Overview
The Data Scientist will play a crucial role in advancing the CDC Foundation's mission by leveraging data to inform strategic decisions and initiatives in a public health organization. This role is aligned to the Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI). WAI is a federally funded CDC Foundation program with the goal of helping the nation’s public health agencies by providing them with the technology and data experts they need to accelerate their information system improvements.
Working within Public Health and Safety Division of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Data Scientist will utilize geographic information system (GIS) software to perform advanced geospatial analytics, spatial statistical techniques, and machine learning algorithms to derive geographic insights that support public health efforts.
The Data Scientist will be hired by the CDC Foundation and assigned to the Public Health and Safety Division of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. This position is eligible for a fully remote work arrangement for U.S. based candidates.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and enhance spatial data analysis and visualization solutions that deliver timely, actionable insights to support public health decision-making
- Analyze diverse public health datasets (e.g., surveillance, demographic, environmental, and administrative data) to identify geographic trends, patterns, and correlations
- Leverage Snowflake and other cloud-based data platforms to query, manage, and analyze large-scale geospatial and public health datasets
- Develop, maintain, and optimize analytical datasets, views, and transformations within Snowflake to support modeling, reporting, and GIS use cases
- Apply spatial statistics, advanced analytics, and machine learning techniques to extract actionable insights from structured and semi-structured data
- Build and maintain predictive and risk models to anticipate disease patterns, assess population-level risk factors, and inform intervention strategies
- Ensure data quality, consistency, and reliability by validating inputs, monitoring outputs, and documenting assumptions and limitations
- Collaborate with data engineering, IT, and GIS teams to support data pipelines, integrations, and refresh cycles without directly owning infrastructure
- Create clear, compelling maps, dashboards, reports, and analytical summaries using GIS and BI tools for internal teams, partners, and leadership
- Translate complex analytical findings into plain-language insights, recommendations, and decision briefs for technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Partner with public health leaders and program teams to understand business questions, data needs, and policy objectives, and translate them into analytical approaches
- Provide data-driven guidance to inform public health policies, programs, and operational decisions
- Support data governance and security practices, including appropriate data access, privacy considerations, and responsible data use
- Document analytical methods, models, datasets, and workflows to support knowledge sharing, continuity, and reproducibility
- Provide technical guidance and limited support to organizational GIS users, including troubleshooting, best-practice recommendations, and enablement
- Stay current on emerging geospatial technologies, cloud data platforms, analytics methods, and public health data standards
- Explore innovative approaches to solving complex public health, spatial analytics, and population health challenges
- Travel up to 10% domestically, as required.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Data Science, Statistics, Epidemiology, Geography, Geospatial Science, Computer Science, or a related field
- Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in data science, analytics, or geospatial analysis
- Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis, modeling, and automation
- Strong experience with data manipulation, analysis, and querying tools, including SQL, Pandas, NumPy, or equivalent libraries
- Hands-on experience with geospatial analysis and visualization tools, including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online
- Experience creating maps, dashboards, and analytical visualizations using tools such as ArcGIS, Tableau, and/or Power BI
- Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex datasets and generate meaningful insights
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to translate technical findings for non-technical stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners
- Proven ability to work independently and within team-based environments, including remote and virtual settings
- Strong organizational skills with the flexibility to adapt to evolving project requirements and priorities
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and collaborative productivity tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree or PhD in a related field
- Experience applying spatial statistics, predictive modeling, or machine learning techniques to real-world datasets
- Familiarity with cloud-based data platforms (e.g., Snowflake or similar technologies)
- Professional certifications in GIS, data science, machine learning, or public health analytics
- Experience supporting or enabling organizational GIS users through training, documentation, or technical guidance
- Prior experience working in public health, epidemiology, or population health analytics environments
Job Highlights
- Location: Remote, must be based in the United States, Travel up to 10% domestically, as required.
- Time zone: Candidates must be able to work business hours in Mountain Time (MT) with flexibility
- Salary Range: $92,700-$134,275 per year, plus benefits. Individual salary offers will be based on experience and qualifications unique to each candidate.
- Position Type: Grant funded, limited-term opportunity
- Position End Date: June 30, 2027
Special Notes
This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by the CDC Foundation in order to best support the public health programming.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law. We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.
The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.
Relocation expenses are not included
About the CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation helps CDC save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. The CDC Foundation manages hundreds of programs each year impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information.