Machine Learning & Data Engineer, Bureau of Data Technology & Strategy

About the role

The Center for Population Health Data Science (CPHDS) launched in October of 2023- aims to catalyze critical data modernization work and enable the agency to make progress toward linking public health, healthcare, and social service data for timely and effective public action.

We are working towards making these data more accessible, equitable, meaningfully usable, and protected - and actively used to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers. We aim to strengthen agency wide data capabilities by empowering our workforce, enhancing intra- and inter-agency data sharing, and using modern technology to yield trusted and integrated data and insights.

A real-time and comprehensive view of city needs is needed to enhance public health actions and improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

Duties Will Include but Not Be Limited to

• Support the development of integrated data pipelines that facilitates efficient data exchange, analysis, surveillance, and reporting.
• Collaborate with public health data stewards to understand data requirements for health informatics, integrating public health data standards and practices into our integrated data architecture. -Develop, and maintain scalable, secure data pipelines and platform to support real-time and batch data ingestion and processing from diverse internal and external data sources.
• Guide the selection and implementation of cutting-edge data technologies and tools to enhance our analytics and data science capabilities.
• Promote data governance, quality, and security best practices, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align data infrastructure enhancements with the needs of diverse units.

Preferred Skills

• Planning and project management skills with ability to adapt with new information and needs.
• Experience modeling population-level health outcomes, infectious disease transmission, behavioral dynamics, or health systems operations.
• Experience working with structured and unstructured datasets, including data from NYC or other municipal contexts.
• Knowledge of statistical inference, uncertainty quantification, sensitivity analysis, and validation techniques for simulation models.
• Prioritization and time management skills.
• Interpersonal and communications skills with ability to manage working relationships with individuals at all levels.
• High degree of self-awareness, humility, and diplomacy.

-4 or more years of experience in data engineering, building and managing scalable data pipelines.

• Experience with cloud-based data solutions (e.g., Azure, AWS, or GCP), programming (e.g., Python, R), Linux systems, and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark).
• Familiarity with health informatics, public health data standards (HL7, FHIR), and understanding of the unique needs in managing health-related data.
• Experience developing simulation modeling (e.g., agent-based models, discrete event simulations, system dynamic models).
• Experience identifying and integrating datasets for use in simulation or predictive modeling.
• Ability to translate modeling outputs into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders.
• Experience conducting scenario analysis to inform policy or program decision-making.
• Ability to mentor more junior staff, manage projects, and collaborate across diverse functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills to effectively convey technical concepts to a broad audience.

Why you should work for us

• Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website
• Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:

• o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
• o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position's associated union/benefit fund.
• o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
• o a tax-deferred savings program and o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.

• Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
• Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Additional information

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC.

We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives.

As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

Qualifications & Requirements

• For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.

To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have

• A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
• A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE: Probationary Period

Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.