Data Scientist

Responsibilities

The Data Scientist will leverage advanced analytics, statistical techniques, and machine learning to inform public health initiatives and outbreak response. They will develop data analysis tools, predictive models, and interactive dashboards to support decision-making and provide technical assistance to staff.

Requirements

Candidates must hold at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, with a master's or PhD preferred, and possess a minimum of 5 years of professional experience. Proficiency in programming languages, statistical packages, and geospatial software is required, along with strong analytical and communication skills.

Skills

• Data science
• Statistics
• Epidemiology
• Power BI
• ArcGIS
• SAS
• Python
• R
• SQL
• Natural language processing
• Snowflake
• AWS
• Azure
• Bayesian hierarchical models
• Multilevel modeling
• Geospatial analysis

Benefits

• Health insurance

About this role

Position Highlights

Position Title: Data Scientist

Location: Remote; must be based in the United States.

Position End Date: 3/31/2027

Salary: $44.57–$64.55 per hour (plus benefits), Part-time, 20 hours per week

Overview

The CDC Foundation is seeking a Data Scientist to leverage advanced analytics, statistical techniques, and machine learning to inform strategic decisions and initiatives in a public health organization. Working within the Delaware Division of Public Health Epidemiology Section, this position will derive insights that support public health outbreak response, surveillance, and preparedness, including measles, while helping accelerate data and information system improvements. The Data Scientist will be hired by the CDC Foundation and assigned to the Delaware Division of Public Health Epidemiology Section.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Data Science, Statistics, Epidemiology, or a related field; Master’s or PhD in a related field preferred.

• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience.

• Proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI).

• Proficiency in ArcGIS software suites.

• Proficiency in statistical packages (e.g., SAS).

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R.

• Experience with data manipulation and analysis tools (e.g., SQL).

• Experience applying Natural Language Processing techniques for text classification or information extraction, preferably on healthcare or public health text data.

• Experience with cloud-based data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake) and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) preferred.

• Experience with small area estimation techniques, Bayesian hierarchical models, or multilevel modeling.

• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to interpret complex datasets and derive meaningful insights.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical partners effectively.

• Flexibility to adapt to evolving project requirements and priorities.

• Professional certifications in data science, machine learning, or public health analytics preferred.

• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills; collegial, energetic, and able to develop productive relationships with colleagues and partners.

• Demonstrated ability to work well independently and within teams.

• Experience working in a virtual environment with remote partners and teams.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and improve data analysis and visualization tools for use by organization staff to provide timely, relevant information that informs decisions affecting the public’s health, including outbreak response, surveillance, and preparedness.

• Analyze diverse datasets related to public health issues to identify trends, patterns, and correlations.

• Apply statistical methods and machine learning algorithms to extract actionable insights.

• Develop predictive models to anticipate disease patterns, assess risk factors, and guide intervention strategies.

• Utilize statistical modeling techniques to produce reliable, precise estimates for small populations or sparsely populated rural regions and build interactive dashboards for real-time surveillance.

• Provide geospatial analysis support for infectious disease surveillance and epidemiologic investigations.

• Apply Natural Language Processing techniques to unstructured data to automate data processing and support case detection.

• Continuously optimize algorithms for enhanced accuracy and performance.

• Create compelling visualizations and reports to communicate findings to partners and decision-makers.

• Present data-driven insights in a clear and understandable manner to facilitate informed decision-making.

• Collaborate with the public health organization and its partners to understand their data needs and objectives.

• Provide data-driven support and guidance to inform public health policies and initiatives.

• Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and methodologies in data science and analytics.

• Explore innovative approaches to address complex public health challenges and improve data analysis capabilities.

• Provide training and technical assistance to staff epidemiologists in data visualization, geospatial analysis, and data analysis to enhance their capacity to analyze, interpret, visualize, and communicate epidemiologic data (i.e., using Power BI, ArcGIS, and SAS).

Special Notes

This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by both the CDC Foundation and Delaware Division of Public Health, in order to best support the State of Delaware in their public health programming.

This position is currently a remote position. CDC Foundation retains the right to make adjustments to this as required.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law. We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.

The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.

Relocation expenses are not included.

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, ph...

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