RESEARCH DATA SPECIALIST I

Job Description and Duties

THERE IS ONE VACANCY BEING ADVERTISED ACROSS MULTIPLE COUNTIES. THE INCUMBENT WILL BE HEADQUARTERED IN THE COUNTY NEAREST THE RESIDENCE OF THE SELECTED CANDIDATE. THE COUNTIES ARE:  Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Bernardino, or San Diego County.

The Research Data Specialist I (RDS I) within the Center for Infectious Diseases (CID), Office of Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response (OIDPR), supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by supporting the implementation, utilization, maintenance, and operation of the California statewide syndromic surveillance (CalSyS) program. This program facilitates timely and broad monitoring of population health, ultimately leading to more rapid and targeted disease/injury control and data-driven prevention strategies, as well as increased situational awareness for public health response.

The incumbent works under the general direction of the Research Data Supervisor I of the Data Quality & Integration (DQI) Unit within the Syndromic Surveillance (SyS) Section. The incumbent will serve as a subject matter expert for the data feed, data quality, and data integration of the SyS systems. The RDS I leads and supports development of documentation of quality assurance and quality control processes of SyS data. The incumbent is responsible for querying, mining and manipulation, data quality determination, statistical analysis, development, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of SyS data while working closely with other data analysts and data specialists. The incumbent shall draw from their knowledge of appropriate methodologies and processes appropriate for use with SyS data by the CalSyS program and other users of SyS data, and will share this knowledge via development and facilitation of documentation and training materials. The RDS I explores, identifies, and develops new strategies or sources for collecting, analyzing, securely sharing, and integrating/linking SyS data. The RDS I creates fully prepared and cleaned data sets for higher level analytics, spreadsheet summaries, reports, charts, and tables utilizing various software applications (e.g., BioSense/ESSENCE, SAS, R, MS Excel, SQL) while applying appropriate CDPH data privacy and security policies. The RDS I shall monitor systems and procedures with the goal of identifying improvement opportunities and facilitate change in procedures, as needed.

In the case of a public health emergency, this position may be asked to redirect to serve rotations in emergency staffing roles aligned with their classification level.

In July 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program (PLP) 2025. This program temporarily reduces employees’ monthly base pay in exchange for paid leave credits. This position is subject to PLP 2025 and will have a monthly base pay reduction of 3% in exchange for 5 hours of leave credits through June 2027. The salary ranges shown on this job posting do not reflect the salary reduction.

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You will find additional information about the job in the .

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

Additional Documents

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 # 532379 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.

Application Instructions

Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.

Final Filing Date: 9/30/2026

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

How To Apply

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 CalCareer Account at When submitting your application in hard copy, a completed copy of the Application Package listing must be included. If you choose to not apply electronically, a hard copy application package may be submitted through an alternative method listed below:

Address for Mailing Application Packages

You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:

Department of Public Health

CCAU Mailing

Attn: Classification & Certification Unit

P.O. Box 997378

MS 1700-1702

Sacramento , CA 95899-7378

Address for Drop-Off Application Packages

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

Department of Public Health

CCAU Drop Off

Classification & Certification Unit

1615 Capitol Avenue Suite 73.430

Sacramento , CA 95814

08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

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 .

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

Benefits

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

Contact Information

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Department Website:

Human Resources Contact:
Human Resources Division
View phone number on calcareers.ca.gov
View email address on calcareers.ca.gov

Hiring Unit Contact:
Danielle Stephenson
View phone number on calcareers.ca.gov
View email address on calcareers.ca.gov

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
EEO Office
View phone number on calcareers.ca.gov

California Relay Service: View phone number on calcareers.ca.gov (TTY), View phone number on calcareers.ca.gov (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions:

The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be no more than two pages, written using 12-pt Arial font, and your name/job control number at the top of each page. Answers must be numbered, reference desirable qualifications, and explain your demonstrated experience, knowledge, and skills in the areas below:

1. Describe in detail your technical data research experience, including conducting independent and complex research and data analysis, including developing reports, statistical analyses, or dashboards, and used both structured and unstructured data to identify trends and create solutions for ongoing organizational needs. In your response, include the start and end dates of each position (month and year), the relevant duties you performed, and your level of responsibility and independence.
2. Per the , please provide a statement certifying you have completed at least one course in statistical methods and at least 12 semester or 18 quarter units in data driven related coursework.

PLEASE NOTE

• The SOQ will be reviewed as a writing sample.
• Resumes and other materials will not take the place of the SOQ. Simply copying and pasting your resume will not be accepted. Applications received without an SOQ may be rejected.