Disease Research and Intervention Specialist - Tuberculosis

King County; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

King County seeks a TB Contact Investigation Specialist to conduct detailed interviews and educate clients at risk for TB infection. The role involves organizing testing, coordinating with healthcare providers, and ensuring care continuity across diverse communities.

Based at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the position requires excellent communication, data entry skills, and the ability to work in fast-paced environments with varying priorities.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of communicable disease and public health practice.
• Experience interviewing individuals about sensitive information.
• Excellent oral and written communication with diverse communities.
• Proficiency in data entry and data management.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Ability to work independently and in a team; strong problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct detailed interviews of individuals with active TB to gather relevant information and identify close contacts.
• Interview, educate, test, and assist clients at risk for or with TB infection; provide care coordination.
• Coordinate with private providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Work in multiple settings including households, shelters, schools, and businesses.
• Document and enter data; manage transfers of contacts for follow-up.

Skills

Interviewing sensitive info

Public health knowledge

Communication skills

Data entry and management

Microsoft Office

Teamwork and independence

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The mission of the Tuberculosis Program is to prevent the spread of TB in King County with a vision of a TB free King County. It provides clinical services to individuals diagnosed with or suspected of active TB and those recently exposed to TB and community outreach and education to individuals at higher risk of TB infection and the providers who serve them.

The DRIS will primarily be responsible for conducting contact investigations to find active and latent cases of tuberculosis (TB) among diverse populations of King County. This involves interviewing, educating, testing, and tracking clients’ care, as well as, managing data. The DRIS will also support targeted testing initiatives and TB education for communities at higher risk of TB infection.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm; occasional evenings and weekends as needed

Work Location

Harborview Medical Center, 325 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

• Maintain confidentiality of all records data and information as required by section, department or state regulation
• Conduct detailed interviews of individuals with active TB to gather relevant information to identify close contacts
• Interview, educate, test, and assist clients who are at risk for or have TB infection
• Work with private providers to ensure client care continuity
• Work in different settings including households, shelters, schools, businesses, and various other sites
• Provide direct transportation for clients/ families or transportation linkages (scheduling Hopelink when appropriate)
• Work in various Washington counties to support other local health jurisdiction tuberculosis efforts
• Assist in setting up appointments for clients internal and external to the TB Clinic
• Responsible for interjurisdictional transfers of contacts needing to be contacted for follow-up
• Documentation and data entry
• Perform phlebotomy for blood testing and administer TB skin tests, as appropriate
• Educate the public about TB infection
• Other duties as assigned

Minium:

• Demonstrated knowledge of communicable disease
• Experience with interviewing about sensitive information
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills that are culturally appropriate, respectful and non-judgmental
• Demonstrated ability to work within community organizations
• Demonstrated proficiency in data entry and data management
• Detail oriented
• Understanding of basic laboratory and medical terminology
• Experience talking on the phone with healthcare providers and laboratories
• Demonstrated ability to carry out assignments and responsibilities reliably in a thorough, accurate, and timely manner
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality of protected health information at all times
• Demonstrated ability to clearly and effectively communicate orally and in writing with supervisor, co-workers, healthcare providers, and the general public
• Comfort in working in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Teams and Excel)
• Demonstrated ability to work well on a team
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction; excellent problem-solving skills
• Ability to work well under pressure with multiple competing priorities and deadlines
• Washington State Driver’s License is required
• BLS CPR certification will be required to start work.

Desired:

• Experience working in a local or state public health setting
• Experience working with diverse communities on sensitive issues
• Experience supporting communicable disease investigations
• Experience conducting community outreach

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Who May Apply

Anyone that qualifies

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Resume

(Please note: Cover letters and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS) / CPR.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation and Pre-Employment Physical, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CLA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
• If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Union Membership

Local 21