Senior Consultant (Data Specialist) / TG61096387

Full Job Description

*This is a Temporary Grant Position.*

Are you the One? We are looking for a Senior Consultant (Data Specialist) who will be essential in supporting data-driven policy decisions and data and technology innovation reporting to the Office of Data & Analytics within the SC Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS). The position will primarily support work for the SCDHHS Bureau of Policy, dedicating 50% of its time to supporting the CMS Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) grant. In this work, the individual will provide critical work in compiling, analyzing, and presenting data necessary to inform the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model in South Carolina. This position will work directly with the IBH project manager to support behavioral health data needs as the team works to develop and implement a care delivery framework and value-based payment model. The model development will be supported by a stakeholder convening structure and learning collaboratives to ensure Medicaid members receive optimal care while integrating primary care into substance use disorder/behavioral health care treatment. This position will support a health IT implementation plan for external partners as well as an internal data collection plan to support achievement of IBH project milestones including reporting and compliance. For the remaining 50% time, this position will support broader agency priorities, including behavioral health initiatives outside of the IBH grant and policy-related data requests. This includes analyzing Medicaid claims and other data, preparing reports and dashboards, and collaborating to provide actionable insights that inform policy development and strategic decision-making.

Develop and maintain centralized databases for tracking project activities, performance indicators, and outcomes.

Support development of new databases to analyze impact and monitor performance from IBH program initiatives.

This includes developing requirements and data documentation and working collaboratively with other IT and system stakeholders to create solutions to ingest and develop new data sources.

Establish standardized metrics and data collection tools, templates, and processes for key stakeholders. Ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data.

Apply statistically rigorous analytic techniques and best practices to analyze program data, assess progress towards IBH goals, and measure impact.

Collects and interprets data, analyzes results, and reports results back to the IBH team, data team, and/or stakeholder groups.

Supports the IBH grant by using statistical tools and software to interpret data, identify patterns and trends in the data, working with the IBH team to define data collection needs and analysis processes.

Makes all necessary efforts to accurately conceptualize stakeholder request(s) to provide data/information as needed.

Creates processes to collect, analyze, and disseminate data needed for state and federal reporting. Keeps abreast of reporting timetables and collects, analyzes, and reports data in a timely fashion.

Supports other policy- and behavioral health-related data requests, applying analytical and programming best practices to produce accurate and meaningful results.

Conducts research of queries and analytic tools to ensure the best application of available resources. Maintains a portfolio of programming logic and queries for future use and research.

Inputs documentation and detailed notes within queries to provide a thorough explanation of query purpose.

Conducts data validation to ensure results are accurate and consistent and that methodology aligns with standards and best practices. All reports are verified by senior staff before release.

Accesses and compiles publicly available health data and Medicaid claims data to define population needs and support IBH grant, behavioral health, and policy project goals.

Leads or supports other projects proactively or as assigned by Agency leadership.

Continuously engages in process improvement to support Agency, Division, and Bureau-wide strategies, objectives, and initiatives.

Collaborates with other policy team members in research, development, implementation, and evaluation activities for services, projects, and agency initiatives as assigned.

Performs other related duties as required.

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree and relevant program and data analytics experience.

Preferred: Degree in mathematics, epidemiology, economics, public health, computer science, health informatics, statistics, or related field. Knowledge of or experience with behavioral health and federal or state health data. Ability to present oral, written, and graphic reports in a clear and concise manner. Proficiency in Microsoft Office platforms.


Additional Requirements:

• Occasional overnight travel.
• Sitting or standing for long periods of time.
• Overtime and/or weekend work with Deputy approval.
• Lifting requirements: 20 lbs.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical skills including collecting, organizing, analyzing and disseminating data.
• Experience with management and analysis of complex, heterogeneous datasets (experience with healthcare, public health, population health datasets is preferred).
• Working knowledge of statistical software and strong experience with one or more coding languages for analyzing data sets (R, Python, SAS, SQL preferred).
• Strong proficiency in business intelligence tools (Excel, SQL, etc.) and/or data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, SAS Visual Analytics, or equivalent).
• Keen attention to detail, accuracy, and data integrity.
• Ability to create queries, write reports and present findings that are intelligible to multiple audiences across multiple professional disciplines.
• Understanding of quality improvement methodologies such as Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSAs), Lean Six Sigma, or other improvement frameworks.
• Ability to work with others to assess outcomes, identify trends, and measure success in quality improvement work, integrated service delivery systems, and value-based payment models.
• Ability to create, apply, and disseminate meaningful metrics and evaluation tools for elements of the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model.

Additional Information

Please complete the State application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted nor reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position. Supplemental questions are considered part of your official application for qualification purposes. All applicants must apply online. All correspondence from the Office of Human Resources will be through electronic mail.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including, but not limited, to lactation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.