Wastewater Surveillance Epidemiologist II

Maricopa County • Phoenix, AZ

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Wastewater Surveillance Epidemiologist II works in the Office of Communicable Disease Data, Surveillance, and Outbreak Response at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. The role performs advanced wastewater-based data management and analytics, including compiling and analyzing data, producing summary reports and visualizations, and building disease surveillance tools. It also collaborates with local, state, and federal partners on wastewater monitoring activities. This is a contractor position with benefits and an anticipated end date of December 31, 2028.

The position supports the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) ELC Project E and helps maintain and improve wastewater monitoring systems, data quality, and situational awareness. Work includes complex analysis, program coordination, data requests, reporting, dashboard production, protocol development, training, and wastewater program enhancement initiatives.

The position is typically office or administrative work and is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions. It involves sitting most of the time and exerting up to 10 pounds occasionally or negligible weights frequently. Within one month of hire, employees must provide evidence of immunity or receive required immunizations for vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Requirements

• Two years of experience performing epidemiological or statistical analysis.
• Master’s degree in epidemiology, biostatistics, or a related public health field.
• An equivalent combination of post-secondary education and/or job-related experience may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Provide evidence of immunity or receive required immunizations within one month of hire, including MMR, Tdap, Varicella, and annual Influenza; some positions require Hepatitis B vaccination and/or a Tuberculosis test.
• Pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with wastewater data.
• Intermediate to advanced skills in analysis software such as R or SAS.
• Strong data visualization and communication skills.
• Background in program coordination.

Responsibilities

• Conduct complex wastewater analyses, integrate data, and troubleshoot data quality issues using statistical software such as R; analyses may include trend or aberration detection, correlation, and modeling.
• Serve as NWSS ELC Project E Program Coordinator, collaborating with local, state, regional, and national partners to maintain and improve wastewater monitoring systems, data quality, and situational awareness.
• Coordinate partner calls, manage data processing pipelines, provide programmatic overviews, attend regional and national calls, and perform project management, sample collection, or administrative tasks.
• Fulfill data requests and produce wastewater-based epidemiological reports and dashboards for internal and external stakeholders, including utility reports, internal dashboards, public-facing dashboards, and partner reports.
• Develop protocols and train Surveillance Branch personnel on processes and best practices.
• Train key partners on wastewater monitoring.
• Support wastewater program enhancement initiatives, including sewershed evaluation, new site recruitment, and partner engagement products.

Benefits

• Tuition reimbursement.
• Hybrid work schedule options.
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County.
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for the employee and qualifying dependents.
• Child care benefits, including access to Maricopa County Kids Club.
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave.
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive.
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring an 11.98% per-paycheck contribution and including a 100% employer match on Day 1.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level