[Hiring] Epidemiology Strategist @Skylight

Role Description

At Skylight, epidemiologists play a critical role in improving the digital infrastructure that powers public health. In this role, you’ll work across teams to ensure the information systems we co-develop with our government partners are firmly grounded in applied public health practice.

• Work with a team at CDC that builds and maintains an integrated disease surveillance system used by state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments across the country.
• Modernize a cloud-based platform designed to improve scalability, security, and adaptability to evolving public health needs.
• Act as an internal epidemiology strategist, representing the day-to-day realities of epidemiologists and disease investigators in system design, development, and implementation decisions.
• Partner with CDC and STLT public health stakeholders to align system workflows and functionality with evolving public health policies, practices, and data requirements.
• Ensure the system supports real-world case investigation and surveillance workflows across a range of conditions and programs.
• Translate national public health standards into concrete guidance that can be implemented at the STLT level.
• Provide technical assistance to support surveillance, investigation, and analysis activities across the jurisdictions that use the system.
• Develop, test, and release standardized disease data collection forms aligned to CDC message mapping guides.
• Provide subject matter expertise on integrating core public health data streams, such as electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), electronic case reporting (eCR), vital records, and immunizations.
• Help the team decide which user needs and system issues to tackle first, and how to approach them iteratively using human-centered design.
• Advocate for STLT needs and priorities so that public health voices are represented at every level of the work.

Qualifications

• At least 5–7 years of experience in public health practice, including past employment at a state, tribal, local, or territorial health department.
• Experience using integrated disease surveillance systems and conducting case investigation workflows.
• Familiarity with public health data standards, including ELR, eCR, and HL7 message mapping guides.
• Comfort with ambiguity, iterative problem solving, and helping teams prioritize the most meaningful next step.
• Experience navigating and adapting to evolving public health policies, data requirements, and real-world constraints.
• Ability to work successfully within a professional services environment (e.g., can communicate effectively with clients).
• A passion for creating better public outcomes through great government services.
• Experience working on cross-functional teams (product, design, engineering, ops) in iterative delivery.
• A mindset and work approach that aligns with our core values.

Requirements

• MPH, MSPH, or PhD in epidemiology (nice-to-have).
• Experience configuring surveillance system features such as custom data-entry form builders and workflow decision-support rules (nice-to-have).
• Experience working on multidisciplinary teams involving public health, informatics, and software development (nice-to-have).
• Experience applying human-centered design principles to public health or health IT work (nice-to-have).
• A recognized reputation across the public health community for excellence in public health practice (nice-to-have).
• Prior experience working in the civic tech space (nice-to-have).
• Experience working in a remote team environment (nice-to-have).

Benefits

• Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Life and AD&D insurance.
• Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account.
• Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period.
• Flexible paid-time-off policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks paid-time-off for all eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents.
• Performance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options.
• Business development / sales bonuses.
• Referral bonuses.
• Annual $2,000 allowance for professional development.
• Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases.
• Annual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies, hats, and more).
• Flexible, remote-friendly work environment.
• An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good.