Clinical Informatics Specialist
UC San Francisco (UCSF) · California, United States
Job Summary:
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Office of Data Strategy is recruiting for a Clinical Informatics Specialist III’s to join an innovative team advancing CDPH’s enterprise data modernization efforts. The incumbent will apply advanced data engineering and informatics expertise within a cloud-native data environment (primarily Databricks, leveraging Apache Spark and Delta Lake for big-data processing and storage) to design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and enterprise data marts that support public health program operations, analytics, and strategic decision-making.
The incumbent will serve as a core member of a cross-functional team, collaborating closely with data scientists, analysts, informaticians, and public health program partners to deliver high-quality, well-governed, and interoperable data products.
Responsibilities will include:
- Designing, developing, testing, and maintaining scalable data pipelines and enterprise data marts in Databricks using SQL, Python, and PySpark.
- Supporting the development, implementation, and maintenance of enhanced public health surveillance and operational data systems.
- Creating standardized, reusable data models and curated datasets that serve multiple programmatic and analytical use cases.
- Improving interoperability and alignment across CDPH data systems and integrating solutions with local health jurisdictions (LHJs) and other partners.
- Ensuring efficient, secure, and automated ingestion, transformation, storage, and distribution of data from diverse surveillance and non-surveillance sources.
- Participating in complex data architecture, data modeling, and data quality assurance and improvement activities.
- Contributing to development and maintenance of tools, frameworks, and monitoring capabilities that support reliable, high-quality data pipelines.
- Innovating and prototyping new engineering approaches to meet evolving stakeholder needs and improve scalability, performance, and maintainability of CDPH data infrastructure.
- This position requires strong programming and data engineering skills (SQL, Python, and/or PySpark), experience with Databricks or similar cloud platforms, and applied informatics knowledge to support data modeling, dataset curation, data governance, and data quality processes.
Department Summary:
UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS) is dedicated to improving health and reducing the burden of disease in the world’s most vulnerable populations. It integrates UCSF expertise in all of the health, social, and biological sciences, and focuses that expertise on pressing issues in global health. IGHS works with partners in countries throughout the world to achieve these aims. IGHS seeks to improve health worldwide, especially in developing countries, through research that informs policy.
IGHS is committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment as we work towards becoming an anti-racist organization. We strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. Please see our statement on anti-racism here: https://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/about-us/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/statement-structural-racism.
The California Department of Public Health’s Office of Data Strategy (ODS) leads enterprise-wide data modernization efforts to advance public health outcomes statewide. ODS is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining scalable, secure, and interoperable data systems that support public health program operations, analytics, and strategic decision-making. ODS collaborates with internal CDPH programs, Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs), and external partners to ensure efficient data integration, governance, and quality. The office fosters innovation in data engineering, analytics, and informatics, supporting initiatives such as enhanced surveillance, operational data systems, and public health response. ODS is committed to equity, transparency, and continuous improvement, empowering teams to deliver high-quality data products and actionable insights for California’s public health ecosystem.
DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Identify the functions or tasks that employees in the job perform. The essential functions should state the purpose of the work and the results to be accomplished, rather than how the function is performed. Of the tasks listed, what percentage of time is devoted to each? The more time employees spend on a function, the more likely it is that the function is essential. Generally, include those functions that account for 10% or more of the work, i.e., key items that contribute significantly to the achievement of the job. The functions should add up to 100%.
%
of time
Essential Function (Yes/No)
Key Responsibilities
(To be completed by Supervisor)
35YesWorks with business, technical, and clinical personnel to develop and implement complex clinical informatics solutions and to create integrated architecture to ensure optimal use of tools and components.
Informatics System/Data Engineering, Development, Monitoring, and Testing:
Collaborates with senior engineering staff, the Clinical Informatics Specialist 4, and other Office of Data Strategy personnel to design, implement, and maintain highly complex public health data systems and pipelines. Ensures that systems and enterprise data marts are built for scalability, interoperability, reliability, and ease of use within a modern cloud environment (e.g., Databricks, Delta Lake, cloud storage).
Works closely with subject‑matter experts and technical teams to translate public health program workflows and data needs into technical requirements. Develops and maintains ingestion, transformation, and curation logic using SQL, Python, PySpark, or related technologies. Performs advanced quality assurance testing, validation, and monitoring of data pipelines to ensure data accuracy, reliability, security, and confidentiality.
Troubleshoots and resolves technical and data‑quality issues across integrated data systems. Develops dashboards, metrics, and monitoring tools to track pipeline performance and inform decisions about system enhancements.
Sample projects include:
• Designing and implementing high‑volume ingestion pipelines
• Designing and maintaining enterprise data marts
• Developing applications, dashboards, and tools for pipeline monitoring, data quality, and operational transparency.
35YesCollaborates closely with business operations, healthcare clinicians, and IT applications and technical teams to translate operations workflow and patient experience objectives into technical requirements.
Data System Management and Coordination
Develops and maintains deep familiarity with CDPH’s data systems, data elements, and metadata structures to promote consistency, alignment, and interoperability across programs. Designs, implements, and maintains complex cloud-based data pipelines and transformation logic using SQL, Python, PySpark, R, or related tools.
Develops and maintains technical documentation, including data models, workflow diagrams, pipeline specifications, metadata, and operational runbooks to support ongoing maintenance and reuse. Automates data ingestion, validation, quality checks, and reporting processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual workload.
Provides coordination and guidance to internal CDPH programs and Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs) on topics related to data management, data quality, matching, linkage, and dissemination.
Recommends best practices and establishes protocols for producing routine and ad hoc analytical data products using multisource data integrations. Contributes to the development of dynamic dashboards (e.g., R/Shiny, Databricks SQL dashboards, Tableau) to support operational awareness and public health action.
Serves on multidisciplinary project teams to support data architecture planning and the development of scalable, cost-effective