Data Collector

Role overview

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is hiring for a Data Collector role within the Division of Disease Control, specifically in the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. The bureau works to reduce transmission, illness, stigma, and inequities connected to viral hepatitis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections through testing, prevention, care and treatment programming, surveillance, training, technical support, community outreach, social marketing, advocacy, and racial equity initiatives.

This position supports the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), an HIV surveillance program that uses a representative sample of adults living with HIV, including individuals not currently in care, from HIV case surveillance registries across 23 state and metropolitan areas, including New York City. The project gathers clinical and behavioral information to support HIV prevention, safer behaviors, and service use, with a focus on outcomes, treatment adherence, and the needs of people who are out of care.

The selected team member will work Tuesday to Thursday from 12:00 noon to 8:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Core responsibilities

• Use multiple data sources to find contact details for sampled participants and carry out field investigations to locate them.
• Reach out to sampled individuals, recruit them into the project, and support participation efforts.
• Complete interviews using the standard MMP questionnaire.
• Abstract medical records for interviewed MMP participants.
• Provide referrals for HIV care linkage, partner services, and any needed ancillary support such as housing.
• Enter all project activity into databases in a timely manner.
• Carry out quality assurance tasks and follow up on data and project QA items.

Benefits and workplace support

• City employees may receive premium-free health coverage, which is described as saving more than $10,000 annually based on a 2024 assessment.
• Depending on the union or benefit fund tied to the role, additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available.
• The role may include access to a public sector defined benefit pension with predictable retirement income.
• Employees may also have access to a tax-deferred savings plan.
• A Worksite Wellness Program is available with resources and opportunities to support employee health.
• Depending on the position, up to two work-from-home days per week may be possible.
• The role offers greater job stability compared with many private sector jobs.

About the department

Established in 1805, the NYC Health Department is the oldest and largest public health department in the United States. It works to protect and improve the health of every resident and supports programs covering food and nutrition, tobacco control, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice. The agency serves as a major public health leader and policy authority for New York City.

Equity and accommodation

The City of New York and the NYC Health Department are equal opportunity employers and are committed to building and retaining a diverse workforce. They provide a workplace free from discrimination and harassment based on legally protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations are available for the application and interview process; requests can be made to the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity contact listed in the source posting.

Eligibility and selection requirements

Only current permanent employees in the title and candidates reachable on the Public Health Adviser civil service list may apply.

This is the Public Health Adviser title, and candidates must meet one of the listed qualification paths: a bachelor’s degree with 12 semester credits in health education or in health, social, or biological sciences; or a bachelor’s degree plus six months of full-time satisfactory experience in health promotion or disease intervention/prevention work involving interviewing, field investigations, health-risk assessment, referrals, or epidemiological data collection and analysis; or a four-year high school diploma or equivalent plus four years of that same experience; or equivalent education and/or experience. College credit may substitute for experience at a rate of 30 semester credits for one year of full-time experience, but all candidates still need a four-year high school diploma or equivalent and either the 12 required semester credits or six months of qualifying experience.

For Assignment Level II, candidates must have at least one year of experience as a Public Health Adviser, Assignment Level I, or at least one additional year of the qualifying experience described above.

Preferred background

Useful experience includes patient interviewing, contact tracing or partner notification, medical record review, and community outreach. Strong written and verbal communication skills are preferred, as is fluency in English plus either Spanish or French/Haitian Creole. A New York State driver’s license is highly desirable. The role also requires comfort with alternative work hours, including evenings and weekends.

Additional program information

Qualified applicants with disabilities who are eligible for the 55-a Program may also apply. Applicants should note interest in the program in the top section of the resume and cover letter.

City of New York employees may be eligible for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness and state repayment assistance programs.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. In some cases, employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for at least two continuous years may be eligible to live in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. The agency representative can confirm whether the residency rule applies during the interview process.

Working schedule

Shift hours for this role are Tuesday through Thursday from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.