Chief Biostatistician

Announcement Number: 523480398

1000 North Division Street
• Carson City, Nevada 89703
775-684-4000
• dhhs.nv.gov

Joe Lombardo
Governor

DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE
Helping people. It's who we are and what we do.

Richard Whitley, MS
Director

Recruitment:
CHIEF BIOSTATISTICIAN
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
OFFICE OF ANALYTICS
Document updated: May 2024

Salary: $124,671 (employee/employer-paid retirement schedule)
NOTE: The salary for this role, assuming employee/employer paid retirement, will increase by 11% to
approximately $138,384 effective July 1st, 2024.
Recruitment Open To:All qualified persons.
RECRUITING FOR: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is seeking a Chief Biostatistician. The
Chief Biostatistician works under minimal departmental direction and provides vision and leadership for the
Office of Analytics.
This is a full-time unclassified position located in the State of Nevada, Department of Health and Human
Services, Office of Analytics in Carson City, Nevada. The position is appointed by the Department Director.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Program/Project Management
• Research, Analysis, and Data Evaluation
• Technical Consultation
• Data Dissemination and Presentation
This position collaborates closely with leadership throughout DHHS and serves as the technical advisor for the
administration and management of data-related projects and studies, including the direction and control of
project planning, project review and dissemination of findings. This includes analyzing and evaluating the
effectiveness of office operations in meeting established project goals and objectives.
The Chief Biostatistician directs the activities of biostatisticians, economists, statisticians, and other health
analysts and sets policies and procedures to safeguard the quality and accuracy of their work, ensuring that
various statistical products and publications are delivered to stakeholders timely and accurately; provides
technical input to analysts and programmers in updating data from multiple sources with appropriate technical
documentation; collaborates with informatics and information technology professionals to develop data storage
and management solutions that enable analysis of large structured and unstructured datasets; and provides advice
on the use of data science tools, methods, and statistical learning models to collect, link, process, code, classify,
analyze, and display data. 1000 North Division Street
• Carson City, Nevada 89703
775-684-4000
• dhhs.nv.gov

