Epidemiologist Supervisor

The Assessment, Evaluation, & Epidemiology (AEE) program is hiring an Epidemiologist Supervisor to provide supervision to a team of Epidemiologists and Interns, managing performance, workload, and professional growth. In addition this role will provide epidemiological support, assessment, evaluation, and data analysis for the Department. This is a Regular, Full-Time (1.0 FTE) position, open to current department employees only.

**Internal Applicants Only**

This is a professional, supervisory classification that works under the direction of the Assessment, Evaluation, & Epidemiology (AEE) Director. Employees in this classification supervise Epidemiologist Is, IIs, and/or Program Analysts, managing performance, workload, and professional growth while ensuring alignment with Department priorities. Incumbents produce high-quality, actionable epidemiologic insights that inform policy, program development, and resource allocation. This role also provides epidemiological support, assessment, evaluation, and data analysis for the Department. The classification interacts with a culturally diverse population of clients, educational institutions, governmental agencies, community-based coalitions, and health department staff to collect and analyze complex epidemiologic data and communicate findings.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This advanced position is the supervisory level of the Epidemiologist series. This role performs complex data collection and analysis and directly supervises staff and their work under the direction of the AEE Director. An employee assigned to this classification works independently with minimal supervision. Employees utilize a high level of professional, independent judgement and consult with the AEE Director and Human Resources on the most complex and/or sensitive personnel and safety issues.

Position Series

• Epidemiologist I
• Epidemiologist II
• Epidemiologist III
• Epidemiology Supervisor

Career Path Options

Options to continue your career at the Health Department depend on your interest, education, and training. Possibilities beyond the position series include:

• Project Manager
• AEE Director

Essential Functions

• Supervises and manages staff performance and work outcomes and ensures appropriate HR policies and procedures are followed. Advises AEE Director on multiple projects, planning, and management tasks.
• Collects, manages, and interprets complex public health data. Evaluates data and data source quality.
• Manages and analyzes data using advanced statistical methods and techniques to identify patterns, trends, and emerging issues.
• Responds and adapts to changing protocols and standards in epidemiology, informatics, biostatics, and/or other fields related to their specific expertise.
• Independently prepares and presents findings from epidemiologic investigations and analyses to diverse audiences through reports, dashboards, and other communication tools.
• Leads design, implementation, and management data collection tools, surveillance systems, and complex projects with multiple partners.

Examples of Key Duties

The items in this section are the key duties and responsibilities for this job and do not represent an exhaustive list. Our organization is dynamic, and duties may change based on business needs. Any new duties will remain within the scope of the job.

• Collects, manages, and analyzes both program and population-based county data for the surveillance, detection, and prevention of disease.
• Manages and analyzes data using advanced statistical methods and techniques to identify patterns, trends, and emerging issues.
• Evaluates current data collection and surveillance systems and makes recommendations for maintenance and improvement.
• Designs and develops investigation protocols for public health problems.
• Coordinates local, state, and federal investigations of communicable disease outbreaks in Pierce County populations.
• Works with federal, state, and/or local agencies to investigate and develop plans to address chronic, emerging, or worsening issues impacting population health outcomes.
• Supervises, coaches, and mentors direct reports.
• Manages all aspects of staff performance including coordinating work assignments, conducting performance evaluations, providing professional development opportunities, and handling disciplinary matters in partnership with HR.
• Approves timecards and leave requests, acts as hiring authority, and ensures staff comply with Department policies and legal requirements.
• Implements strategies to boost team productivity and leads employee engagement efforts.
• Forecasts staffing needs and presents them to the AEE Director.
• Prepares and presents surveillance, investigation, and study methods and results to community groups, professional forums, internal staff, and in peer-reviewed journals.
• Provides data to Department teams, leadership, and the Board of Health to guide the development of public health interventions, disease control and prevention measures.
• Provides data to community partners to support epidemiologic investigations, as necessary.
• Works with employees across the Department to ensure valid and consistent data analysis and reporting.
• Provides staff training to improve data collection, data management, and analysis skills.
• Participates in seeking and writing grant applications for the program and the Department.
• Responds and adapts to changing protocols and standards in epidemiology, informatics, biostatistics, and other fields related to specific expertise.
• Advises the AEE Director on allocation of program resources and presents staffing forecasts.
• Implements strategies that boost employee productivity, such as optimizing workflows and maximizing the use of technology and other Department resources.
• Facilitates a cohesive work team and manages staff with varied needs and personalities effectively. Leads employee engagement and satisfaction efforts.
• Utilizes health department, social service, and medical data to infer and make connections across datasets around interactions between physical and behavioral outcomes.
• Generates descriptive and analytic data to inform public health approaches.
• Develops and conducts evaluations, including study methods, data collection and analysis, and development of recommendations.
• The work you do might require you to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid Claiming Program.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Safety & Emergency Preparedness

• Adheres to all workplace and trade safety laws, regulations, standards, and practices.
• Understands and properly follows established procedures in preventing and responding to unsafe or emergency situations. Identifies and reports potentially unsafe practices or conditions.
• Operates equipment, tools, machinery, and vehicles safely and understands processes for reporting an accident or injury.
• Understands and applies knowledge and skills necessary to successfully perform assigned emergency response role during an emergency.

When public health responds to an emergency, you may be assigned duties and responsibilities that are outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time and reporting to a location other than the department with different working conditions and physical requirements. You are expected to participate in emergency preparedness activities including our emergency notification system, WA SECURES. Drills and real-world events may take place at any time.

