DATA SCIENTIST

DATA SCIENTIST Req #:198943Department:I-TECHJob Location: Harborview Medical Center Posting Date:01/05/2022 Closing Info:Open Until Filled Salary:Salary and benefits are competitive. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Shift:First Shift Notes:As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) and the Department of Global Health recognizes that disparities in health around the globe stem from inequity and encourages and supports the multiple identities of staff, faculty and students including, but not limited to, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, culture, spiritual practice, geography, mental and physical disability and age. As reflected in the I-TECH Diversity Statement, our definition of diversity is broad, recognizing that there are multiple definitions of diversity. We strive to become a local, national, and international leader in developing and maintaining increased representation and recognition of each of these dimensions of diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.

I-TECH is a center in the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health. I-TECH has projects in more than 20 countries, and its worldwide staff work in partnership with local ministries of health, universities, non-governmental organizations, medical facilities, and other partners. I-TECH supports development of skilled work forces and overall health systems strengthening with a focus on sustainability and transition to local ownership. I-TECH is committed to being anti-racist and promotes health and equity in health for all people worldwide.

I-TECH is hiring for a new Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor to lead multiple complex public health surveillance projects as part of a cooperative agreement between UW and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and support a global health security project in Kenya. The surveillance project will launch with activities in Peru, with expansion planned to other countries, in collaboration with a highly experienced team in Seattle and in country. Working closely with domestic and international subject matter experts, the Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor will lead and support all aspects of the public health surveillance project with a focus on surveillance, and in particular, in-country assessments of surveillance systems, national action plans, joint external evaluations for global health security, and provision of relevant reports. This position will also support continuous quality improvement (CQI) programming in Kenya. For surveillance, the Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor will design public health surveillance assessment tools and protocols, lead implementation, including study design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination through manuscript writing, reports, and stakeholder meetings. A key component for this position will be to provide technical assistance and mentor local staff in the countries supported in public health programming for surveillance and CQI improvements and implementation, providing organizational-level advice and skills transfer to ensure the local teams to use and apply data toward program improvements. This position provides significant support to evaluating project progress and identifying process improvements in CDC reporting. The Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor will begin with leading a situational analysis in Peru of public health surveillance systems including after action review of COVID-19 surveillance and the One Health framework for integrated surveillance of humans and animals, providing guidance on data management, statistical support to the Peru-based team, and situational data analysis to inform an operational plan for the subsequent years. In Kenya, the Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor will contribute to ongoing CQI efforts and reporting. In addition to strong technical skills, this position requires strong skills in collaborating with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Study Design, Implementation, analysis and reporting

With collaborators from I-TECH, funders (CDC), the UW and local IRBs, and Ministries of Health, develop appropriate study designs, analysis techniques, and conceptual models to answer research questions and evaluation goals; facilitate UW and local institutional review processes

Develop, adapt and/or revise surveillance and evaluation tools

Provide technical assistance and oversight for data quality assurance and improvement processes

Lead or provide technical assistance for quantitative and qualitative data collection, produce tables, charts and graphs for assessments and evaluations in line with data analysis plan

Identify new opportunities for programmatic research or surveillance to complement the projects existing portfolio

Serve as resource to the Principal Investigator, teams, and other stakeholders on study conceptualization, study designs, and analyses

Provide major conceptual guidance on program development, innovation, and evaluation

Oversee data collection for quantitative components of research studies and program evaluations

Manage and facilitate Human Subjects requirements including preparation, submission, and tracking

Identify appropriate statistical analyses methods and conduct statistical analysis

Mentor colleagues on research and evaluation methodology and build the capacities of program staff to use and apply data toward program improvements

Program Management and Coordination

In collaboration with the Senior Program Manager and local leadership teams, streamline work processes for routine report generation and work product improvements (e.g. Center for Disease Control quarterly review meetings, annual planning and reporting)

Initiate and maintain engagement of senior I-TECH staff and in country partners working with the MOHs to strengthen alignment of national level efforts and project deliverables.

Collaborate with UW and in country teams to frame, document and disseminate lessons across the I-TECH and UW portfolio including the UW Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness (APP)

Lead and facilitate meetings with various stakeholders to review program progress, challenges, and opportunities.

Program planning, monitoring and Evaluation

Identify relevant strategies, methodologies and/or literature for ad hoc health systems strengthening or human capacity development, and quality improvement

Conduct literature reviews to inform public health program intervention selection and support

Develop M&E plans for surveillance system metrics and ensure indicators and results provide meaningful information on results

Develop plans for routine data collection for program monitoring and to ensure data quality

Make recommendations for program improvements based on assessment, monitoring, and evaluation data and drawing on lessons learned across the organization

Contribute to the identification and tracking of relevant MER indicators

Use quality improvement approaches to monitor lessons learned, make recommendations, and monitor spread of lessons

Dissemination of Study and Program Results

Lead and collaborate on publications for peer review journals

Develop and revise reports and data visualizations, effectively conveying program achievements and challenges to funders, country teams, Ministries of Health, and other stakeholders

Represent I-TECH and UW at data use meetings with donors, ministry staff, PEPFAR implementing patterns, and the research community

Create data visualizations to effectively communicate both routine and complex program results

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Masters in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Computer Science, Public Health or other relevant field with at least four years relevant experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Experience working in health services research and/or surveillance systems, including collecting and analyzing routine and non-routine health service program data

Experience designing program evaluations or surveillance studies and supporting data management (including data collection and analysis)

Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and excellent time management

Experience summarizing findings and developing reports and presentations to convey results

Development of peer-reviewed publications, operations manuals, and reports

Demonstrated knowledge of quantitative data collection and analysis

Experience using quantitative analytic software packages(e.g., STATA, SPSS, Atlas.ti)

Experience working with data visualization tools such as Power BI and Tableau

Experience with monitoring and evaluation of technical assistance programs

Dedicated to establishing and maintaining strong partnerships across a diverse range of stakeholders

Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Demonstrated ability to facilitate communication between professionals in a manner that respects cultural differences and contributes to effective partnerships

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED

Experience working with CDC

Proven ability to work well under pressure with tight deadlines

Experience working in a federal funding environment

Experience with relational databases

Fluency in Spanish.

WORKING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
This full time 100% position is based at the I-TECH offices at the UW in Seattle. The Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor requires up to 30% travel to countries that often lack adequate public health and safety infrastructure. Travelers must be prepared to follow the UW and US government recommended precautions and prophylaxis for travel safety and disease prevention. The Senior Research & Evaluation Advisor requires frequent participation in early morning and late evening telephone conference calls in order to accommodate time zone differences between Seattle and its country project sites. I-TECH operates within a grant-funded environment. Due to this, the total amount of this position’s FTE may fluctuate based on program funding and needs.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

The University of Washington is a leader in environmental stewardship & sustainability, and committed to becoming climate neutral.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or [email protected].

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

Governor Inslee's Proclamation 21-14.2 requires employees of higher education and healthcare institutions to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. View the Final candidate guide to COVID-19 vaccination requirement webpage for information about the medical or religious exemption process for final candidates.