Data Modernization Director

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), with some 1,000 staff and a budget of $675 million, promotes and protects the health of all Philadelphians and provides a safety net for the most vulnerable.  The agency leads programs to prevent communicable diseases (including COVID-19, HIV, other STDs, tuberculosis, and vaccine-preventable diseases); prevent chronic diseases and promote healthy behaviors; prevent environmental health risks; investigate outbreaks of disease; respond to public health emergencies; and promote the health of women, children, and families.  In addition, the department operates eight primary care clinics. PDPH has been an innovator in public health, proposing policy solutions to problems like smoking and obesity, and intends to continue that tradition with creative solutions to both long-standing urban health problems and new crises.

Job Description

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is seeking a highly qualified candidate to serve as the Data Modernization Director. The Data Modernization Director’s primary function is to assess, manage, and improve PDPH’s systems and processes for data acquisition, data storage, and data governance. The Director ensures that the use of public health informatics supports population health assessments and improvements, including the use of data/information to monitor strategic objectives.

Essential Functions

The Data Modernization Director will:

• Develop, implement, and monitor systems and procedures to effectively and efficiently gather, store, manage, integrate, and analyze public health data.
• Assess maturity of data acquisition, data governance, and data analysis systems and processes; recommend enhancements; and implement and manage workplans to achieve these improvements.
• Assess information technologies and strategies for their potential benefit to PDPH and make recommendations regarding implementation.
• Coordinate with PDPH’s Information Technology division to support requirements definition, solution identification, acquisition, change management and implementation.
• Integrate processes and enhance interoperability between data systems.
• Develop and oversee data access policies, including privacy policies, that are in accordance with relevant regulations, policies, and standards.
• Mentor and build informatics capacity among data application specialists, data systems managers, data engineers, and epidemiologists. In collaboration with the Chief Epidemiologist, identify areas of data science strengths and opportunities for growth.
• Work with informaticians and analysts to create action-oriented dashboards and other visualizations to report on public health outcomes and performance metrics.
• Identify and work with internal and external stakeholders and understand data needs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Candidates also should have:

• Experience optimizing data integration, data governance, interoperability, and visualization.
• Experience in information technology, including database management, database administration, data system design, and data warehouse development and use.
• Proficiency in software applications and OS platforms, including analytic and programmatic applications (R, SAS, ArcGIS), SQL Server, SFTP, VPN, Windows Server.
• Knowledge of public health data formats and coding standards.
• Experience managing sensitive health data, including HIPAA-covered applications.
• A track record of working successfully with interdisciplinary teams.