Public Health Data Scientist

Summary:

The Public Health Data Scientist supports the organization as a subject matter expert and principal lead for public health data, as well as indicators of population-level health and community conditions. This position is also responsible for leading the measurement of MHM's long-term strategic impact, as well as MHM's influence on systems change. This position develops meaningful data reports and synthesizes information to enable execution of MHM's mission and progress toward achievement of its vision in advancing health equity. The Public Health Data Scientist must be knowledgeable about a variety of data sources related to population health and community conditions and able to compile and report both primary and secondary data in a concise and clear format. This position is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and transforming data into information that will inform strategy development and execution within the service area. This position requires a strategic thinker who will be tasked with connecting insights to strategy and be a champion for advancing health equity through data. This position will monitor and provide recommendations on the indicators of community conditions, including measures of Vital Conditions and social determinants of health. This position will frequently collaborate with internal departments, external partners, and persons with lived experience to collect data, manage data projects, and provide information that will enable data-informed decision making. This position must apply an equity lens to the work, which includes the following: Seeking and honoring diverse sources of data while maintaining quality standards, challenging biases and stereotypes, and analyzing how power impacts different audience/community segments and what that means for creating culturally relevant and respectful strategic recommendations. The Public Health Data Scientist will be managing multiple projects at once, along with responding to time-sensitive requests from senior leaders and direction from their supervisor. In addition to their assigned duties, this position is expected to fully integrate as a member of MHM, including attending required trainings and company-wide events.

Summary:

Annual salary rate begins at $83,423. Mid range at $106,365. Actual starting rate will be commensurate with experience and education.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Duties:

• Serve as the MHM lead and subject matter expert for population-level health and community conditions data across the organization.
• Lead the measurement of MHM's long-term strategic impact, as well as MHM's influence on systems change.
• Collect and analyze demographics, statistics, and other information from multiple sources to identify trends and to develop insights.
• Monitor, analyze, and interpret external community conditions identified by MHM's Impact Team, Strategy & Impact Department, and MHM leadership. This includes maintaining MHM's Community Conditions Dashboard.
• Develop and work with large and complex population-level data sets.
• Explore and mine data from multiple perspectives to distill meaning.
• Conduct statistical modeling and implement automated processes for efficiently producing scale models.
• Develop custom algorithms to solve analytical problems.
• Perform data visualization and develop products for communication of data.
• Through coordination with other Strategy and Impact team members and MHM departments, develop maps to support research, analysis, and dissemination.
• Synthesize data and insights from a variety of sources and functional perspectives to support the alignment and integration of strategic and organizational efforts.
• Forecast population-level opportunities and barriers and share insights with the Strategy and Impact Department, MHM Board of Directors, and MHM leadership team.
• Communicate informed recommendations across MHM's leadership to influence decision-making.
• Deliver presentations and data updates to MHM's Board of Directors and senior leadership team.
• Translate analyses to a variety of audiences.
• Serve as the organizational public health data liaison, including reviewing and fact checking materials as an advisor or supporting capacity and acti as a principal (substantive lead) on population-level data projects.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for identifying, recommending, and monitoring new community indicators and sources of data.
• Gain understanding of the market and the impact of Vital Conditions, Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), and root causes of health and well-being.
• Identify and recommend new uses for existing MHM and other data sources.
• Identify unique opportunities and develop new strategies to collect data, especially for topics and geographies lacking existing data sources.
• Monitor data collection and analysis procedures to ensure data quality.
• Identify, analyze, and promote best practices and guiding principles of population-level data analysis, synthesis, and interpretation to ensure accuracy.
• Collaborate with others at MHM to develop, refine, and scale data management and analytics procedures, systems, workflows, and best practices.
• Implement new software to access and handle data more efficiently.
• Design, develop. and continuously improve new data management procedures to ensure quality, and train relevant MHM stakeholders on the procedures.
• Participate in the drafting and/or reviewing articles and project reports that include public health data.
• Collect, analyze, and prepare population-level data at various scales (from a residential block to MHM's service area) for internal projects and data requests that are to be shared with internal and external constituencies.
• Gather, track, and disseminate observations about demographic patterns, strengths, needs, and root causes of health inequities throughout MHM's service area.
• Develop regular reports, briefing papers, and information alerts that are data- based, timely, credible, persuasive, and easily understood by a variety of audiences with varying knowledge of subject matters.
• Collaborating with stakeholders on design, production, presentation, and refinement of data summaries, talking points, and deliverables.
• Conduct special data projects as requested by MHM leadership or the Board of Directors.
• Working in collaboration across the organization, as requested, provide data support, guidance, and recommendations to departments ranging from data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting.
• Use a community-informed, assets- and place-based lens to gather, analyze, interpret, and report public health data.
• Ensure partners deliver high quality products through the oversight of preparation, negotiation, and execution of data contracts and collaboration agreements.
• Develop tools and processes to anticipate data requests and be able to assemble and rapidly share data when there are short timelines.
• Coordinate and develop agendas for data meetings and create presentations for internal and external meetings (e.g., board meetings, team strategy sessions, pitch decks, etc.).
• Track and coordinate projects, initiatives, and priorities, as needed to support strategic planning, development, and implementation.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience:

