Social Research Associate II – Population Health Data Scientist

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Job Description

Do you possess strong organizational skills and a data-driven mindset? Are you passionate about public health and the trends that influence it? Are you looking for an organization that recognizes your individuality and encourages personal development alongside a balanced work-life environment? If your answer is yes, seize this opportunity!

The primary purpose of this position is to develop and organize an in-house system of collecting, monitoring, analyzing, and reporting data on local health status, factors affecting health, and health department services, drawing on resources both within the department as well as from state and other resources. Evaluation of health status indicators, mortality and morbidity trends, and variables affecting health in preparation for communicating findings to community leaders, decision-makers, and government officials are essential components of this position. The position supports the needs of all divisions of the agency in collecting and analyzing data to support programmatic needs, and works with communicable disease, environmental health, health promotion staff, and community partners to collect, analyze, and present data through reports, presentations, and online resources, such as data dashboards. The position is responsible for overseeing the Community Assessment process and composing the report, as well as the Chatham Community Cohort Assessment and State of the County Health Reports. It also leads the Epi Team and assists with the coordination of the Chatham Health Alliance and subcommittees.

Essential Functions

• Identifies and accesses a variety of health data resources;
• Maintains a standardized data collection method to identify county health indicators and evaluate Health Department services;
• Analyzes data collected to assess progress toward goals/objectives and identification of gaps;
• Maintains records and prepares reports and correspondence related to data analysis;
• Develops systems for collecting and organizing raw data into forms suitable for analysis;
• Assures quality control of data;
• Monitors county-wide health data indicators and variables affecting health;
• Assesses progress toward the Healthy People 2030 goals and updates statistics as necessary;
• Provides leadership in developing and implementing the community assessment using a multi-agency team, surveys, and qualitative approaches;
• Organizes results of data analysis into written form for publication, presentation, and dissemination;
• Produces the community assessment report;
• Produces and distributes an annual report card on Chatham County’s health status;
• Develops and updates data dashboards with current Community Assessment data;
• Supports and assists the Health Department staff in developing and implementing an evaluation plan for services/divisions of the Health Department;
• Designs and uses data collection instruments, such as survey forms and questionnaires;
• Develops and conducts systematic reviews of leading health indicators;
• Designs data collection instruments for evaluation of current and new programs;
• Trains other staff on data entry and quality control when appropriate;
• Responsible for assuring comparability of statistics across divisions within the Health Department;
• Serves as data and assessment resource for the broader community and community partners, representing the Health Department on steering committees or other groups as they relate to assessment;
• Oversees and coordinates Epi Team, including planning meetings, and developing the agenda with Epi Team members;
• Manages Epi Team strategic plan;
• Works with Epi Team members to track data and develop reports;
• Monitors emerging threats to public health and recommends strategies to respond to and prevent them;
• Serves on health department committees, as needed;
• Support the Emergency Preparedness & Response program, including leading tasks as needed;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree in public health or public health work with a major in public health and two years of experience in public health education; Bachelor’s degree with a major in public health; or an equivalent combination of education and experience which may include one year of experience in gathering, editing, and analyzing data for social research; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Graduate coursework in an area related to the work to be performed may be substituted for experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of and ability to evaluate surveillance systems;
• Ability to design and conduct epidemiological, health behavior, and attitude studies;
• Knowledge and experience with statistical software;
• Ability to interpret and evaluate surveillance data;
• Effective oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to prepare clear and concise reports;
• Ability to take initiative and work semi-independently;
• Skilled in data editing, data analysis, and report writing using PC-based applications such as Excel, Microsoft Word, and Access;
• Knowledge of design methodology and statistical methods used in epidemiological studies;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County officials, department heads, peers, associates, and the general public.

Physical Requirements
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking, hearing and repetitive motions, frequently requires touching or feeling and occasionally requires standing, walking, climbing, balancing, reaching, pushing, pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; work requires vocal communication to express or exchange ideas orally; work requires hearing to perceive information at normal spoken levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally performed in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Special Requirements
Must possess a valid North Carolina driver’s license.

Chatham County is fully committed to equal employment opportunity (EEO) principles and issues this anti-discrimination/EEO compliance clause to support and maintain employee’s rights and responsibilities relating to equal employment. The core of equal employment opportunity is the right to work and advance on the basis of merit, ability, and potential, free from prejudice or discrimination. In accordance with the applicable anti-discrimination statutes, executive orders, and other authorities, Chatham County protects employees against discrimination, to the fullest extent of law, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, political affiliation, whistleblower activity, parental status, and military service (past, present, or future), and against retaliation for participation in EEO activity or opposition to discrimination.