RESEARCH SCIENTIST SENIOR

State of California; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of California's Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist role advances population health management and health equity. You will direct data collection, analytics, and interpretation to support decision intelligence and prioritization efforts within CDPH’s DIS team.

The position drives scientifically rigorous research, uses modern epidemiologic methods, and informs policy and program action across California’s diverse communities.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree holders may receive a 2% educational pay differential.
• Doctoral or MD degree may receive a 3% educational pay differential.
• Candidates must submit transcripts or degree verification.

Responsibilities

• Direct data collection and public health analytics for prioritization work.
• Lead scientific research and evaluation studies of high scope and complexity.
• Deploy epidemiologic methods to transform data into policy decisions.

Skills

Data analysis

Public health analytics

Scientific communication

Education

Master’s Degree

Doctoral Degree

Job description

Job Posting: Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist

Department of Public Health

$9,573.00 - $12,394.00 per Month New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Final Filing Date: 10/19/2026

Job Description and Duties

Incumbents in one of these classifications who possess a Master’s Degree shall receive an educational pay differential equivalent to 2% of their monthly base pay. Those who possess a Doctoral Degree or Doctor of Medicine, and it is a required to meet the minimum qualifications, shall receive an educational pay differential equivalent to 3% of their monthly base pay. Individuals with both a Master’s and Doctoral Degree will be given the best benefit in relation to salary and shall only be eligible for only one amount.

The Research Scientist Senior serves as the Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist on the Decision Intelligence Section, a high impact position for a key time for public health in California. The RS Senior directs data collection and public health analytics, provides technical assistance, makes scientific presentations, writes scientific reports, and interprets complex data for the Office of Policy and Planning within CDPH. The RS Senior leads, plans, organizes, and directs scientific research and evaluation studies of a highly developed scientific scope and complexity. The RS Senior will deploy modern epidemiologic methods and analysis and work closely within the Decision Intelligence Section (DIS) team, to transform data and information into good policy decisions and public health action by informing public health prioritization efforts.

This position supports the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Mission and Strategic Plan by advancing population health management and the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities by promoting health and wellness, increasing health equity, enhancing services through agile operations, and optimizing data and technology. The mission of the Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) is to advance transformative policies and systems change that will promote state and community health improvement through prevention, equity, and collective action. The Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) promotes public health policies priorities and supports CDPH capabilities for community health improvement, policy development, research and analysis, integrated planning, decision intelligence, lean transformation, and grants management.

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.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• RESEARCH SCIENTIST SENIOR

Additional Documents

• Job Application Package Checklist
• Duty Statement

Position Details

• Job Code #: JC-533628
• Position #(s): 580-011-5609-909
• Working Title: Public Health Prioritization Epidemiologist
• Classification: RESEARCH SCIENTIST SENIOR $9,573.00 - $12,394.00 New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.
• # of Positions: 1
• Work Location: Contra Costa County
• Telework: Hybrid
• Job Type: Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

At the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our mission to advance the health and well-being of California’s diverse people and communities. We are genuinely and strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness where we can grow and learn together with a diverse team of employees. In recruiting for team members, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring to us and the work we do.

The Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) promotes public health policy priorities and supports CDPH capabilities for community health improvement, informed policy development, research and analysis, integrated planning, decision intelligence, lean transformation, and grants management. The OPP leads comprehensive assessment, long term strategic and health improvement planning to address current and emerging cross-cutting public health and equity priorities, conducts policy analysis, monitoring and impact evaluation, cultivates partnerships with health systems, academic partners and other sectors; facilitates accountability for effective and efficient public health infrastructure funding, supports organizational capacity building to foster a culture that encourages learning continuous improvement, and empowerment of CDPH staff.

CDPH is an E-Verify Employer

The salary information listed on this advertisement may not reflect recent salary increases from salary adjustments or changes in the fiscal year.

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 # 533628 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 www.CalCareers.ca.gov. 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 [e-mail] 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.

Required Application Package Documents

• 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 www.CalCareers.ca.gov. 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 (SOQ) instructions below at end of posting. Applications received without a written response to the SOQ may be rejected.

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:

1. Experience leading interdisciplinary research projects measuring public health burden and impact
2. Experience collaborating with both academic and government public health partners
3. Knowledge of and experience with mathematical modeling methods
4. Knowledge of and interest in using artificial intelligence for public health
5. Demonstrated experience and success communicating complex quantitative results effectively to diverse stakeholders

Benefits

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

Contact Information

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov

Human Resources Contact: Human Resources Division
[phone]
[e-mail]

Hiring Unit Contact:
opp.operations
[phone]
[e-mail]

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

EEO Contact:
EEO Office
[phone]

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Statement of Qualifications

Please number/structure your response to align with the list of Desirable Qualifications in this job posting.

A resume or cover letter cannot replace the Statement of Qualifications, and your application may be considered incomplete without the Statement of Qualifications.

PROMPT: Provide an example of a situation where you made an independent, complex scientific decision within your area of scientific expertise. Explain the scientific problem, your reasoning, the options you evaluated, and the impact of your decision on the project, program, and/or stakeholders.

In your answer, please identify the job(s) in which you performed relevant duties, the length of time in each job, including start and end dates (month and year), and your level of responsibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.