As the Company’s public health representative onboard the vessel, you will also oversee compliance with the ship’s COVID-19 response and reports findings to the Captain onboard and Head of the Public Health Department ashore.

Job Responsibilities:

Disease Prevention and Control:

• Oversees the implementation and compliance with shipboard prevention and control activities at all response levels including for COVID-19, AGE, and other communicable diseases.
• Participates as a key member of the shipboard Outbreak Management Team (OMT) and coordinates the implementation and compliance with OMT decisions.
• Oversees the correct and safe storage, par levels, condition and use of all infection control related PPE, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, and other supplies and related equipment. Monitors compliance with all shipboard public health and infection control procedures including, hotel services for isolated/quarantined individuals, PPE use, and disinfection protocols.
• Assists with investigating illness cases and contact tracing to identifying exposure and transmission risks to individuals, areas, or events.
• Monitors the public health and infection control protocols and measures related to individuals in quarantine and/or isolation.
• Coordinates drills on the company’s Outbreak Prevention and Response Plan (OPRP) to ensure all crew are adequately trained, equipped, and prepared to effectively respond to outbreaks of communicable diseases.
• Assists the Medical Team in responding to local health authority requests for public health information, data, or investigations.
• Provides regular reports to shipboard and shoreside leadership outlining illness status and operational preparedness and response during elevated illness response levels.

Vessel Sanitation Compliance:

• Oversees the implementation of shipboard Public Health procedures and compliance with the Global HESS Public Health policies and Corporate Instructional Notices.
• Oversees facilities and equipment cleanliness & maintenance issues to ensure compliance with applicable public health standards. 

• Works with the Technical and Deck Departments onboard to identify and prioritize relevant repair and maintenance activities and refit planning.

• Measures and reviews chemical and microbiological parameters within potable water (PW) and recreational water facilities (RWFs) to ensure compliance with applicable public health standards. Works with both the Hotel and Technical Departments onboard to implement corrective actions and/or close the facilities when values are out of range.

• Reviews the food safety management, PW, RWF and air handling systems and records, to ensure compliance with public health standards.

• Effectively communicates with both shipboard and shoreside management to facilitate the correct interpretation and application of public health policies and procedures.

• Accompanies internal and external public health inspectors during inspections.

• Reviews all internal and external inspection reports to identify trends and avoid repeat deficiencies.

• Escalates issues of non-compliance and/or public health gaps to management both onboard and ashore.

• Follows-up to ensure open items are corrected and appropriate actions taken as soon as possible.

• Reviews the public health standards and operating procedures on company approved shore excursions and company owned private ports and destinations as part of illness investigation, reported non-compliance by crew or guests, or upon request from shoreside or shipboard management.

• Accompanies and facilitates third party vendor public health services, including but not limited to water samplers and sampling events.

Public Health Audits and Inspections:

• Conducts internal audits of shipboard public health programs and activities to verify compliance with applicable requirements.
• Delivers information on public health observations based on trends and audit results to shipboard management to address in their operations.
• Conducts daily public health monitoring rounds of targeted areas and operations to ensure compliance with company policy and to evaluate public health gaps and risks onboard.
• Conducts a minimum of one public health unannounced inspection of an area per week.
• Engages crew with feedback and coaching.
• Provides disciplinary recommendations on reported public health violations.
• Provides public health audit reports to onboard and shoreside management. 

Public Health Training:

• Delivers effective public health training applicable to identified and specific training needs.
• Conducts ad hoc training of shore excursion operators and private destination team members based on gap analyses or at the direction of the shoreside Public Health Department.
• Uses trend and gap analyses to determine public health training needs.
• Employs a variety of techniques to evaluate and improve the efficacy of public health training.
• Works with the shoreside Public Health Department to improve and standardize public health training content.

Integrated Pest Management:

• Oversees the IPM program, implementation, and compliance onboard the vessel.
• Ensures departmental inspections are conducted and recorded appropriately.
• Coordinates all pest control activities and applies appropriate pest control method(s) for targeted pests.
• Ensures the inventory of pesticides, IPM equipment, and PPE is stocked and fully functional.
• Complies with all regulations regarding the safe and secure storage, use, and disposal of approved pesticides and related chemicals and used packaging/containers.
• Accompanies external or 3rd party pest control applicator or service providers during routine and emergency applications / services.

Qualifications & Competencies:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, biological sciences, or closely related field preferred. Certification in CDC-VSP, Infection Control and EU SHIPSAN preferred
• Experience: Two years of shipboard experience or three years of full-time shoreside experience in implementing, overseeing, or auditing public health programs. Cruise industry experience strongly preferred
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Knowledge of infection control practices and Vessel Sanitation Standards. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced cruise ship environment, while prioritizing workloads. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate to culturally diverse teams. Self- sufficient and able to work independently.
• Critical Professional related Technical Skills: Computer Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Experience with electronic health record platform.
• Cruise industry experience strongly preferred.

Princess Cruises offers many benefits. This position is afforded comfortable, single cabin accommodations, meals, exceptional amenities, and extensive learning and recreational programs available to all of our teammates.

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Regardless of the rank or role, we are all one Princess team. Princess Cruises is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment according to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.