City Research Scientist I / Congenital Infection Program Coordinator

Job ID485161

City Research Scientist I / Congenital Infection Program Coordinator, Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STI

Civil Service TitleCITY RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Title ClassificationNon-Competitive

Job CategoryHealth, Policy, Research & Analysis

Career LevelEntry-Level

Work Location42-09 28th Street

Division/Work UnitSTI Programs

# of Positions1

Title Code No21744 Level01

Proposed Salary Range$ 64,140.00 - $ 64,140.00 (Annual)

As of August 2, 2021, all new hires must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for religion or disability. If you are offered city employment, this requirement must be met by your date of hire, unless a reasonable accommodation for exemption is received and approved by the hiring agency.

HIRING RATE: $64,140.00 (FLAT RATE - ANNUAL)

With an annual budget of $1.6 billion and a 6,000-plus workforce across the five boroughs of New York City (NYC), the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world. We serve approximately 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic, cultural and economic backgrounds and our workforce is as varied as the city we serve, bringing an extraordinary array of languages and dynamic experiences to bear upon the work of public health, as we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment. In the promotion of health education, disease prevention and control, our most important tool is the people that we serve. We're also one of our nation's oldest public health agencies with a long and distinguished history of innovation and excellence and over 200 years of leadership in the field.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH)’s Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (BHHS) oversees the City’s response to viral hepatitis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including testing initiatives; prevention, care, and treatment programming; epidemiology and surveillance; training and technical assistance; community engagement; social marketing; policy advocacy; and racial equity and social justice initiatives. BHHS works to end viral hepatitis, HIV, and STIs in New York City using an approach that is strengths-based, community-driven, and intersectional, accounting for how factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, sex, and socioeconomic status, among others, come together to impact public health.

The Congenital Infection Program Coordinator (CIPC) is a new position to coordinate all congenital syphilis (CS) and neonatal herpes (nHSV) activities performed by the STI Program. The CIPC will provide support in the planning, development, implementation of programmatic and evaluation activities related to CS and nHSV. This position will report to the Director of STI Surveillance.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

• Assist with the coordination of the Congenital Syphilis Prevention Investigator (CPI) program, which aims to increase the experience and skills of Bureau staff in conducting and documenting syphilis investigations among people who are or may become pregnant.

• Under the supervision of the STI Surveillance Director and Senior Research Scientist, learn to analyze and evaluate scientific research programs, epidemiological surveillance data, write abstracts and manuscripts, present scientific research findings to various agency stakeholders.

• Work with STI leadership to establish goals and objectives of the Congenital Infections Program; ensure alignment with grant requirements, Bureau objectives, and DOHMH Quality Performance Review goals.

• Identify all CS and nHSV activities conducted by the Bureau including surveillance, case investigation, partner services, provider outreach, etc.

• In consultation with the STI Surveillance Director and Senior Research Scientist, manage CS and nHSV grant requirements.

• Learn to develop objectives, align outcome measures across grants, assure activities are in progress, report on performance measures, complete grant progress reports and close-outs.

• Contribute to the development and revision of guidelines, procedures, and protocols for CS and nHSV work.

• Help to organize the Quarterly Congenital Syphilis Workgroup meetings.

• Review cases of CS and nHSV to ensure proper scientific research documentation and investigation are received.

• Work with staff when additional information is needed and confirm cases meet established findings definition.

• Support efforts to engage partnerships within the Bureau and broader agency DOHMH (Bureau of Maternal, Infant Reproductive Health), and outside organizations.

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.

To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:

1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or

2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or

3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:

Probationary Period

Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

• Strong professional working knowledge of informatics.

• Prior professional working professional experience with oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to work with both technical staff, scientists and end users.

• Requires programming experience in SQL, SAS, STATA, R, or SPSS.

• Background in public health/health sector strongly preferred but not required.

• Experience with REDCap is preferred, but not required

**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:

Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:

• A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license. 

• Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title. 

• Current Resume  

• Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)

Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.

If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment.  By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.

**LOAN FORGIVENESS

The federal government provides student loan forgiveness through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to all qualifying public service employees. Working with the DOHMH qualifies you as a public service employee and you may be able to take advantage of this program while working full-time and meeting the program’s other requirements. 

Please visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program site to view the eligibility requirements:

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”

Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/. In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number # 485161. 

We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.

The NYC Health Department is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply.

All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest; or any other basis prohibited by law.

NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate in your resume that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

POSTING DATE09/27/2021

POST UNTIL01/25/2022

The City of New York is an Equal Opportunity Employer