DATA SCIENTIST - EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT

Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources; California; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources is hiring a Data Scientist to support homelessness-related initiatives, working onsite in Los Angeles County, CA. You will define business problems, perform end-to-end analyses, and translate results for policy and program decisions.

Collaborate with divisions and stakeholders to develop analyses, predictive models, and data-driven tools, including dashboards and reports, for program managers and leadership.

Qualifications

• Two years of experience applying advanced statistical analyses to produce actionable recommendations.
• A Bachelor's degree in an applied research field with 12+ credit units in data science or predictive analytics plus four years of related experience.
• A Master’s or Doctoral degree may substitute for up to two years of experience.
• Experience using machine learning to analyze complex datasets and identify predictive patterns.
• A valid California Class C Driver License or equivalent transportation.
• English-language diploma/transcripts required per posting timelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead data science projects from inception through implementation with stakeholders.
• Create visualizations and dashboards to support business decisions and resource allocation.
• Document business requirements and frame problems to guide analyses.
• Identify relevant data sources, including unstructured data, and collaborate with IT for data integration.
• Develop advanced analytics using ML, regression, prescriptive analytics, and optimization.
• Communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences through reports and presentations.

Skills

Advanced statistics

Predictive analytics

Machine learning

Data visualization

SQL / data manipulation

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Data Science or related field

Master’s or Doctoral degree substitution for up to 2 years experience

Tools

Tableau

Looker

Power BI

Databricks Dashboards

Azure Synapse

Git

NLP

Geo-spatial clustering

Job description

The Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources is making an emergency appointment for a Data Scientist role focused on work related to the homelessness crisis. This position supports the Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) and contributes end-to-end data science analyses intended to inform program, policy, and operational decisions.

Based in Los Angeles County, CA (onsite), this role partners across divisions and stakeholders to define business problems, develop analyses and predictive models, and translate results into findings that can be acted on by both technical and nontechnical audiences.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborate with division, department, and countywide stakeholders to solicit, define, and manage data science projects from inception through implementation, including developing statements of business problems and conducting exploratory data analysis and data mining.
• Develop and present visualizations of findings and recommendations that support business decisions and resource allocation.
• Document business requirements with departmental stakeholders and frame business problems so appropriate data science techniques can be selected and applied.
• Work with departmental subject matter experts to identify and select relevant data sources, including internal and external, and structured and unstructured data.
• Partner with departmental Information Technology to support collection, integration, and retention requirements for large structured and unstructured datasets, and consult with data engineers and architects on data systems and process design.
• Collaborate with other Data Scientists, Analysts, and IT staff to select, evaluate, improve, and document tools and systems that strengthen analytic capacity.
• Independently conduct advanced analytical studies, transforming data into actionable information using machine learning, bivariate and multivariate analyses, predictive or prescriptive analytics, and optimization.
• Use statistical computer scripting and programming and analytic tools to ingest, manipulate, prepare, augment, evaluate, analyze, summarize, and visualize data.
• Plan, design, and manage experiments, consumer surveys, and other data collection initiatives as needed to address business problems.
• Review the work of Predictive Data Analysts and other lower-level analysts for quality control.
• Communicate findings through oral, written, and visual methods, including presentations and interactive tools, to reach technical and nontechnical staff, stakeholders, and members of the public.
• Work with program staff to ensure analyses translate into actionable, data-driven program, policy, and operational decision-making.
• Assist in implementing recommended process changes while maintaining best practices from the analysis and accounting for operational realities.
• Develop analytics-driven products such as dashboards and reports.
• Contribute to advanced analytic products (including recommender engines, auto classification algorithms, predictive scoring, geo-spatial clustering, and NLP classifiers) and support placement into production.
• Recommend ongoing improvements to methods and algorithms and provide business metrics to demonstrate improvement initially and across iterations, including tracking, monitoring, troubleshooting, and implementing enhancements.
• Maintain familiarity with current industry and academic research through ongoing training and professional development.
• Develop relationships with local academic data science programs, support recruitment of data science interns, and oversee intern work on departmental projects.

Required qualifications

• Option I: Two (2) years of experience applying advanced statistical analyses, including predictive analytics, to produce actionable recommendations supporting data-driven program, policy, and operational decision-making, at a level equivalent to the Los Angeles County class of Predictive Data Analyst.
• Option II: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in an applied research field such as Data Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Analytics, Psychology, or Public Health, including 12 semester or 18 quarter units of coursework in data science, predictive analytics, quantitative research methods, or statistical analysis, AND Four (4) years of experience applying machine learning, predictive analytics, data management, and hypothesis-driven data analysis to pro (partial statement as provided).
• A Master’s or Doctoral degree in a relevant applied research field may substitute for up to two (2) years of experience.
• Special requirement definition: experience at the level of Predictive Data Analyst includes using machine learning to analyze complex datasets and identify statistically significant predictive patterns relevant to program goals that human intelligence could not identify on its own.
• A valid California Class C Driver License, or ability to use an alternative method of transportation for job-related essential functions.
• Education documentation: include a copy of the official diploma or letter/certificate and an official transcript from an accredited institution within seven (7) calendar days of the end of the filing period, showing the degree conferral date and provided in English (foreign-language documents must be translated and evaluated for U.S. equivalency).

Technology and tools

• machine learning, Tableau, Looker, Power BI, Databricks Dashboards, Sparks, Azure Synapse, Git, ETL, NLP, geo-spatial clustering

Recruitment type and posting details

• Type of recruitment: Open Competitive - Emergency
• Filing dates: from Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. (PT) through Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (PT)
• Exam number: HH1763B-EA

Initial work period and evaluation

• Applicants meeting requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
• Performance during the initial work period will be weighted 100% for assessment.
• Those who pass the assessment are considered for permanent appointment to Data Scientist.

Desirable qualifications

• One (1) year within the last four (4) years working with large, fragmented administrative datasets including individual-level records from social services, healthcare, or government programs.
• Selecting and applying statistical or machine learning models appropriate to business needs, including model assumptions and limitations.
• Producing recurring reports or dashboards from administrative data systems using tools such as Tableau, Looker, Power BI, Databricks Dashboards, Sparks, Azure Synapse, or equivalent platforms.
• Developing dashboards or automated reports that translate analytics into actionable information for program managers or operational staff.
• Collaborating with data engineers or IT staff to scope data needs, provide feedback on data systems, and integrate analytic workflows into data pipelines.
• Applying version control (for example, Git) and basic software development practices such as code documentation and reproducibility standards.
• Working with Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) processes using data input tools to clean and combine datasets.
• Presenting analysis findings to non-technical stakeholders, including homeless service program staff, leadership, and external bodies.

Application and notice information

• Applications must be filed online only and will be reviewed for interview consideration on an ongoing basis.
• No individual notifications will be sent regarding application status or whether requirements are met.
• Important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application.

Additional administrative notes

• Social Security Number: include a Social Security Number for record control purposes; federal law requires employed persons to have a Social Security Number.
• Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI): the Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts.

Contact

• Department contact: Suzy Atajayan
• Email: [e-mail]
• Teletype phone: [phone]