Data Scientist (Data Science & Informatics Specialist 2) at State of Washington, WA in Thurston County – Olympia

Job description

• Data Scientist
• (Data Science & Informatics Specialist 2)
• Monday - Friday | 8AM - 5PM | HYBRID
• The hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the required posting period, and during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.
• As a Data Scientist, you will independently design and execute complex, statewide research projects that directly inform state policymaking and impact critical state and federal funding streams. Utilizing advanced statistical techniques, sophisticated systems, and rigorous analytical models, you will drive performance management, program evaluation, and survey design, translating data into actionable findings and strategic recommendations for executive leadership, board members, and external stakeholders. Beyond research execution, you will serve as the primary lead for agency data sharing agreements (DSAs), represent the agency on cross-agency data integration workgroups, and present findings at conferences and partner networks to foster collaboration and continuous process improvement.

Responsibilities

• Serve as one of the agency's Data Scientists, designing advanced statistical models for performance management, program evaluation, and survey design to inform state policymaking.
• Direct multidisciplinary project teams and lead comprehensive economic and statistical research initiatives.
• Translate complex data analyses into strategic findings and actionable recommendations for executive management and board members.
• Develop statistical business procedures while ensuring agency databases and policies comply with state and federal regulations.
• Lead multidisciplinary research teams as the primary researcher, overseeing projects from execution to final presentation.
• Translate complex results into data visualizations and present key findings and recommendations to executive leadership, board members, and stakeholders.
• Manage and maintain compliant agency data sharing agreements (DSAs) by identifying research data needs and collaborating with partners to ensure strict confidentiality and security.
• Represent the agency on cross-agency workgroups to drive data integration solutions and streamline DSA processes.
• Other duties as needed.

Requirements

• Eight (8) years of combined related education and/or experience.
• Related experience includes experience as a researcher in the social science field, and/or experience using quantitative research methods which include multivariate regression analysis.
• Related education includes education in quantitative social science, or related field.
• Two (2) years of professional experience using statistical software like SAS, SPSS, STATA, or R.
• One (1) year of experience using relational databases like Access, Oracle, or SQL.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in team and project management.
• Experience designing, managing, and working with complex administrative, demographic, and multi-source longitudinal databases.
• Experience with applying advanced statistical methods, including linear and logistic regression models, to analyze complex data sets.
• Experience communicating complex findings clearly through concise summaries and data-focused presentations for diverse audiences.
• One (1) year of experience analyzing aggregate employment or training data.
• Experience with design and analysis of survey data.
• Experience in cost estimation for research projects and activities.

Skills

Required

• Multivariate regression analysis
• Data visualization
• Communication of complex findings
• Leadership and project management

Preferred

• Design and analysis of survey data
• Cost estimation for research projects