What are the responsibilities and job description for the Behavioral Health Data Scientist (Human Services Data Scientist) position at King County, WA?
Summary
The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.
King County's Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, and connected to community.
DCHS manages a wide range of programs and services to assist the county's most vulnerable residents. The department maintains a pro-equity focus aimed at developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all county residents, regardless of race, gender identity, or income. Within DCHS, the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) provides high-quality behavioral health services to help ensure people with mental health and substance use disorders receive the services they need.
This position is centrally located within the Performance Measurement and Evaluation (PME) unit of the DCHS Director's Office and will work closely with a team of individuals in BHRD tasked with managing the King County Integrated Care Network (KCICN) operations and tracking provider performance. This position sits in a talented team of data scientists and evaluators who possess deep subject matter expertise in SQL, R, and Tableau.
DCHS has an opportunity for a Data Scientist to partner with one of the country's largest human services departments to support the King County Integrated Care Network (KCICN). The KCICN consists of a partnership with 40 behavioral health organizations and five managed care organizations (MCOs) to drive improved behavioral health services and increase the efficiency in the use of Medicaid funds. You will be working with a team of extremely talented data scientists to develop sophisticated tracking measures and dashboards, manage and utilize administrative databases, create analytic tools, conduct advanced quantitative analyses, and prepare reports that inform the operation of the behavioral healthcare system in King County. The focus of this role will be to provide insights for data-informed program and policy decisions and test innovative approaches to tackle a variety of system, policy, and service delivery challenges being faced by the KCICN.
WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified candidates who meet the minimum qualifications. Interviews for this selection process will take place on or around 10/6/2025.
APPLICATION PROCESSIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or if you require accommodation or assistance with the application or assessment process, or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
WORK SCHEDULE/CONDITIONS: This is a part-time (20-24 hours weekly) Special Duty Assignment (SDA) or Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position anticipated to end 8 months from the start date, but subject to change dependent on operational need. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime. The successful candidate will work 20-24 hours per week during normal business hours (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.), with consistent hours from week to week. This position is represented by Protec17.
MISSION CRITICAL POSITION STATUS: This position has been designated Non-Mission Critical. Unless otherwise directed by the County Executive, department directo,r or agency head, all employees, regardless of designation, are expected to report to work or request leave during an emergency or inclement weather. For more detailed information, please visit HR Policy County Operations During Emergency Situations and the King County Guidelines for Workforce Management in an Emergency.
TELEWORKING REQUIREMENT: The work associated with this position will be performed or conducted through a combination of teleworking and onsite work and meetings. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
RECRUITER: Greg Mallory, grmallory@kingcounty.gov
Job Duties
Develop Performance Measures and Dashboards
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ , people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
Benefits
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? AND Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? AND Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoff
03
Please describe your interest in the position and how it fits into your current career goals.
04
How many years of relevant work experience do you have in finance, social sciences, statistics, public health, behavioral health, or a related field (with coursework in research methods and statistics)?
Do you have experience working in health and human services?
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using R:
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using SQL:
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using Tableau:
Do you have professional experience utilizing, managing, and analyzing data from large administrative healthcare databases, including medical or behavioral health claims or encounter data?
Do you have experience working with large SQL databases, including writing queries for extracting, matching, cleaning, managing, and validating data?
Which of the following data management, analysis, or visualization tools have you used in a professional setting? (Select all that apply.)
Do you have demonstrated experience conducting statistical analyses and preparing dashboards, reports, or presentations for non-technical audiences?
Describe your experience supporting program monitoring and measurement processes (e.g., development of performance measures, monitoring program performance, and/or using data to support to make recommendations related to policy or program design). Please include the organization(s) and dates and highlight evaluation of behavioral health or crisis system programs as relevant.
14
King County has transformed its work on equity and social justice from an initiative to an integrated effort that applies the principle of “fair and just” intentionally in all the county does to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities. Describe how you have placed principles related to equity and social justice at the center of your work and give specific examples if possible.
The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.
King County's Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, and connected to community.
DCHS manages a wide range of programs and services to assist the county's most vulnerable residents. The department maintains a pro-equity focus aimed at developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all county residents, regardless of race, gender identity, or income. Within DCHS, the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) provides high-quality behavioral health services to help ensure people with mental health and substance use disorders receive the services they need.
This position is centrally located within the Performance Measurement and Evaluation (PME) unit of the DCHS Director's Office and will work closely with a team of individuals in BHRD tasked with managing the King County Integrated Care Network (KCICN) operations and tracking provider performance. This position sits in a talented team of data scientists and evaluators who possess deep subject matter expertise in SQL, R, and Tableau.
DCHS has an opportunity for a Data Scientist to partner with one of the country's largest human services departments to support the King County Integrated Care Network (KCICN). The KCICN consists of a partnership with 40 behavioral health organizations and five managed care organizations (MCOs) to drive improved behavioral health services and increase the efficiency in the use of Medicaid funds. You will be working with a team of extremely talented data scientists to develop sophisticated tracking measures and dashboards, manage and utilize administrative databases, create analytic tools, conduct advanced quantitative analyses, and prepare reports that inform the operation of the behavioral healthcare system in King County. The focus of this role will be to provide insights for data-informed program and policy decisions and test innovative approaches to tackle a variety of system, policy, and service delivery challenges being faced by the KCICN.
WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified candidates who meet the minimum qualifications. Interviews for this selection process will take place on or around 10/6/2025.
