Sr. Data Scientist - Evaluation Agenda Manager (N383)

Heluna Health•Los Angeles, CA

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) consolidates our countywide response to homelessness. The driving force behind HSH is increasing accountability and transparency, improving care for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and streamlining collaboration with partners including services providers, the County’s 88 cities, and unincorporated areas to deliver high-quality, life-saving care. Staff schedules are based on business need and may include the option of a hybrid work schedule where employees work remotely and from the office. On November 5, 2024, LA County voters approved Measure A, a ballot initiative to implement a half-cent sales tax to fund homelessness solutions. Measure A is expected to generate over $1 Billion annually in perpetuity, 1.25% of which is distributed to Accountability, Data, and Research. Among the required research activities is the establishment and management of an Annual Evaluation Agenda (AEA), which will produce internal and external evaluations to test the causal impact of Measure A investments on desired outcomes. Those evaluations will include third-party evaluators selected through requests for proposals and must include voices with relevant lived experience. They are intended to shape decision-making around Measure A investments and drive continuous improvement and innovation. The Senior Data Scientist (Evaluation Agenda Manager) reports to the Director of Data Analytics and Evaluation at HSH and is responsible for managing the AEA and the evaluations connected to it. For an evaluation professional, this is an opportunity for large, measurable impact to improve the lives of Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable people. The Measure A AEA represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve how the County uses millions of dollars dedicated to housing people and preventing homelessness. With equity, accountability, and innovation at its core, the agenda will shape how Los Angeles County learns from its investments, adapts its strategies, and delivers on its promise to address homelessness systemically and transparently. This role requires an experienced, strategic project manager with a strong understanding of quantitative and qualitative evaluation design, causal inference methodology, contracting processes, and public sector stakeholder engagement and communication. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in evaluation methodology and be detail-oriented, communicative, and able to manage multiple streams of work simultaneously. A commitment to establishing strong community partnerships is equally important, and knowledge of homelessness services systems and programs is desirable.

Requirements

Option I: Two (2) years of experience carrying out complex data science projects that included independently developing and applying methods to identify, collect, process, structure, and analyze data using statistical prediction, inference, and optimization to support data-driven program design and management, at a level equivalent to the Los Angeles County class of Data Scientist.
Option II: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field of applied research such as Data Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Analytics, Psychology, Public Health, or Public Administration that included 12 semester or 18 quarter units of coursework in data science, predictive analytics, quantitative research methods, or statistical analysis -AND- Six (6) years of experience, including two (2) years in a lead capacity, applying and overseeing the application of machine learning, predictive analytics, data management, and hypothesis-driven data analysis to make actionable recommendations to support program, policy, and operational decision-making.
A Master’s or Doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a field of applied research such Data Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Analytics, Psychology, Public Health, or Public Administration may substitute for up to two (2) years of experience.
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
Successful clearance of Live Scan with the County of Los Angeles.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of homeless services systems, housing programs, and County governance structures
Proficient in data visualization tools (e.g. Power Bi, Tableau, etc.)
Familiarity with project management tools (e.g. Jira, Trello, Airtable, etc.)
Familiarity with statistical software (e.g. R, Stata, Python, SAS, etc.) and cloud-based analytic tools (e.g. Databricks, Redshift, Bigquery)
Familiarity with statistical power analysis and proficiency in statistical reasoning
Strong facilitation skills for multi-stake holder discussions with government, community-based organizations, and individuals with lived experience of homelessness
Familiarity with homeless services systems and programs
Demonstrated experience with contract management and project coordination, including writing scopes of work, overseeing vendors, and tracking deliverables
Strong understanding of causal inference and evaluation design, including power analysis, quasi-experimental methods, randomized trial design, and meta-analysis
Familiarity with additional evaluation methodologies, including qualitative methods, process-tracing, focus groups, participatory research principles, implementation science preferred
Familiarity with public-sector contracting and procurement processes
Experience managing stakeholder engagement, including close community engagement with marginalized populations
Experience coordinating DSAs / MOUs / IRB protocols a plus
Experience writing policy or evidence briefs summarizing research findings for non technical decision-makers
Commitment to advancing equity and using data to support transparency and continuous improvement
Ability to translate complex evaluation findings into actionable insights that inform policy and countywide strategic planning
Familiarity with continuous process improvement and related project management methodologies

Responsibilities

Lead the coordination and management of the Measure A Evaluation Agenda, supporting the Director of Data Analytics and Evaluation in developing, maintaining, and updating the agenda in alignment with Measure A requirements.
Review and assess causal impact evaluations, ensuring research designs are capable of answering the questions they pose in terms of statistical precision and causal identification.
Manage the planning, scheduling, and facilitation of community and stakeholder engagement processes, including executive governance bodies, County departments and agencies, community-based organizations, and people with lived experience of homelessness.
Drive forward the publication of the AEA, helping bring together diverse recommendations for its direction, develop actionable research questions and research strategies in response to community and leadership input, and prioritize questions around a timeline and roadmap for implementation.
Support the procurement and management of evaluation contracts: draft requests for proposals, scopes of work, monitor deliverables, provide technical feedback on interim deliverables (such as analysis plans and draft reports) to contractors, escalate issues when needed.
Track and report on progress across multiple ongoing evaluations, synthesizing findings and presenting updates to leadership and the community. These summaries of findings should identify pathways for action and impact to improve system performance.
Coordinate the development and execution of Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), Institutional Review Board (IRB) reliance agreements, and other legal and institutional agreements required for evaluation work.
Draft, revise, and publish version-controlled evaluation agenda documents annually, in collaboration with evaluation staff, contractors, and external stakeholders.
Contribute to the design and oversight of internal evaluation initiatives.
Ensure that all evaluation work reflects Measure A principles of equity, transparency, accountability, and innovation.