Senior Epidemiologist-Bioinformaticist and Molecular Scientist-BMS

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Job description

Job Summary

The County of San Diego's Health & Human Services Agency is currently accepting applications for

SENIOR EPIDEMIOLOGIST

(Bioinformaticist and Molecular Scientist)

The County of San Diego, Public Health Services Public Health Laboratory is seeking highly qualified individuals to perform duties as public health epidemiology Bioinformaticists and Molecular Scientists. The incumbents will assist with a number of disease reporting informatics and technology projects that support broader goals and objectives of public health and epidemiology programs to enhance disease detection and surveillance through data-driven decisions.

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IDEAL CANDIDATES:

BIOINFORMATICIST

The ideal candidate must be able to work in a complex environment with professionals in public health, laboratory staff, epidemiology, and information technology; be proficient in next generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis and bioinformatics workflow development and implementation; be capable of identifying and addressing issues/problems and adapting to new strategies; be highly organized, possess strong oral and written skills, and be very skilled at documentation with a strong attention to details; exercises good time management, and perform duties efficiently and complete projects in a timely manner. Additionally, an ideal candidate would have knowledge of the following technical proficiencies:

* Proficiency in R and Python.
* Experience with Linux environment and Unix/Linux utilities, and maintaining Linux Cluster.
* Experience with cloud computing and maintenance of cloud-based infrastructure.
* Experience with PCR and NGS technologies and sequence analysis tools.
* Experience installing and using NGS analysis tools such as BWA, Samtools, VCFTools, GATK, MUMMer, Mauve, PhyML, Figtree, etc.
* Experience with C++ and Java.
* Proficiency in SQL as well as NoSQL database technologies.

MOLECULAR SCIENTIST

A quality candidate must be able to work in a complex environment with professionals in public health, laboratory staff, epidemiology, and information technology; be proficient in next-generation sequencing technology, molecular sequencing, and use of bioinformatics data for disease investigations; be capable of identifying and addressing issues/problems and adapting to new strategies; be highly organized and possess strong oral and written skills; be very skilled at documentation with a strong attention to details, and communicate complex technical information to a wide range of non-technical audiences or constituencies; exercise good time management and perform duties efficiently; and complete projects in a timely manner. Additionally, a Quality Candidate would have knowledge of the following technical proficiencies:

* The field of microbiology, molecular biology, molecular chemistry, and microbial population genetics.
* Public health reporting, information system standards, and public health data.
* Principles and practices of epidemiology, and methods of collecting, compiling, and analyzing statistical and other research data.
* Informatics necessary for development, maintenance, and functional manipulation of phylogenetic relationship algorithms, associated software interpretation tools, and processing methods to generate, organize, and display a wide variety of complex relationship trees and other research data.
* Familiarity with the following instruments or techniques:MiSeq/NextSeq; Thermal Cyclers; Centrifuges; TapeStation; SpectraMax; Pipettes; Liquid Handling Robots; Automated RNA/DNA extraction equipment (e.g. Qiacube); Qubit Fluorometer.

MINIMUM QUALICATIONS:

* Two (2) years of experience as an Epidemiologist IIwith the County of San Diego; OR,
* A master's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency, in public health with specialization in epidemiology, bio-statistics, or a related field, AND,four (4) years of professional epidemiology experience.

Note: A Ph.D. in epidemiology, public health, life science or a closely related field from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency, is highly desirable.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

Employees hired on or after October 15, 2021, are required to be fully vaccinated* against COVID-19 before beginning employment. If you receive a conditional offer of employment, a copy of your vaccination card must be provided at the time of background.

Current County employees hired on or before October 14, 2021, are required to provide a copy of their vaccine card showing they are fully vaccinated, or undergo Covid-19 diagnostic testing and wear a facemask in the workplace.

Employees who work at County locations subject to the California Department of Public Health State Public Health Officer order are required to be fully vaccinated by the following dates:

* Health and congregate care settings - September 30, 2021
* Medical areas of jails/correctional facilities - October 14, 2021
* Requests for exemption to the vaccine requirement may be considered.

EVALUATION PROCESS:

The names of qualified applicants will be placed on a twelve (12) month employment list based on scores received during the evaluation of information contained in their employment and supplemental application.

Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental application form will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in the initial screening process, your application will be reviewed individually to confirm that the information you provided is accurate and qualifying.

NOTE:

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable an individual with qualified disabilities to perform the essential function of a job, on a case-by-case basis.

The County of San Diego and its employees embrace the Live Well San Diego vision: A region that is Building Better Health, Living Safely and Thriving. Click here for more information.

Under California Government Code Sections 3100 - 3109, public employees are designated as disaster service workers. The term "public employees" includes all persons employed by the state or any county, city, state agency, or public district. Disaster service workers are required to participate in such disaster service activities as may be assigned to them by their employer or by law.

The County of San Diego is committed to valuing diversity and practicing inclusion because our diverse workforce is our greatest asset and our customers are our number one priority.