• Advanced knowledge of standard Microsoft Office programs; SAS, R, or Stata programs to manipulate and analyze complex datasets; and health and social service databases.
• Advanced knowledge of epidemiologic principles, practices, and techniques.
• Advanced knowledge of quantitative research and epidemiologic methods.
• Knowledge of common public health data sources such as those managed by the Department of Health, and social and medical services.
• Advanced math skills related to work performed.
• Skilled in project management.
• Skilled at adapting epidemiologic principles of design and measurement to practice-based public health issues.
• Working knowledge of local, state, and federal laws applicable to the body of work, including wage and hour law.
• Working knowledge of Department policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Skill in building effective and cohesive teams.
• Skilled in planning, organizing and leading work activities to meet established goals and objectives.
• Ability to engage with a variety of partners and projects efficiently and simultaneously.
• Knowledge and skill in management and leadership principles.
• Knowledge of budget management.
• Skilled in maintaining sensitive and confidential data and using discretion when sharing information.
• Skilled in communication:

1. Listens to others and communicates in an effective manner.
2. Asks questions in ways that enhance the clarity, quality, and reliability of information.
3. Understands and learns from what others say, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
4. Grasps the meaning of written information and applies it to work situations.
5. Conveys ideas and facts using language the audience will best understand, taking into consideration the audience and nature of the information.
6. Writes in a clear, concise, and organized manner for the intended audience.

Foundational Competencies

• Knowing and managing oneself: Understands that all equity, trauma-informed, and restorative practices start with oneself. Exercises a high degree of self-reflection, personal accountability, resilience, flexibility, and adaptability. Is willing to learn, apply, and model agency values and ethical standards.
• Restorative practices and conflict resolution: Articulates through words and actions authentic commitment to create an environment in which all people are treated with dignity and respect and afforded equal opportunities and impartial treatment. Centers work inequity and trauma informed and restorative practices to achieve and maintain collaboration and teamwork and to effectively work with historically underrepresented and/or underserved populations to advance community health. Utilizes restorative practices to address harm and promote healing to strengthen relationships between individuals and social connections within communities.
• Collaboration and engagement: Provides balanced and objective information to help teammates, partners, and the public understand problems, alternatives, opportunities, and solutions. Works directly with partners within the Department, in the community, and members of the public affected by the work to obtain feedback and understand diverse points of view, concerns, and aspirations. Identifies preferred solutions together, incorporating advice and recommendations to the maximum extent possible.
• Evidence informed practices and decision-making: Applies evidence informed practices and methodologies to achieve the greatest impact in delivery of services to internal and external customers and partners. Incorporates the social determinants of health into public health work. Integrates research and evidence into the decision-making process. Seeks to systematically identify and eliminate inequities resulting in differences in health and in overall living conditions. Utilizes evidence informed practices to increase equity in systems and policy. Creates a robust culture of assessment and evaluation and continuous process improvement.
• Cross cultural communication and Engagement: Understands that cultural awareness, appreciation, and humility can only occur when you practice curiosity and open-mindedness. Operates with a high level of humility and cultural agility to achieve effective intercultural communication, engagement, and collaboration in the workplace and in the community. Is open to feedback and continuously self-reflects on one’s own actions and responses. Centers personal accountability on the Department’s mission, values, and ethical standards.

The items below are the requirements for the job and are relevant to this position. The organization values work experience, lived experience, and education and realizes that people take different paths to acquire knowledge.

• Master's degree in public health, epidemiology, or biostatistics. Graduate-level coursework in intermediate to advanced epidemiologic methods, inferential statistics, and study design methods. PhD in epidemiology, statistics, public health, or related field preferred
• 4 years of progressively responsible epidemiologic data analysis, biostatistics, clinical/health services research, or economic research experience in public health, community-based health, and/or healthcare settings.
• 4 years of data analysis experience in a team-based or applied research setting; or disease surveillance experience.
• 2 years of experience as a supervisor or lead.

We will consider any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Professional Certifications, Licensure, and Other Requirements

We require or prefer the below for this classification.

• N/A

Work Environment

• Work is performed almost exclusively indoors in an office environment. Exposure to hazards is limited to those commonly found in office environments.
• May require working beyond the normally scheduled workweek, modifying existing work schedule, or flexing hours to meet with clients and community-based organizations.

Physical and Cognitive Demands

• Regularly required to sit or stand continuously.
• Regularly communicate clearly in-person, over the phone, and via written communication.
• Capable of reading physical and electronic documents and working for prolonged periods on a computer monitor.
• Fine motor skills sufficient to operate a telephone and a computer mouse and keyboard.
• This position may require lifting, carrying, pulling, or moving objects up to 10 pounds consistently, 20 pounds frequently, and exerting up to 30 pounds of force occasionally.
• May require walking/traversing up to ¼ mile (ie: from parking to the booth) at community events.
• Maintain concentration and attention for extended periods of time.
• Learn, recall, and apply specialized information.
• Work effectively when exposed to workplace stressors, such as emotional and/or confrontational individuals.
• Effectively perform frequent task-swapping and work with frequent interruptions.

Tools and Equipment

• Duties require the use of standard office furniture and equipment (e.g., desk, filing cabinet, computer, printer, telephone, copy machine, etc.)

Travel

• Some travel may be required, and is typically local or regional, to meet with clients, conduct business, or attend training.