Epidemiologist II

About the Role and Employer

The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) of Delaware is committed to enhancing the well-being of state residents through health promotion, fostering independence, and safeguarding vulnerable groups. DHSS emphasizes empowering individuals and families across various life aspects, offering abundant career paths for motivated professionals aiming to impact the community positively. This role is based onsite in Delaware.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform epidemiologic studies, investigations, both descriptive and analytic, to address public health issues linked to chronic diseases.
• Identify relevant health problems affecting the population and determine suitable study designs and feasibility.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret data with statistical methods to detect outbreaks, track trend changes, and assess root causes of epidemiologic concerns.
• Manage and maintain surveillance systems for monitoring disease patterns.
• Provide informed recommendations to improve or modify public health programs, policies, procedures, or services based on research outcomes.
• Participate in both internal and external expert committees or workgroups related to epidemiology.
• Engage in the Office of Epidemiology on-call rotation and contribute as a responder within the State Health Operations Center.

Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Health Sciences, or a related discipline is required.
• Minimum of six months experience applying epidemiological methods to study and manage communicable, chronic, or environmental diseases or other public health challenges.
• At least six months of experience in designing and analyzing epidemiological studies, including hypothesis creation, case-control selection, data sourcing, sampling, and collection techniques.
• Six months practical experience in developing and utilizing surveillance systems to monitor public health concerns.
• Familiarity with inferential statistical methods like correlation, t-tests, f-tests, or analysis of variance with a minimum of six months experience.
• Experience in preparing scientific reports and statistical summaries for at least six months.
• Ability to direct and advise state and federal agencies or private organizations on epidemiologic matters related to population health problems.
• Six months experience managing budgets, grants, or contracts is also required.

Additional Employment Terms

Applicants must be authorized to work legally in the United States. The hiring process includes participation in E-Verify for work eligibility verification. Employment sponsorship is not available. All newly appointed employees are required to attend a Statewide New Employee Orientation on their first day at designated locations in Delaware counties.

Benefits and Selection Process

The position offers a comprehensive benefits package, details of which can be found on the Department of Human Resources website. Candidate evaluation includes review of education, training, and experience through an application and supplemental questionnaire; accuracy and completeness of submission strongly affect hiring decisions. Communications will primarily be via email post-application.

Accommodations and Equal Opportunity

Applicants with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations during all hiring phases. Assistance avenues include TDD services and direct contact via phone or email. DHSS is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, seeking a workforce reflective of the wider population diversity including various protected groups.