Surveillance Epidemiologist - Health Department

THIS IS A GRANT FUNDED POSITION ENDING NOVEMBER 2027.

About the Role

The Surveillance Epidemiologist will analyze and describe the determinants and distribution of disease patterns, prevalence, incidence, local circumstances, health equity, and other health outcomes contributing to unusual increases of disease and its impacts; and denote solutions for prevention, control, and health policy. These positions will provide regular surveillance for morbidities affecting the community, including chronic or infectious diseases. Disease surveillance includes regular reports with descriptive statistics, managing dashboards, and identifying additional incidents through non-traditional reporting (i.e., syndromic surveillance).

Responsibilities

• Collects, analyzes, and interprets epidemiologic data to assess disease incidence, prevalence, trends, risk factors, and health disparities;
• Designs, implements, and evaluates disease surveillance systems, outbreak investigations, and epidemiologic studies (e.g., case-control, cohort);
• Monitors disease patterns to detect outbreaks, clusters, emerging threats, and potential epidemics, and identify sources and transmission pathways;
• Applies statistical methods and epidemiologic principles to analyze morbidity, mortality, natality, and environmental health data;
• Develops, organizes, and implements disease prevention and control interventions, including vaccination campaigns, advisories, and containment measures;
• Provides epidemiologic expertise to public health emergency preparedness and response activities, including disasters and unusual events;
• Analyzes geographic, environmental, social, occupational, and economic factors influencing disease and disability patterns, using GIS and data visualization tools;
• Communicates findings through reports, presentations, training, and consultations with clinicians, public health officials, policymakers, and the public;
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to support disease prevention, health promotion, and healthcare improvement strategies;
• Develops and maintains epidemiologic databases and supports laboratory specimen handling and data management in accordance with protocols and safety standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in epidemiology, biology, microbiology, public health, biostatistics, biochemistry, medical anthropology, nursing, or a related scientific or social science field as determined by the department head at the time of recruitment AND two years of experience in epidemiological investigative activities. (Relevant experience and/or education from an accredited college or university may be substituted.)
• OR two years with Pima County in a Communicable Disease Investigator II or related position as determined by the department head at the time of recruitment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum two (2) years experience with at least one of the following statistical programs: SAS, R, or Stata software;
• Experience in chronic or infectious disease surveillance epidemiology;
• Degree in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, biology, microbiology, medical anthropology, or a related scientific or social science field;
• Experience with/knowledge of dashboarding software (i.e., Qlik, PowerBI, Tableau, RShiny, etc.).

Pay

Hiring Range: $62,337 - $74,796 Annually
Pay Range: $62,337 - $87,276 Annually
Hiring Range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.

Licenses and Certificates

• Valid driver license is required at time of application;
• Valid AZ driver license is required at time of appointment;
• Successful applicant will be subject to a 39-month DOT Motor Vehicle Record review to determine suitability to operate county vehicles. Failure to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications shall be grounds for termination.

Special Notice Items

• This position may have a high risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Hepatitis B vaccine will be provided;
• Employees in this classification must have reliable access to a properly registered and insured vehicle for travel between work sites; employee use of own vehicle will be reimbursed per County policies;
• This position will require post-job offer proof of immunization(s) and/or a TB screening;
• Physical and sensory requirements include: reaching; simple and firm grasping; fine movement; hearing on a radio; speaking in person, on the phone, and on a cell; vision to operate a motor vehicle, distinguish colors, have depth perception, and have peripheral vision.