Epidemiologist

Job Description and Duties

This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by using surveillance and other types of data to inform guidance and practices for tuberculosis (TB) control and prevention.

The Research Scientist Staff (RSS) designs, implements, and reports on applied research studies and analyses from a variety of data sources to address relevant TB control issues. The incumbent leads California TB-related evaluation work, including serving as the state’s evaluation focal point to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national TB evaluation workgroup, and developing and reporting on CDC-required evaluation plans. The RSS serves as a subject matter expert for the California TB Control Branch (TBCB) on national and state TB performance measures, with a deep understanding of how the performance measures are calculated and interpreted. The incumbent acts as the technical lead for epidemiology liaisons who respond to epidemiologic requests from California local TB programs and who contribute to program evaluation and improvement projects in partnership with specific local TB programs. The RSS also prepares, submits, and leads required reporting to CDC on performance measures and surveillance and epidemiology activities.

The incumbent works under the general direction of the Public Health Medical Officer III, Chief of the Surveillance and Epidemiology Section (SES) of the Tuberculosis Control Branch (TBCB).

Position requires occasional in-state travel between local jurisdictions and Richmond, and a biennial out of state trip to Atlanta, GA, up to 10%.

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You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Telework Information :

This position may be eligible for telework. The amount of telework permitted is at the discretion of the Department and is subject to change, consistent with CDPH’s Telework Program. All employees who telework are required to be California residents in accordance with Government Code 14200. Candidates who reside outside of the state of California may be interviewed; however, the selected candidate must have a primary residency in the state of California prior to appointment (and continue to maintain California residency) as a condition of employment. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.

Travel may be required for this position. Reimbursement for travel takes into consideration an employee’s designated headquarters, as reflected in the duty statement, and is subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. All commute expenses to the designated headquarters office will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

The headquarters office location for this position is identified in the attached duty statement.

Special Requirements

In order to be considered for this position, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts official or un-official and/or Degree for education verification

For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678) and/or Resume, including detailed job descriptions,  hours worked per week , and  start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY) . Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.

A completed State application (STD. 678) and any other relevant documents (e.g. unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers Account. Please reference Job Control #(527821)  and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application . Please remove any confidential information (i.e. social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.

Complete Application Packages (including your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareers Account at Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing. Please submit only one application.

If you are unable to submit your application electronically through your CalCareers account, please email  View email address on calcareers.ca.gov  for assistance and a CDPH Human Resources Division staff member will contact you to assist with the online application process or,  a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method as explained in the How to Apply section below. When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Thorough skills associated with statistical analysis. Fluency in R or SAS.
• Skills to communicate complex information in a clear and concise manner both verbally and in writing.
• Skills in project management.
• Skills in data visualization using standard tools such as Tableau, PowerBI, RShiny, etc.
• Experience using SQL.
• Experience with public health program evaluation using standardized performance metrics.
• Experience working in a state or local health department.
• Knowledge and experience with tuberculosis.
• Experience with public health surveillance data.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions:

To be considered for this position, interested candidates shall submit responses to the Statement of Qualifications as a part of the application package. Responses shall be no longer than two pages single-spaced in 12 pt. font. Resumes and state applications will not take the place of the Statement of Qualifications. Applications received without a Statement of Qualifications may be rejected.

Please describe your professional scientific experience in the Research Scientist specialty ( Epidemiology/Biostatistics ). Include the start and end dates of each job (month and year), duties performed, and level of responsibility.

Please note , at least one year of work experience must include the following experience: journey level work (NOT entry level) including planning, organizing, and carrying out scientific research studies of moderate (as opposed to limited) scientific scope and complexity. May serve as a team member on projects and investigations within their program and act as a technical scientific consultant on a specific phase of a more complex scientific research study. Makes independent, difficult decisions within a specific scientific field using established guidelines and technical scientific procedures and adapts research methods to problems with limited scientific scope.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications - Please see Statement of Qualifications instructions below at end of posting .  Any applications received that  do not provide a written response to the SOQ may be rejected .
• Other - Cover letter:   Please include a cover letter summarizing how your knowledge, skills, and experience make you a good candidate for this position. Please discuss any of the desirable qualifications that you meet. You do not need to repeat information included in the Statement of Qualifications but can refer to that statement where appropriate.