Lead Data Scientist

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Updated: 17 days ago
Location: Chapel Hill, NORTH CAROLINA
Job Type: PartTime
Deadline: 10 Apr 2024

Posting Information
Posting Information


Department Sheps Ctr for Hlth Serv Res-633100
Career Area Information Technology
Posting Open Date 03/28/2024
Application Deadline 04/10/2024
Open Until Filled No
Position Type Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title Lead Data Scientist
Appointment Type EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number 20062876
Vacancy ID NF0008008
Full Time/Part Time Part-Time Permanent
FTE 0.5
Hours per week 20
Position Location North Carolina, US
Hiring Range
Proposed Start Date 06/03/2024

Position Information


Be a Tar Heel!
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities . Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.
One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.
University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package , paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research seeks to improve the health of individuals, families, and populations by understanding the problems, issues, and alternatives in the design and delivery of health care services. This is accomplished through an interdisciplinary program of research, consultation, technical assistance, and training that focuses on timely and policy-relevant questions concerning the accessibility, adequacy, organization, cost, and effectiveness of health care services, and the dissemination of this information to policymakers and the general public.
Position Summary
Come work at the Sheps Center! If you’re interested in improving healthcare and making positive change through programming and analyses for cutting edge research, this could be the position for you. Investigators need your skills as a programmer to help untangle the data and tackle the hard issues facing health and healthcare today. 
In this position you will act as a data analytic programmer, a data scientist, a data manager, and/or an analyst depending on the needs and phase of a project. You will be a member of the Sheps Data Analytics Team and will work directly with researchers, their teams, and other programmers to understand current research questions and evaluate/interpret related data and statistical methods. Major responsibilities will include designing and developing data management strategies for grant-funded research projects that utilize large-scale data including Medicare, Medicaid, private claims, electronic health records, and other health care utilization data; working with researchers to develop analytic plans; understanding and promoting the research capabilities of secondary health data; and developing advanced programatic and analytic tools to explore data across platforms and applications. 
In this position you will primarily utilize SAS, R, Python, SQL, and Tableau but may also take advantage of other platforms. You must be capable of working independently and it is imperative that you be able to manage your tasks, responsibilities, and priorities autonomously. This work will include scoping and estimating data analytics and statistical analysis work, conducting statistical analyses, creating analytic datasets and developing supporting documentation to assist with statistical analyses, and preparation of reports and manuscripts. 
As a Lead Data Scientist, you will serve in an enhanced role as the lead of a small Agile team of data scientists otherwise referred to as a Data Science (DS) Pod. There are multiple DS Pods and a single Data Engineering (DE) Pod within the Data Analytics Team. Each pod has the autonomy to test new strategies for working efficiently and is encouraged to share with the larger team to establish best practices. As lead of a pod, you will organize sprint meetings and facilitate productive conversations to identify areas that can be improved. You will call upon your extensive expertise designing and implementing analytic plans, organizing work, and working in teams to suggest solutions and provide leadership to obtain team consensus around new initiatives to test. 
When needed, you will assist the data scientists in your pod with strategizing and implementing complex analysis requests, accurately estimating time and costs in relation to the project’s remaining budget and timeline. This requires a deep understanding of data science, as well as the ability to maintain the balance between project scope, budgetary constraints, and project timeline. A key aspect of this role is facilitating problem resolution within the team, ensuring a collaborative and supportive working environment. You will also need to foster strategic communication with principal investigators and their study teams to ensure alignment and clarity, ensuring the effective delivery of our services. Despite not being in a direct supervisory role, you will help guide the team towards successful project completion, maintaining the exceptional standards of the Sheps Data Analytics team. 
As a Lead Data Scientist, you will be a member of the Data Analytics Leadership Team. Here you will be encouraged to contribute ideas to define the short and long term vision for the team. You will also be
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Master’s and 1-2 years’ experience; or Bachelors and 2-4 years’ experience; or will accept a combination of related education and experience in substitution.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
1. Demonstrated proficiency utilizing SAS and SQL
2. Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with a team
3. Demonstrated experience with developing analytic plans and leading projects
4. Demonstrated experience leading teams
5. Excellent written and oral communication skills
6. Excellent organization skills
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
1. In addition to SAS, demonstrated proficiency utilizing Python, R, Stata, and/or Tableau 
2. Demonstrated experience with advanced data analytics programming and modern data science
 statistical analyses
3. Demonstrated experience with data management best practices and developing data management strategies 
4. Demonstrated experience working in research studies involving sensitive patient health information
5. Understanding and promoting the research capabilities of secondary health data 
6. Experience with managing tasks, responsibilities, and priorities autonomously 
7. Familiarity with healthcare research data such as insurance claims, electronic medical record data, and any other public or proprietary healthcare data
Special Physical/Mental Requirements
Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

Not Applicable.
Special Instructions
Quick Link https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/277513

Posting Contact Information


Department Contact Name and Title Brian Cass, Deputy Director for Data Analytics and IT
Department Contact Telephone or Email [email protected]
Office of Human Resources Contact Information

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to [email protected]
Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

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