APPLICATION PROCESSIf you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or if you require accommodation or assistance with the application or assessment process, or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
- NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete, and will be used in the screening process)
- Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
WORK SCHEDULE/CONDITIONS: This is a part-time (20-24 hours weekly) Special Duty Assignment (SDA) or Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position anticipated to end 8 months from the start date, but subject to change dependent on operational need. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime. The successful candidate will work 20-24 hours per week during normal business hours (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.), with consistent hours from week to week. This position is represented by Protec17.
MISSION CRITICAL POSITION STATUS: This position has been designated Non-Mission Critical. Unless otherwise directed by the County Executive, department directo,r or agency head, all employees, regardless of designation, are expected to report to work or request leave during an emergency or inclement weather. For more detailed information, please visit HR Policy County Operations During Emergency Situations and the King County Guidelines for Workforce Management in an Emergency.
TELEWORKING REQUIREMENT: The work associated with this position will be performed or conducted through a combination of teleworking and onsite work and meetings. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
RECRUITER: Greg Mallory, grmallory@kingcounty.gov
Job Duties
Develop Performance Measures and Dashboards
- Perform queries in Structured Query Language (SQL) to extract, clean, and transform data from large, complex administrative databases to make tables for use in the production of performance measures, dashboards, and reports.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in the technical specifications for key performance metrics, as well as understanding the complexities of various programs and how they are reflected in administrative data.
- Develop standardized and streamlined processes using R and Git for producing performance metrics on Tableau dashboards that can be replicated across BHRD bodies of work.
- Perform complex data analyses, analyze trends, and construct key performance measures to inform King County staff on behavioral health program and service implementation and utilization.
- Lead work with internal and external partners to design, create, and maintain production of key performance indicators, reports, dashboards, and trend analyses to improve the performance of King County's behavioral health systems.
- Work with stakeholders to use a data-driven approach to assess and evaluate high-level impacts of modifying program delivery models.
- Develop tools to streamline key performance indicators and automation techniques to highlight actual performance change and identify any data system changes or data quality issues.
- Work independently to manipulate, analyze, and interpret data using appropriate statistical methods and data manipulation tools.
- Develop and maintain interactive dashboards, charts, reports, and presentations that visually represent key findings for non-technical audiences, communicating results in a way that is actionable.
- Drive towards the application of a racial equity and social justice lens across a wide variety of projects and work products.
- Conduct written and verbal presentations that share insights and recommendations with audiences of varying levels of technical sophistication.
- Participate in team, work group, division, and department meetings.
- Respond to other data requests and perform other related duties as assigned.
- 3 or more years of demonstrated relevant work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience in finance, social sciences, statistics, public health, behavioral health, or a related field with coursework in research methods and statistics, and/or equivalent education and experience.
- Experience utilizing, managing, and analyzing data from large administrative healthcare databases.
- Knowledge of equity and social justice principles and practices; lived experience with and/or understanding of the effect of place-, race- and policy & systems inequities on communities and populations.
- Extensive expertise working with large SQL databases and writing queries using Structured Query Language (SQL). Including experience in extracting, matching, cleaning, managing, and validating data.
- Skills with data management, analysis, and visualization tools, such as SQL, R, SAS, Python, and Tableau.
- Demonstrated experience conducting statistical analyses and preparing dashboards, reports, and presentations for non-technical audiences.
- Ability to develop a strong understanding of the key business processes, financial drivers, and programmatic features reflected in the administrative data.
- Experience working with medical or behavioral health claims or encounter data.
- Superb attention to detail.
- Strong analytical thinking skills.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate well with diverse groups, including division leaders and executive leadership internally and externally.
- Strong problem-solving and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and maintain collaborative relationships as part of a team.
- Experience successfully managing complex projects, in detail, and meeting deadlines.
- Expert skills in SQL and R, including developing tools and packages.
- Experience working with version control systems, preferably Git/GitHub.
- Understanding of health and behavioral health measurement and management processes, indicators, and tools.
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ , people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
Benefits
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what’s best for themselves and their eligible dependents
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite activity centers
- Employee Giving Program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? AND Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? AND Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my Career Service role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoff
03
Please describe your interest in the position and how it fits into your current career goals.
04
How many years of relevant work experience do you have in finance, social sciences, statistics, public health, behavioral health, or a related field (with coursework in research methods and statistics)?
- I do not have this experience yet
- Less than 3 years of experience
- 3–4 years of experience
- 5–6 years of experience
- 7 or more years of experience
Do you have experience working in health and human services?
- Yes
- No
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using R:
- No experience
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using SQL:
- No experience
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Please select the option below that best indicates your level of proficiency using Tableau:
- No experience
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Do you have professional experience utilizing, managing, and analyzing data from large administrative healthcare databases, including medical or behavioral health claims or encounter data?
- Yes
- No
Do you have experience working with large SQL databases, including writing queries for extracting, matching, cleaning, managing, and validating data?
- Yes
- No
Which of the following data management, analysis, or visualization tools have you used in a professional setting? (Select all that apply.)
- SQL
- R
- SAS
- Python
- Tableau
- None of the above
Do you have demonstrated experience conducting statistical analyses and preparing dashboards, reports, or presentations for non-technical audiences?
- Yes
- No
Describe your experience supporting program monitoring and measurement processes (e.g., development of performance measures, monitoring program performance, and/or using data to support to make recommendations related to policy or program design). Please include the organization(s) and dates and highlight evaluation of behavioral health or crisis system programs as relevant.
14
King County has transformed its work on equity and social justice from an initiative to an integrated effort that applies the principle of “fair and just” intentionally in all the county does to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities. Describe how you have placed principles related to equity and social justice at the center of your work and give specific examples if possible.
- Required Question
