Data Scientist - Public Health Demography

The Division of Public Health (DPH) within the Department of Health Services (DHS), works with our local and tribal public health partners, and community groups statewide, on a wide variety of programs and services that protect the health of Wisconsin residents. These programs include communicable and chronic diseases, health promotion, environmental health, occupational health, family and community health, emergency medical services, and injury prevention.

DPH is recruiting for a Data Scientist (Public Health Demography) for the Office of Health Informatics (OHI) – Health Analytics Section. This position will be located in Madison, WI and will primarily work Monday-Friday with daytime hours (core hours 9AM-3PM). This position will be expected to work from the 1 W. Wilson St. office building a minimum of two days per week with the opportunity of up to three days of remote work. This schedule may vary based on training or operational needs.

Our diversity, equity, and inclusion team strives to hire, develop, and retain a talented workforce representative of the people of Wisconsin we serve. We are searching for people with diverse backgrounds to join our dynamic and team-oriented environment. We promote professional growth and create a healthy work/life balance and inclusive culture. As an employee of the state of Wisconsin, you'll also have access to an amazing benefits package, including paid time off, low-cost insurance options, and participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System, which is considered among the best in the country. The State of Wisconsin is also a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

The Data Scientist will apply demographic concepts, models, and techniques to fertility, morbidity, and mortality analyses. The position will use data to explore the health outcomes of various populations within Wisconsin. The role is responsible for conducting analyses to develop insights about the correlations between demographic characteristics and a) health outcomes, b) health status, c) health-related behavior, and d) access to health care services. The demographer will perform data collection and analyses to identify historic trends and use forecasting techniques to project future trends related to public health.

Additional duties include:

• Providing management, administration, and direction for planning, design, and implementation of study protocols in the demography field.
• Serving as lead author of demographic analyses and scientific publications related to health and health-related issues.
• Participating in multi-agency demographic research.
• Developing and maintaining partnerships with counterparts in federal, state, and local government as well as with representatives of organizations outside of government.
• Using results of demographic analyses to advise on priority populations for program and policy decisions and to inform public health outreach efforts.

The Data Scientist serves as a principal investigator for the Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) system, an online interactive query system that provides Wisconsin health-related data. This position will be responsible for employing demographic principles and methods, sampling techniques, and forecasting methods. This position serves as the DHS Health Demographer and Wisconsin’s representative in the United States Census Bureau’s Federal State Cooperative for Population Estimates (FSCPE). As the FSCPE representative, the Health Demographer is responsible for completing assignments throughout the year to support U.S. Census Bureau operations.

The starting salary is between $39.00 to $46.00 per hour (approximately $81,120 to $95,680 annually) plus excellent benefits. This position is classified as a Research Scientist and the pay schedule and range is 81/02. A 24-month Career Executive trial period is required. Pay for current or former employees is set based on the rules that apply to compensation for the applicable transaction.

All applicants who may be appointed to this position will be required to allow DHS to conduct a background check to determine whether the circumstances of any conviction may be related to the job being filled.

All state employees are required to report their COVID vaccination status, whether vaccinated or not, and must provide supporting documentation if vaccinated. Newly hired employees will be required to submit this information within their first two weeks of employment.

For positions that do allow remote working flexibility, although residency in the State of WI is not required for permanent positions, it is not anticipated that working outside of WI or bordering cities will be allowed as positions may at times need to report to office locations in WI on short notice.

DHS does not sponsor work visas for this position, thus, in compliance with federal law, selected candidates will be required to verify eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required I-9 form upon hire.

Employees must have access to secure high-speed internet for remote work option. Mileage reimbursement to the employee’s headquarter location is not provided. Remote work flexibility will be discussed in more detail during the interview process.

Minimally qualified applicants will have all of the following:

• Experience with the scientific study of human populations and population dynamics (e.g., interplay between population growth or decline, fertility, mortality, migration, etc.)
• Experience applying a health equity lens to data work or research.
• Experience working with extremely large data sets (i.e., big data).
• Experience using coding and visualization software in working with data (e.g., R, Python, SAS, Tableau, Power BI, etc.)

Well-qualified applicants will also have one or more of the following:

• Experience applying scientific findings of demographic information to explore their impact on public health and a population's healthcare needs.
• Experience building interactive dashboards using Tableau, Power BI, or similar application.
• Experience or training on topics related to health disparities.
• Experience working in a public health setting.

For tips on developing your resume and letter of qualifications and what should be included in these materials, click here. Please note, the letter of qualifications is limited to 2 pages.

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Submitted materials will be evaluated by a panel of job experts according to the qualifications above. Please monitor your email for communications related this position. Current or former permanent, classified, state employees must complete the online application process to be considered.

If viewing through an external site, please apply directly at Wisc.Jobs.

DHS is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer seeking a diverse and talented workforce.

Veterans are encouraged to apply. For complete information on veterans’ hiring programs with the WI Department of Veteran’s affairs, click here.

For questions, or to request a copy of the full position description, please contact Rose Lee at rose.lee@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

For assistance with technical difficulties, please contact the Wisc.Jobs help desk at 608-267-1012 or wiscjobs@wisconsin.gov.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 at 11:59 pm.