RESEARCH DATA SPECIALIST I

Job Description and Duties The Research Data Specialist I (RDS I) serves as a technical expert within the Fiscal Decision Support Unit, under general direction of the Research Data Supervisor II. The RDS I performs fiscal research, quantitative modeling, and data integration analyses to support statewide fiscal oversight, cost containment, and budget impact assessments for the Department of Developmental Services (department). This position is responsible for designing and maintaining fiscal performance dashboards, developing sensitivity and cost-driver analyses, supporting the Data Task Force in advancing fiscal data fluency, and providing consultative expertise on the integration of fiscal, demographic, and service utilization datasets. Effective July 1, 2025, State employees are subject to a salary reduction of three percent in exchange for five hours per month of the Personal Leave. Please let us know how you heard about our position by taking this brief survey: https://www.research.net/r/ddsadmin You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement. Special Requirements The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be numbered in the same order as the following areas, typed in 12-point Arial font, single spaced, and be no more than two pages in length. Applicants who fail to answer the questions or submit an SOQ may not be considered. • Describe a time series forecasting project that you worked on in the past. Please give details of the workflow. In particular, how did you assess data quality and prepare data for the task? What forecast methodology did you select and why? How did you communicate forecast results? Was there any follow up steps after the results were delivered? • Give details of a data visualization project of yours. What was the purpose of the visual and what analytics were included? Talk about ideas behind the visual design and tools that you selected to build the visual. If you were to redo the same project again, what would you change to improve the visual? If you are using list eligibility from an on-line exam to qualify for this position, you MUST include with your application any documentation (i.e., copy of transcript, degree, license, etc.) to verify meeting the MQ’s or you may not be considered for the position. The MQs will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined that an applicant does not meet the MQs of the classification, the applicant may not be considered and withheld from the eligible list. Desirable Qualifications In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate: Expertise in fiscal modeling, cost decomposition, and budget forecasting; proficiency in SQL, Python, R, and data visualization tools (Python/Power BI/Tableau); strong understanding of econometric or machine learning methods applied to fiscal data; excellent communication and collaboration skills; familiar with source code version control system such as Git; working knowledge of docker containerization platform.