Job Description & Duties

As a Senior Data Scientist with the Advanced Analytics and Evaluation team, you will provide innovative analytic and data science support for client facing projects across the State of California. You will serve as the senior data scientist on a wide variety of data science projects from across the state. You will serve as a key advisor on exploratory, statistical, and predictive analytics to inform data-driven decisions.

You will help evaluate and decide on the best approach for projects from both an ethical lens, as well as statistical lens. You will help advise teams across the state on responsible, effective, and ethical data science practices.

You will collaborate with the team's data engineers, data analysts, and other subject matter experts on the projects. CalData works across all departments in the state, with data that reaches all Californians. You will find the problems and challenges we engage with need the heart as much as the mind.

About you. You are an experienced data scientist who wants to create impact at scale. The following bullet points describe you:

• You are a responsible, thoughtful, and rigorous user of advanced statistical techniques
• You know from experience that modeling is one of many steps to drive data driven decisions making
• You want to bring the right approach to solve the client's problem
• You avoid needless statistical complexity
• You are eager to consult, brainstorm, and advise other data teams
• You enjoy abstracting your approaches and helping to build capacity across multiple teams
• You enjoy the process of communicating and collaborating with both technical clients and non-technical clients to truly understand a problem and its data
• You have an eye for sustainability and take great joy in improving data science practices at scale
• You demonstrate an understanding of how to promote equity by addressing bias in data and analytics
• You are curious and take a proactive approach to learning new tools, techniques, and methodologies

About CalData division. CalData is led by the State’s Chief Data Officer. The division empowers state government to use data responsibly and effectively to improve outcomes for all Californians. We help departments unlock the full value of their data through collaboration, modern tools, and shared practices that support equity, transparency, and better decision-making. Read more about California’s Data Strategy at https://innovation.ca.gov/who-we-are/caldata/.

This position provides telework opportunities in accordance with agency telework policies. ODI is currently operating in a hybrid work environment with staff reporting to the office 2 days a week to either Sacramento HQ or our Oakland Hub. Effective July 1, 2025, all agency employees will be required to report to the office 4 days a week.

Need help understanding the hiring process or have questions about ODI? We'd love to talk to you! Before applying, read through our step by step instructions to apply.

A resume and cover letter are required to be eligible for consideration. Please be sure to review the desirable qualifications and duty statement so you can address how you qualify for the role in your cover letter.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Desirable Qualifications

We encourage applications regardless of whether you think you meet 100% of these skills below.

• Personal Skills
  • Enjoys collaborative processes and developing a shared understanding of topics
  • Ability to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences
  • Investigative ability and intellectual curiosity
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to learn and embrace new technologies
  • Demonstrated ability working with diverse groups of stakeholders
  • Comfort with risk and trying new things
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a small team
  • Commitment to equity and the use of data to meet the needs of all Californians
• Technical/knowledge skills
  • Minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience in mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, machine learning, AB testing, or data science in an applied context using statistical programming languages, SQL, and other scripting and statistical tools
  • Proficiency in data visualization and data communication best practices
  • Substantial experience in Python and/or R
  • Fluency in SQL
  • Strong proficiency in the mathematical and statistical concepts and theories needed to be able to ethically execute known methods and to research, evaluate, and adopt new methods.
  • Broad experience with and knowledge about a range of statistical methods and tools, including predictive and inferential statistics as well as experimental design
  • Experience with data cleansing, processing, and wrangling and creating data pipelines using tools such as python, ETL tools or the language of your choice
  • Experience conducting data analysis on a variety of datasets and issue areas and presenting and communicating the results of the analysis to a range of audiences
  • Experience considering the impacts of analytic work on multiple communities, including communities of color, in technical analysis.
• Desirable qualifications
  • Experience defining requirements and advising on data infrastructure requirements to support data science function
  • Experience planning and managing multiple analytical projects independently, including working with clients
  • Experience delivering projects across multiple data & subject domains
  • Experience with operations management and analysis
  • Experience with one or more data visualization tools
  • Experience with modern web-based data visualization using libraries like D3, jQuery or similar
  • Experience conducting geospatial analysis
  • Experience tailoring machine learning solutions to solve problems and/or generate new insights
  • Experience advising other data teams on leading practices and approaches
  • Experience experimenting with generative AI models and a keen interest in exploring their potential applications within the public sector, while maintaining a focus on ethical considerations and responsible implementation