RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF

State of California; United States; Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

State of California, Department of Public Health, seeks a Research Scientist Staff Epi/Bio or Soc/Behav to analyze regional data and provide epidemiological support to local jurisdictions. The role involves complex analyses, data quality improvement, and collaboration with multiple Public Health Regions. Up to 20% travel is required.

The position is a 12-month Limited Term, headquartered near selected county with responsibilities across Rural North, Bay Area, and other regions as needed.

Qualifications

• Experience with epidemiology and biostatistics.
• Ability to analyze complex data at regional levels.
• Experience collaborating with local health jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Analyze data at regional level and support local jurisdictions with epidemiological analyses.
• Conduct complex data analyses and quality improvement projects.
• Coordinate with Regional Public Health Office teams across regions.
• Travel up to 20% to LHJs and regional meetings.

Skills

Epidemiology

Statistics

Leadership

Data analysis

Education

Master’s degree

Doctoral degree

Tools

SAS

R

SQL

MS Office

Job description

Job Posting: RPHO Epidemiologist (Epi/Bio or Soc/Behav)

Department of Public Health

JC-533629 - RPHO Epidemiologist (Epi/Bio or Soc/Behav) RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF

$8,327.00 - $10,779.00 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.

There is one vacancy being advertised across multiple counties. The incumbent will be headquartered in the county nearest the residence of the selected candidate. The counties are:

• Sacramento
• Contra Costa

This is an office-based position with up to 20% (approximately 1 day per week/4 days per month but may vary depending on need and scheduling with local partners) of travel required to assigned Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs).

The Research Scientist Staff (RS Staff) will be directly assigned one or two of the following Regional Public Health Office regions: Rural North, Bay Area, Greater Sierra-Sacramento, Central California, Southern California, and Los Angeles, based on program need and fit with partners.

The RS Staff works under the general direction of the Research Scientist Supervisor I (RSS I) within the Regional Public Health Office (RPHO) and is responsible for analyzing data at the regional level and supporting local jurisdictions in need of epidemiological support for day-to-day epidemiological analyses. The RS Staff supports and conducts complex analyses and data analytics as needed or requested. Projects may include long-term projects to improve data quality and completeness using continuous quality improvement principles. The RS Staff team members will be directly assigned to one or two of the following Public Health Regions: Rural North, Bay Area, Greater Sierra-Sacramento, Central California, Southern California, and Los Angeles.

This position is required to travel up to 20% to work with LHJ staff and attend regional meetings.

This position is a 12-month Limited Term (LT) and may be extended up to 24 months or become permanent.

Working Conditions

Telework Information:

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.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF

Additional Documents

• Job Application Package Checklist
• Duty Statement

Position Details

• Job Code #: JC-533629
• Position #(s): 581-012-5594-901
• Working Title: RPHO Epidemiologist (Epi/Bio or Soc/Behav)
• Classification: RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF
• Salary: $8,327.00 - $10,779.00
• Salary Note: 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: United States
• Telework: Hybrid
• Job Type: 12 Month Limited Term - 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 position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by enhancing preparedness and response for emerging public health threats through provision of leadership, guidance, and advance coordination and collaboration across a variety of complex program areas including policy, equity, public health practice, communications, access to clinical expertise, epidemiology, and pursuit of funding opportunities.

The Regional Public Health Office’s (RPHO) mission is to strengthen public health capacity across all regions by fostering trusting and collaborative state and local partnerships. RPHO works closely with local public health partners to address complex public health challenges, pool resources, share knowledge, and promote bidirectional communication and coordination across California.

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

“CDPH is an E-Verify Employer”

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

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 # (533629) 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.

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.

Who May Apply

Individuals who are currently in the classification, eligible for lateral transfer, eligible for reinstatement, have list or LEAP eligibility, are in the process of obtaining list eligibility, or have SROA and/or Surplus eligibility (please attach your letter, if available). SROA and Surplus candidates are given priority; therefore, individuals with other eligibility may be considered in the event no SROA or Surplus candidates apply. Individuals who are eligible for a Training and Development assignment may also be considered for this position(s).

Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience working with and knowledge of California’s local and regional communities, including direct collaboration with Local Health Jurisdictions.
• Strong epidemiologic and statistical analysis skills, including experience using SAS, R, SQL, and managing large public health datasets.
• Ability to lead and work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and convene large groups of internal and external stakeholders, including senior leadership.
• Demonstrated project management skills, including managing multiple concurrent priorities, identifying solutions quickly, and resolving complex governmental or programmatic challenges.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to translate technical findings for diverse audiences.
• Equity-minded, culturally responsive, and sensitive to the needs of diverse populations.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with local, regional, and state-level colleagues.
• Ability to develop, refine, and train others on policies, procedures, workflows, and best practices.
• High attention to detail and ability to analyze program situations and recommend effective courses of action.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and virtual meeting platforms.

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:
Traci Wacker
[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 (SOQ) Instructions:

The SOQ should be typed, in 12-point Arial font, minimum one page and not exceed 2 pages. Please respond to the item below.

Please describe your professional scientific experience in the Research Scientist specialties of Epidemiology/Biostatistics or Social/Behavioral Sciences. Include the start and end dates of each job (month and year), duties performed, and level of responsibility.

Please note, at least one year of work experience must include the following experience: journey level work (NOT entry level) including planning, organizing, and carrying out scientific research studies of moderate (as opposed to limited) scientific scope and complexity. May serve as a team member on projects and investigations within their program and act as a technical scientific consultant on a specific phase of a more complex scientific research study. Making independent, difficult decisions within a specific scientific field using established guidelines and technical scientific procedures and adapts research methods to problems with limited scientific scope.

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.