Master's level degree in Social/Behavioral sciences, Public Health, or related field required. PhD preferred. Five years of experience with statistical analysis and gathering and reporting secondary population-level data required. Five years of community development, public health, research, and/or non-profit experience preferred. Ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis and produce professional-level data visualizations required.

Required Skills:

Able to complete projects and handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Able to manage a constantly evolving landscape, and shift priorities accordingly. Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment. Knowledge of multiple data visualization tools highly preferred. Track record of innovative and/or creative systems level thinking.

Must have superior conceptual, analytical, change management, and organizational skills. Must be able to convene, facilitate and coordinate strategic activities that require cross- functions. Must have superior relationship development skills and experience, skills in influencing others and making a case, as well as the ability to engage with internal and external constituents. Willingness to learn new skills is essential.

Experience with strategic planning, organizational development and learning, change management, cultural transformation, performing gap assessments and developing plans of action, setting accountabilities and timelines, and monitoring and evaluation processes is highly preferred.

Experience working with underserved populations and/or with specifically addressing disparities that impact health and well-being of individuals, families and communities is preferred.

This position requires the ability and experience to interact comfortably and professionally with MHM board members and team members including senior leaders, as well as with senior- level team members of other organizations across sectors. This also includes grassroots organizations, community leaders, and community members, as well as patients and clients.

Reasoning Ability:

Need to understand processes and work creatively with very different kinds of stakeholders to build consensus. Must have critical thinking skills and be able to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Must be able to apply good judgement understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Must be able to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Language Ability:

Strong verbal, organizational and written communication skills. Must be able to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or government regulations. Write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to explain technical terms to a variety of stakeholders with various levels of understanding. Must be able to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the organization (diverse audiences). Must be fluent in English; Spanish bilingual is preferred.

Certificates and Licenses:

None.

Computer Skills:

Excellent Must be able to demonstrate working knowledge of data analysis and visualization tools, the Internet, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Must be able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and create elaborate reports. Experience with GIS mapping highly preferred.

Other:

• Passion to create change that leads to better lives and healthier communities.
• Capacity to adapt rapidly to changing priorities, objectives, and situations.
• Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community.
• Willingness to learn about, research, and champion topics related to health equity.
• Ability to design and implement effective workflow processes and procedures.
  Ability and willingness to take the initiative to work in a changing environment and as part of a team, including taking on tasks at all levels, such as data entry, administrative tasks, and event setup and cleanup.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a team member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be able to drive and have access to a vehicle; maintain valid driver's license and auto liability insurance. Must be able to drive and have access to a vehicle; maintain valid driver's license and auto liability insurance (travel up to 15%). Must be able to travel across the 74 counties of MHM's Service Area to meet with community stakeholders and must be willing to travel outside of the service area and the State of Texas to meet with statewide and national partners. May require some evening/weekend work.

Position necessitates bending, stooping, twisting, turning, walking, climbing step stools, sitting and standing for periods of time. Must be able to lift and maneuver at least 25 pounds.