Drug-Checking Data Analyst, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use

City of New York • New York, NY

4h • $74,536 - $74,536 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use (BADU) works to close gaps and reduce overall morbidity and mortality related to alcohol and substance use among New Yorkers. BADU develops, implements, and evaluates interventions and prevention strategies through contracting of treatment, recovery and support services; policy analysis and development; epidemiology and surveillance; dissemination of treatment and management guidelines; harm reduction initiatives; public and provider outreach and education; and community involvement and interagency collaboration. The Bureau amplifies the voices of those most impacted and focuses on inequitable structural, social, service, and communication factors that drive disparities. The Office of Research, Surveillance, Policy, and Communications within BADU conducts alcohol- and drug-related surveillance, program evaluation and research, maintains databases, designs research protocols, produces reports, writes scientific articles for peer-reviewed journals, facilitates program and policy development, and develops messaging and other communication materials for provider and public audiences. In 2021, BADU established a drug-checking pilot to gain more insight into the unregulated drug supply and provide fact based information to people using the service. Using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and immunoassay test strips, trained drug checking technicians currently offer point-of-care drug-checking services at syringe service program locations in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, including two sites that offer overdose prevention services.

The Drug-Checking Data Analyst will support the development and implementation of data collection, analysis, and reporting systems for the drug-checking initiative. The Drug-Checking Data Analyst work collaboratively with the Drug Checking Team to coordinate and support data management activities, including monitoring and analyzing program data, ensuring data quality, supporting data requests, and preparing data products for internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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
• 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
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Experience practicing public health and working across systems to further a public health approach to substance use
• Experience with program monitoring, evaluation, and/or quality improvement
• Knowledge of and experience within the fields of substance use/harm reduction
• Experience (at least 1 year) analyzing public health data in an applied setting using R
• Experience with quantitative data, including the ability to read, interpret and synthesize epidemiologic and other scientific literature
• Experience with survey data collection and database management using REDCap, SQL, Microsoft Access or similar platforms
• Experience with or willingness to learn data visualization and dashboarding tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
• Able to work independently and as part of a team
• Exceptional interpersonal, research, written, and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proficiency in Excel, Access, Word, and PowerPoint
• Able to multitask in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
• Passionate about implementing interventions and conducting analyses with the end goal of reducing drug-related morbidity and mortality in New York City

Responsibilities

• Extract, clean, manipulate, organize, and analyze drug-checking data primarily using R, REDCap, Excel, SQL, and other platforms
• Work collaboratively with drug-checking technicians to perform quality assurance data checks and implement quality improvement processes to ensure data quality
• Support the Senior Drug Checking Epidemiologist in designing and developing new methods of analyses for the drug-checking initiative in conjunction with the Bureau’s drug-related syndromic surveillance data to inform future program direction
• Contribute to the design and maintenance of the drug-checking database, including queries and data entry procedures and preparing documentation
• Support the creation and revision of study and data management documentation related to the drug-checking program, including data dictionaries and codebooks
• Assist with the reporting of programmatic data, including, but not limited to, internal reporting (e.g., weekly reports, dashboards), external reporting, Power Point presentations, and ad-hoc data requests
• Support the maintenance of a drug-checking dashboard and other data visualization activities
• Assist with development of protocols, workflows, questionnaires, and surveys
• Support the preparation of IRB applications for research study protocols
• Contribute to the development of manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute to the Bureau’s racial justice and health equity activities

Benefits

• Premium-free health insurance plan
• Additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
• A public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
• A tax-deferred savings program
• A robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
• Federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level