Although some government jobs don’t pay as high as their counterparts in private industry, there are high paying jobs at the CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national leader in public health promotion, prevention and preparedness. They do everything from researching new diseases to responding to public health threats to collaborating with international partners and health programs. Here are five of the highest paying jobs at the CDC.
Public Health Advisor
Public health advisors prepare professionals reports about:
- assigned studies
- findings
- approaches
- methodologies
- recommendations
To do this, they:
- analyze public health data
- interpret complex policies
- review regulatory statutes
Public health advisors identify and assess information needs and data requirements to allocate appropriate resources and assignments. They are senior level evaluators who conduct studies on target public health programs and departments. They work with regional programs, initiatives and assigned administrative branches. They help create and support:
- national goals
- projects
- operating standards
- internal policies
- strategic plans
- federal priorities
They maintain relationships with local, state and national organizations to facilitate public health programs.
Public Health Marketing Director
Public health marketing directors create, test and share science-based tools, content and products to the public in a variety of formats. They research, evaluate and direct health marketing and communication operations. They manage marketing projects for target demographic groups. They promote:
- the efficient management of resources
- administrative processes
- community partnerships
Public health marketing directors act as liaisons between private, community and non-profit programs. They oversee the design and communication of messages that maximize health impacts and citizen engagement. They apply advanced communication theories and marketing principles to promote better health research and practices.
Diversity Director
Diversity advisors are bilingual professionals who plan and implement customized public health programs to meet the needs of certain demographic groups. These groups may be defined by:
- age
- gender
- culture
- language and other factors
They work with local, state and federal agencies and organizations to ensure that the health needs of their target group are met. They may plan community outreach programs together with marketing directors to raise awareness of specific issues and encourage appropriate action. They may administer and issue grants and cooperative agreements for partner organizations. They analyze the social and scientific causes of public and personal health problems. They:
- conduct diversity performance assessments
- conduct compliance reviews
- negotiate and issue corrective actions.
Public Health Analyst
A public health analyst has research or epidemiological training because they evaluate the effectiveness of public health initiatives and programs. They:
- gather data from various sources
- interview experts
- conduct personal studies
- solicit information from other organizations to create public health reports
They create:
- data collection tools
- methods
- instructions
- standards
They may review the effectiveness of program guidelines, disease prevention strategies or community program operations. Their research is used for continuous improvement and professional development purposes. They may recommend training to increase professional skills in a certain organization or they recommended ways to improve work processes.
Senior Public Affairs Manager
Senior public affairs specialists are program managers with the responsibility of providing strategic advice and technical assistance in the planning, creation and evaluation of public health programs communication effectiveness. They:
- create unique solutions
- analyze communication requirements
- conduct needs assessments
- evaluate proposed approaches
- modify plans appropriately
They may recommend topics for media presentation and event discussion. Then they will develop materials for spokespersons to use. For instance, they may prepare official news reports for national and international scientific conferences.
Anyone who wants to get one of the highest paying jobs at the CDC will need at least a master’s degree and strong background in one of these fields:
- medicine
- science
- public health
- health care.