Researcher/Data Analyst, Bureau of Mental Health

Job Description

Division/Program Summary Description:
The Bureau of Mental Health’s (BMH) mission is to improve mental health and wellness for people in New York City, and to eliminate racial and other long-standing societal disparities by providing services, resources, and opportunities to New Yorkers that are grounded in accurate, data-driven information that fosters community participation, thus reducing the stigma around mental health. This includes procuring and monitoring more than 500 contracted programs that provide mental health treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, supportive housing, care coordination and advocacy services, and operating court-mandated Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), Single Point of Access (SPOA) for mobile treatment and care coordination, and the NYC Supportive Treatment and Recovery Team (NYC START) for people with first episode psychosis.

Position Summary:
The Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) supports Bureau Leadership and Bureau Offices by providing surveillance, needs assessment research, and general research and data support. They directly support the work of all the offices in the Bureau of Mental Health with data management and analysis of population level and program-specific data. In addition, they inform the larger public through publications and presentations. The Researcher/Data Analyst will analyze population level mental health survey data and directly support the work of all the offices in the Bureau of Mental Health with analysis of population level and program-specific data. In addition, they inform the larger public through publications and presentations.

Job Duties and Responsibilities: Under general supervision, with latitude for independent initiative and judgment, the Researcher/Data Analyst will:

- Support the Office of Research and Evaluation in the planning, development, and implementation of Bureau-wide research and surveillance activities.
- Participate in study design and questionnaire development for mental health surveys, mental health needs assessment surveys, and epidemiologic investigations of mental health related case clusters.
- Design, conduct, and interpret analyses of both survey data (Community Health Survey, Social Determinants of Health, mental health surveys, etc.) and administrative datasets as they relate to mental health to evaluate the prevalence, patterns and trends of mental health outcomes, service utilization, and their associations with social determinants of mental health.
- Pre-process, clean, and prepare data for analysis using SAS, SUDAAN, and/or R; document data management procedures.
- Develop reports and data briefs to communicate the results of analysis in clear and meaningful ways to a lay audience.
- Develop PowerPoint presentations and write scientific articles for publication.
- Conduct literature reviews to inform study design, measure selection, analysis design, and outcome measures.
- Proposed duty 8. Serve on workgroups/cross-agency committees regarding mental health research and data.

Preferred Skills:
- The successful candidate will have 3-5 years full time experience processing, cleaning, manipulating, and analyzing large datasets using statistical software such as SAS, SUDAAN and/or R’. Experience with SQL and other languages a plus.
- The candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, and experience with scientific writing. Competency in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is strongly preferred.
- The individual will possess project management skills as well as an ability to easily adapt to multiple programmatic and/or functional areas.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-disciplinary team environment.
- A background and experience in research and data analysis with a focus on population and sample based epidemiological methods is highly desirable.

Why you should work for us:

- Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website (https://studentaid.gov/pslf/)
- Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
o a tax-deferred savings program and
o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
- Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
- Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at sahn1@health.nyc.gov or 347-396-6549.

Qualifications

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.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.