Description

The Department of Health's mission is to work with others to protect and improve the health of all people in Washington State. The Office of Public Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics and Surveillance (PHOCIS) supports our mission by working to protect everyone in Washington from communicable diseases and other health threats.

The Epidemiologist 3 positions are part of the COVID-19 Applied Surveillance and Epidemiology (ASE) Team and support priority Surveillance Section capacity for responding to COVID-19 and other conditions of public health significance.

Reporting to the COVID-19 ASE Team supervisor, these positions contribute to these response missions by conducting analyses to understand the epidemiology of COVID-19 and other diseases of public health importance and monitoring and evaluating surveillance and other data sources and programs for COVID-19 and other diseases of public health importance. You'll also provide support to internal and external partners at the local, state, and federal levels to support surveillance epidemiology activities. These positions will support public health emergency preparedness and response activities as needed.

About the Department of Health
The vision of the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is equity and optimal health for all. Our mission is to work with others to protect and improve the health of all people in Washington state. Learn more about the DOH Transformational Plan.

Our Values
Good organizations know what they do and how they do it. Great organizations also understand why they do it. Our values are:

• Human-centered: We see others as people who matter like we do and take into account their needs, challenges, contributions, and objectives.
• Equity: We are committed to fairness and justice to ensure access to services, programs, opportunities, and information for all.
• Collaboration: We seek partnership and collaboration to maximize our collective impact. We cannot achieve our vision alone.
• Seven Generations: Inspired by Native American culture, we seek wisdom from those who came before us to ensure our current work protects those who will come after us.
• Excellence: We strive to demonstrate best practices, high performance, and compelling value in our work every day.

The Washington State Department of Health acknowledges that our locations statewide are on the homelands of Native people, who have lived in this region from time immemorial. Currently, within the boundaries of Washington State, there are 36 tribes, 29 of which are federally recognized, that share traditional homelands and waterways in what is now Washington State. Some of these are nations and confederacies that represent multiple tribes or bands. We express our most profound respect for and gratitude toward these original and current caretakers of the region. As a public health agency, we acknowledge our responsibility to establish and maintain relationships with these tribes and Native peoples, in support of tribal sovereignty and the inclusion of their voices in public health programs and policies. We pledge that these relationships will consist of mutual trust, respect, and reciprocity.

Benefits of Working for DOH
Washington is America's Top State, according to U.S. News (2021), and provides one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We also offer:

• A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for many positions.
• Growth and development opportunities.
• A wellness program that offers education, access to healthy food, and fitness classes.
• Opportunities to serve your community through meaningful work.
• A commitment to diversity and inclusion fosters an inclusive environment that encourages all employees to bring their authentic selves to work.
• An Infant at Work Program based on the long-term health values of breastfeeding newborns and infant-parent bonding.
• Employee resource groups that provide forums for employees to gather and share ideas about matters that affect their personal and professional lives and support career development.

Duties Include

• Proposes, initiates, and conducts analyses to understand trends in COVID-19 and other conditions of public health importance by using a wide array of data sources.
• Independently proposes and leads epidemiological investigations of human morbidity and mortality using routine surveillance data and other data sources.
• Plans, coordinates, conducts, analyzes, interprets, and reports the findings from public health surveillance systems and advanced epidemiologic studies identifying the causes of morbidity and mortality.
• Determines which specific public health issues require further epidemiologic studies.
• Develops innovative methods and data sources to inform epidemiologic knowledge of COVID-19 and other conditions.
• Independently proposes and leads monitoring and evaluation of surveillance data, other data sources, and programs for COVID-19 and other conditions of public health importance.
• Develops innovative methods for evaluating COVID-19 and other diseases of public health importance.
• Collaborates with various public health constituents and participants, including federal, state, and local public health officials, government officials, private individuals, and senior researchers in academic settings.
• Plans, leads, and manages several complex technical epidemiologic projects in collaboration with stakeholders from multiple teams/programs.
• Independently represents the COVID-19 Applied Surveillance and Epidemiology Team and leads collaborative meetings and workgroups with other DOH programs, LHJs, and state and federal agencies.

What we're looking for
Our ideal candidate has a driving passion for the work, brings humility to their job and interactions, and understands how their actions affect others. They see the needs and objectives of others and take them into account while achieving their objectives, and they adapt their approach and expectations accordingly. Our ideal candidate demonstrates resilience to model outward behaviors including seeing people like ourselves whose goals, objectives, needs, and challenges matter.

Required Qualifications

And

• Two (2) years of experience working in a public health agency or a similar setting.

Application Process
Intrigued? Click "Apply" to submit your detailed application profile along with the following:

• A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications and why you are interested in this position.
• A current resume.
• Three (3) or more professional references should be included in your profile. Please include at least one supervisor, peer, and (if you have supervised staff) someone you have managed or led.

Important Note: Do not attach documents not requested in the Application Process. Please ensure that the attached documents are not password protected or contain a photo or private information (social security number, birth year, transcripts, etc.). Documents not requested will not be reviewed.

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to their application. Please remove or cover any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers and birth year.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is an equal-opportunity employer. DOH strives to create a working environment that is inclusive and respectful. We prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, genetics, or disability.

This position is covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

Conditions of Employment/Working Conditions

With or without accommodation, I am willing and able to:

• Occasionally work more than 40 hours per week or adjust typically scheduled hours, including evenings and weekends.

If you have questions, need alternative formats, or need assistance, please contact Zach Covington at Zach.Covington@doh.wa.gov, TDD Relay at 1-800-833-6384 or 7-1-1. Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can't log in, password or email issues, error messages).

Supplemental Information

This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.

Only applicants who follow the directions and complete the Application Process in-full will have their responses reviewed for consideration.

Education and experience selected, listed and/or detailed in the Supplemental Questions must be verifiable on the detailed applicant profile submitted.