Senior Surveillance Epidemiologist

Job Description and Duties

The surveillance epidemiologist position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by maintaining the Adult Blood Lead Registry and guiding lead poisoning case investigations. A Staff Research Scientist or higher will be considered for this position.  

The surveillance epidemiologist designs and conducts research studies on human populations, public health investigations, and statistical evaluations related to adult lead poisoning cases in California and nationally. The surveillance epidemiologist acts as a subject matter expert and technical consultant to the Department programs and members of the public. Along with the Chief, prioritizes, plans, and acts as a lead in overseeing OLPPP’s Registry Team. May require periodic overnight travel within California, up to 5%.

The incumbent works under the general direction of the Research Scientist Supervisor I (RSS I), Chief, Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP).

This is a 12 month Limited-Term Full-Time position that may be extended or become Permanent.

Please let us know how you heard about our position by taking this brief survey:

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 Failure to meet this requirement may result in the job offer being rescinded.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 #(521212)  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:

• Experience in surveillance systems, research approaches, and occupational and/or environmental health.
• Advanced proficiency in R
• Ability to work effectively with diverse program stakeholders and a multidisciplinary staff.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written).
• Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Masters or PhD in epidemiology preferred

Benefits

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

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions:

Please describe your professional scientific experience in occupational health and surveillance epidemiology . Include the start and end dates of each job (month and year), duties performed, and level of responsibility. Please also include any experience using R. ( 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 -

  Please submit the following WRITING SAMPLES :

  1. 1-2 citations of scientific papers for which you were the principal investigator or a leading contributor.
  2. 1-2 unpublished writing sample you have produced in a previous role. Examples may include a commentary, persuasive letter for a competitive grant, white paper, educational materials for the public, a presentation, or any other sample that exemplifies your style.