Data Confidentiality and Privacy Architect

With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team. 

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant, but work will be supervised by DOHMH.  

Program Description: 

The Center for Population Health Data Science (CPHDS)- launched in October of 2023- aims to catalyze critical data modernization work and enable the agency to make progress toward linking public health, healthcare, and social service for timely and effective public action. We are working towards making these data more accessible, timely, equitable, meaningfully usable, and protected – and actively used to protect and promote the health and well-being of New Yorkers. We aim to strengthen agency-wide data capabilities by empowering our workforce, enhancing intra- and inter-agency data sharing, and using modern technology to yield trusted and integrated data and insights. A real-time and comprehensive view of city needs is needed to enhance public health actions and improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.  This position will be based at the Health Department’s office in Long Island City, NY, with the possibility of hybrid work.  

• In the context of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s data, develop and implement privacy-by-design processes to maintain the confidentiality of line-listed and tabular data while maximizing the utility of the data. These processes include risk assessment, risk mitigation, and utility assessment on agency datasets, systems, and processes., systems, and processes.
• Advance efforts working towards/implementing FAIR data principles, NIST standards, Safe Harbor standards, and others in alignment with agency and City policies.
• Understand and operationalize confidentiality regulations and policies while implementing Data Risk Management processes on confidential datasets.
• Identify, assess, and make recommendations for Data Risk Management techniques on confidential agency datasets, including differential privacy 
• Collaborate with agency data stewards, analysts and stakeholders of confidential datasets to provide a comprehensive understanding of needed or required Data Risk Management
• Optimize Data Risk Management workflows
• Research and maintain working knowledge of current and evolving risk mitigation methods to preserve privacy (e.g., generating and evaluating synthetic data) as applied to clinical and public health data
• Implement privacy-preserving methods in health records that are maintained in electronic health records and other formats
• Document methods and engineering processes implemented to support Data Risk Management
• Develop compliance standards and monitoring processes for data governance requirements by users of agency data assets
• Interpret federal, state, and local data privacy, security, and confidentiality requirements and translate them into clear implementation specifications for data architects, engineers, and governance teams.
• Communicate policy requirements and governance standards to technical teams and translate technical limitations, risks, and tradeoffs to policy and leadership stakeholders to inform and influence system design and data use decisions.

• Master’s degree or higher in Data Science, Statistics, Epidemiology, or related field
• Background and experience with Data Risk Management methods
• Experience with clinical and public health data governance and data protection regulations
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Flexibility to adapt to evolving project requirements and priorities
• Advanced knowledge and experience in data wrangling
• Understanding of data governance as a matter of compliance with Federal, NYS, and local laws, regulations and policies
• Knowledge of public health research and operations, including health equity
• Ability to document and communicate complex technical knowledge in language that can be understood by all levels of staff
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills; collegial; energetic; and able to develop productive relationships with colleagues
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Prior experience in Data Risk Management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

• Hybrid Work Schedule. 
• Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays. 
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision. 
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Commuter Benefits. 
• Company Paid Life Insurance and Disability Coverage. 
• 403 (b) + employer matching and discretionary company contributions. 
• College Savings Plan. 
• Ongoing training and continuous opportunities for professional growth and development.

• High fluency and advanced experience in programming languages such as Python, SAS, SQL and R
• Professional certifications in data science, machine learning, or public health analytics
• Expertise in fraud prevention strategies.
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience
• Experience with statistical approaches to de-identifying data, including use of synthetic data

Additional Information 

• This is a temporary grant-funded position ending November 2027. 
• Preference may be given to individuals residing in New York City (5 boroughs) or surrounding New York State counties. 
• This individual will be required to reside in the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, and/or Connecticut) 
• This individual will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies.  

At PHS, we place immense value on diversity within our teams, understanding that varied backgrounds and experiences significantly enhance our community and propel us toward our goals. If you find you don’t have experience in all the areas listed above, we still encourage you to apply and share your background and experiences in your application. We are eager to discover how your unique perspective can bring positive transformations to our team and help advance our mission of creating healthier, more equitable communities.   

We look forward to learning more about you! 

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and veterans.