The incumbent will ensure the Office of Analytics follows best practices related to a traditional data science
lifecycle which includes gathering and storing data; processing and converting raw data into clean, organized
information; developing tools and processes for analysis; applying techniques to produce findings from structured
and unstructured data; ensuring data quality; and clearly communicating findings from analysis and the results of
this process across various organizations. This includes consulting with epidemiologists, statisticians, computer
scientists, programmers, economists, policy analysts, public health professionals, and other stakeholders
concerning ongoing and established studies or other projects where extensive analytic methodological support or
innovation is required.
The Chief Biostatistician also assists in creating recommendations for additional research and development efforts
and formulates proposals for new studies and data science projects related to the Department's priority topic
areas; supports synthesizing and interpreting the relevant literature and other public sources and provides
analytical review of current methodological developments; maintains current knowledge of developments in allied
health sciences, modeling, and machine learning analysis, in conjunction with the use of technology to identify and
evaluate new data science tools and methods to support current and future efforts; and participates as the expert
in work groups focused on data science, statistics, and machine learning, as applied to public health data.
The incumbent plans, organizes, and directs research studies and methodologies for public health and social
services programs and functions as the principal consultant to advise program management on data for
decision making. The incumbent develops long range statistical forecasting and modeling of health indicators
for the State; develops statistical and analytical programs to evaluate the effectiveness of State programs for
health care; utilizes data to identify health problems which require research and resolution; and responds to
requests of the administrator or department leadership for specialized data, analytical summaries, and
information. The incumbent also collaborates with other divisions within the department to advance data
integration and data-related infrastructure and modernization efforts.
The incumbent also assists with preparing grant proposals, including selecting the research methodology to be
utilized; coordinates projects; devises data collection methods; defines project parameters and statistical
methodology; collaborates with other agencies and organizations in the compilation of information; sets
project priorities and allocates resources.
The incumbent is responsible for various public presentations, including to DHHS leadership, the
legislature, Governor's Office, and internal and external workgroups, task forces, and other stakeholders
and must be comfortable communicating technical information to a variety of individuals and audiences.
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION:
The primary requirements of the work are applying professional knowledge of computer science and mathematical
and statistical theories, techniques, and methods to gather, analyze, design, and construct new processes for
modeling, interpretation, and/or reporting quantitative information, trends, relationships, and correlations among
or within data sets.
Proficiency in modeling and statistical programming languages such as, but not limited to: SAS, R, or Python.
Knowledge and experience applying data-analytic techniques and concepts such as, but not limited to properties of
infectious disease transmission modeling, probability distributions, statistical tests and proper usage, model
performance, clustering and finding patterns, classification and regression.
A successful incumbent will have: 1000 North Division Street
• Carson City, Nevada 89703
775-684-4000
• dhhs.nv.gov
• A proven ability to drive public health results with their data-based insights; comfort working with a wide
range of stakeholders and functional teams; a passion for discovering solutions hidden in large data sets
and working with stakeholders to improve process and public health outcomes. Mastery-level knowledge
using large data sets to find opportunities for process optimization is a must. The incumbent must have
strong experience using a variety of data mining/data analysis methods and a variety of data tools, building
and implementing models, and using/creating algorithms. Proficiency in pattern recognition and
classification and experience with machine learning models desired; Incumbent must possess expert
knowledge and experience in project management and application of sound project management principles
as reflected in Project Management Professional (PMP) training and certification, specifically: knowledge
and experience directly related to initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing
projects that have a state- or system-wide organizational scope.
• Skill in communicating technical information with a variety of individuals and audiences; knowledge of
written and oral communication techniques to prepare reports and give presentations used as the basis for
key-executive-level management decisions, legislative testimonies, responses to inquiries, reports and
other comparable documents; knowledge of visual and oral communication techniques such as the visual
display of quantitative information and effective usage of data graphics for communicating with specialist
and lay audience, as well as, serve as bureau or agency representative and present findings and deliver
briefings, explain, and justify recommendations, and negotiate solutions to disputed recommendations.
• Knowledge of agency program goals and objectives and the relationship with other programs and key
functions internal or external to the agency to define requirements, integrate program activities, assess
impact, and/or make decision on use of resources.
• Knowledge of interpersonal relationship skills to establish and maintain effective and diplomatic working
relations and secure support and cooperation. Person must demonstrate a high degree of professionalism,
enthusiasm, and initiative daily. The incumbent must also be a team player who thrives in a high performing
work environment.
• Skill and ability to plan, formulate, analyze, evaluate, and/or implement complex program policies and
strategies to meet new and novel conditions and improve or overcome shortfalls and deficiencies. Ability to
design programs to analyze complicated scenarios. Ability to review and advise on related workflows and
processes. Advanced skill in documenting projects progress and providing methods for improving project
performance.
The Office of Analytics is a unit that regularly experiences a high volume of work, both on a recurring and ad hoc
basis. The office is always working on multiple complex projects at once in support of the DHHS Director's Office,
DHHS Divisions, the Governor's Office, the Legislative Counsel Bureau, State Legislators, agency partners, and other
local, state, and national stakeholders. Most positions in the office, which is comprised of over 50 professional staff,
frequently work on multiple complex projects at once and must often re-evaluate priorities based on shifting agency
and stakeholder needs. A successful Chief Biostatistician candidate will be able to thrive in this fast-paced
environment, balance multiple high-profile data science projects simultaneously, provide technical leadership, and
ensure products produced by the office meet high standards of excellence. Additionally, the incumbent must be an
excellent communicator (demonstrating strong listening, questioning, and interpersonal skills) and effectively
express ideas and information both verbally and in writing to a wide array of audiences.
SPECIAL NOTES AND REQUIREMENTS: Fingerprinting and a background investigation through the FBI and Department of
Public Safety are required. The employee is responsible for all applicable fees upon hiring plus additional fees for rolling
fingerprints. 1000 North Division Street
• Carson City, Nevada 89703
775-684-4000
• dhhs.nv.gov

Qualifications: Master's degree from an accredited college or university in mathematics, statistics, biostatistics or a
closely related field and at least five years' of professional experience planning and organizing multiple projects related
to health statistics, surveillance and analysis of health and/or socioeconomic data, econometrics, or epidemiological
studies using various types of statistical software, three years of which must have been in a supervisor or management
capacity working with professional staff; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
LOCATION: The position is located in Carson City, Nevada. Carson City, Nevada's capital, has a population of 55,000 and
is in close proximity to Reno, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sunshine and recreational opportunities
abound including skiing, golfing, biking, off-roading, hiking, fishing, and hunting.
Benefits: Benefits include medical, dental, life and disability insurance programs; participation in the Public Employees
Benefit Program for retirement; 11 paid holidays each year; accrual of t h r e e weeks annual leave and three weeks of
sick leave each year.
TO APPLY: Please submit a letter of interest, and resume/curriculum vitae which details your experience,
responsibilities, the nature, and size of the organization/programs you worked for, and professional references.
Please send submissions to:
DOHR@dhhs.nv.gov
Subject line: Chief Biostatistician

SELECTION PROCESS: Application material will be screened based on the qualifications; those candidates deemed
most qualified will be invited to interview. Hiring may occur at any time during the recruitment process.

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments
with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race,
color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic
partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.



Closing Date/Time: Until recruitment needs are satisfied

Carson City, Nevada United States View Map