RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF JC-538082

California Department of Public Health; California; Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

The California Department of Public Health is seeking a Research Scientist Staff to lead analyses of syndromic surveillance data and guide public health decision-making.

The RSS will work across data systems, collaborate with local, state, and federal partners, ensure data privacy, and support CalSyS program activities, with a focus on epidemiology and biostatistics in a public health context.

Qualifications

• Expertise with epidemiologic studies and public health surveillance.
• Proficiency with data analysis and statistical software (SQL, R, Power BI, SAS Viya, Python).
• Knowledge and implementation of research methods and techniques, including statistics.
• Expertise in data manipulation and running complex data queries with large data sets.
• Experience in data governance and data access management policies.
• Ability to summarize and present complex information clearly for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead analyses of syndromic surveillance data using epidemiology and biostatistics.
• Advise on data platforms, privacy, and data usability for public health decisions.
• Collaborate with local, state, and federal partners to manage data collection, integration, analysis and dissemination.

Skills

Epidemiology

Public health surveillance

Data analysis

Data governance

Data storytelling

Communication of findings

Collaborative teamwork

Syndromic surveillance

Public health data systems

Tools

SQL

R

Power BI

SAS Viya

Python

Job description

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.

• Department Website: https://www.cdph.ca.gov
• Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.
• The salary listed in this ad may not include recent adjustments or changes from the fiscal year
• New to State candidates will be hired at the minimum salary of the classification or alternate range, as applicable.
• Effective July 2025, California’s Personal Leave Program (PLP 2025) reduces employees’ base pay by 3% in exchange for 5 hours of leave credits monthly through June 2027. The posted salary range does not reflect this reduction.

“*CDPH is an E-Verify employer.”

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

Job Description And Duties

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: * Contra Costa, Sacramento, or San Diego County *

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.

This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by supporting the implementation, utilization, maintenance, and operation of the statewide California Syndromic Surveillance (CalSyS) Program. This Program facilitates timely and broad monitoring of population health, ultimately leading to more rapid and targeted disease/illness/injury control and data-driven prevention strategies, as well as increased situational awareness for public health response.

The Research Scientist Staff (RSS) serves as a senior-level, public health epidemiologist and subject matter expert specializing in data systems and the application of syndromic surveillance data to inform public health efforts. The RSS is responsible for leading and planning analyses of syndromic surveillance data using current methods and best practices in both epidemiology and biostatistics. Additionally, they provide expert guidance on federal, state, and local initiatives that improve the availability, accessibility, and usability of public health syndromic surveillance data.

The RSS serves as a subject matter expert on data platforms for Office of Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response (OIDPR), the CalSyS Program, independently managing a variety of highly complex tasks to support CDPH epidemiologic surveillance activities. They collaborate with experts at local, state, and federal levels to oversee the collection, integration, analysis, dissemination, and use of syndromic surveillance data. The incumbent is an advisor on epidemiologic training and education for stakeholders and CDPH partners. Additionally, the RSS ensures data privacy while applying scientific methods of study during investigation, analysis, and interpretation phases, while achieving maximum value of surveillance data and information for public health.

In the case of a public health emergency, this position may be asked to redirect to serve rotations in emergency staffing roles aligned with their classification level.

The incumbent works under the general direction of the Research Scientist Supervisor I, Chief of the Epidemiology, Analytics, and Reporting (Epi) Unit within the Syndromic Surveillance Section.

Desirable Qualifications

• Expertise with epidemiologic studies and public health surveillance
• Proficiency with data analysis and statistical software (e.g., SQL, R, Power BI, SAS Viya, Python)
• Knowledge and implementation of research methods and techniques, including application of statistical methods and models
• Expertise in data manipulation and running complex data queries with large data sets
• Experience in data governance (e.g., provisioning/requesting data access, implementing, developing, and/or enforcing data use/access/management policies)
• Ability to summarize and present complex information (e.g., research findings) clearly for a wide variety of audiences via a variety of methods (e.g., written reports, oral presentations, website content, data dashboards)
• Experience with and knowledge of syndromic surveillance and its use within public health contexts

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

Final Filing Date: 11/20/2026

Job Code #: JC-538082

Position #(s): 580-465-5594-909

Working Title

Classification

RESEARCH SCIENTIST STAFF

$8,577.00 - $11,318.00

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: United States

Telework: Hybrid

Job Type: Permanent, Full Time