Senior Data Scientist

PROJECT POLICY ANL 3 (007398)

UCPath Position ID: 40082290

Position Description History/Status

For Reference ONLY - PeopleAdmin JA Number:

1137415

Approved Date:

3/14/2025 2:17:38 PM

Date Last Edited:

3/14/2025 2:17:35 PM

Last Action Effective Date:

1/3/2023

Organization Details

Business Unit (Location):

LACMP

Organization Code:

1140O

Organization:

SCHOOL OF LAW

Division Code:

1141D

Division:

LAW DIV

Department:

025000 - LAW

Position Details

UCPath Position Number:

40082290

Position Description ID

167562

UC Payroll Title:

PROJECT POLICY ANL 3 (007398)

Business Title:

Senior Data Scientist

Personnel Program

Professional and Support Staff (PSS)

Salary Grade:

Grade 21

Job Code FLSA:

Exempt

Union Code (Collective Bargaining Unit):

99: Non-Represented (PPSM)

Employee Relations Code:

E: All Others - Not Confidential

Employee Class (Appt Type):

1 - Staff: Contract

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

1

SUPERVISION

UCPath Reports to Position Number:

40043435

Reports to Payroll Title:

PROF-AY-LAW

UCPath Department Head Position Number:

40040696

Department Head Payroll Title:

DEAN

GENERAL SUPERVISION - Indicates that the incumbent develops procedures for performance of variety of duties; or performs complex duties within established policy guidelines.

7397

PROJECT POLICY ANL 2

1

POSITION SUMMARY

Now with a new two-year funding commitment to begin in spring 2025, the Project will expand our work beyond carceral mortality to also include investigation of key carceral morbidity metrics. Going forward, our primary agenda will include national- and state-level demography of mortality in carceral settings, developing the first comprehensive, multi-state repository of the causes of death in prisons based on ICD-10 codes, and scoping the possibilities for collecting data on key morbidity metrics to inform an enhanced carceral mortality and morbidity program. Where possible, we also aim to analyze the data we collect and to make our findings accessible to a broad array of interested users, from public health scholars to causal researchers to members of the general public.

We are a small team, and work collaboratively, although our Project is entirely remote. The work we produce is intended for both technical and broader public audiences. Examples include:

● A nationwide database of deaths in custody, housed on GitHub

● Published research in public health journals (e.g., JAMA, AJPM, Health Affairs)

● Blog posts and white papers on data trends, policies, and current events

● Social media posts drawing attention to urgent issues

● Testimony and other advocacy for local, state, and federal policymakers

While the Senior Data Scientist (Supervisor) will learn from the Project's previous iterations, the new carceral mortality and morbidity agenda will be a significant expansion for the team. As such, in addition to being a core member of our Data Team performing a proportionate share of the Data Team's work, the Senior Data Scientist (Supervisor) will be responsible for crafting new data project plans and methodological approaches, strategizing incorporation of outside datasets, and managing the data team along with internal collaborations to maximize impact on policy and practice. They will also articulate, in consultation with the Project's Faculty Directors, a strategic vision for the expanded collection, processing and analysis of carceral morbidity data. The Senior Data Scientist (Supervisor) will supervise the team's Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Senior Research Scientist, and several student research assistants.

American prisons are deadly but opaque places. In 2019, the federal entity charged with collecting and reporting carceral mortality data stopped performing these critical functions. This abdication left the public without access to even the most basic facts about life and death behind bars, including how many people die each year in state and federal prisons; who is dying in prison, and why; and what disparities—racial, gender, and geographical—exist in mortality outcomes. This informational void makes it difficult if not impossible for policymakers and other stakeholders to identify what actions carceral agencies can take to reduce preventable deaths and improve conditions inside. It also makes it hard for members of the public to see the contours and impacts of the carceral penalties imposed on people convicted of crimes.  The UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project's carceral mortality database is the only comprehensive, public accounting of the most basic fact about mortality behind bars: how many people died across state and federal prisons in recent years.

The Project obtains and cleans data from public records requests, death certificates, and other data sources; compiles and publishes the data, and employs established data protocols and research methodologies to understand its implications. In addition, the Project collaborates with advocates, reporters, researchers, litigators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to make sure that data is available, intelligible, and usable for their purposes.

Research and Statistical Analysis

1. Leading Project’s data analysis and dissemination efforts, in collaboration with Project’s Faculty Directors, which may include both academic writing as well as writing for a more general audience. This includes presentations, manuscripts, and other co-writing for multiple audiences including the public at large, journalists, legislators, litigators, advocates, and funders.. (E)  2. Conduct short-term analyses for organizational partners to provide support for shared priorities. (E)  4. Be an active member of the larger prison conditions research community, including a new, national convening on carceral death data.(E) 5. Analyzing and communicating findings from data & statistical analyses to various audiences (public, journalists, legislators, litigators, advocates and funders). (E)

65%

Data Management

1. Develop and review reproducible code to integrate and standardize disparate datasets. (E)  2. Support web development contractor's creation of interactive webpages to allow the public to easily understand and manipulate data. (E) 3. Managing development and maintenance of data pipelines that scrape and compile data from a range of sources using R. (E) 4. Ensuring the quality of data for all presentations, including to the Project’s Advisory Board. (E)

20%

Project Management

1. Collaborate with the Project Director and Data Scientist on advisory committee and development of meeting agendas. (E)  2. Be responsible for new project plans, methodological strategies, outreach to other researchers, incorporation of outside datasets, and internal collaborations to maximize impact on policy and practice. (E)  3. Partnering with nontechnical stakeholders to set data objectives and develop detailed project execution plans. (E)

15%

•

Performs other duties as assigned.

•

Complies with all policies and standards.

•

Complies with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Principles of Community.

•

This position description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

Master's Degree

in Data science, quantitative social science, or related field OR 5+ years working experience as a data or research scientist or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required

Substantial research experience.

Required

Prior building or maintaining productionized ETL pipelines in R or Python.

Preferred

Experience planning and executing quantitative research including data collection, cleaning, analysis, and publication

Required

Experience working with datasets that include missing, unstructured, and/or incorrect data.

Required

Experience establishing relationships and working with diverse collaborators (e.g., local advocates, government officials, and journalists) with varying levels of technical literacy.

Required

Strong organizational skills for project planning, data collection procedures, and complex research activities.

Required

Experience with public record requests and creating impactful data visualizations for social media and news reports.

Preferred

Proficiency using R or another programming language to manipulate data and draw insights from large, complex datasets.

Required

Strong writing skills, including experience with peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Required

Experience using git/GitHub to track tasks and data acquisition processes, and regularly update data on GitHub.

Required

Experience creating impactful data visualizations for social media and reports.

Preferred

Experience developing open-source datasets and GIS platforms.

Preferred

Experience planning and executing quantitative data projects including collection, cleaning, analysis, and archiving.

Preferred

Experience supervising similarly sized data teams and working with diverse collaborators with varying levels of data literacy.

Required

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.

Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.

Age Requirement: Candidate(s) must be 18 years or older to be eligible to be hired.

Compassion, empathy, and a sense of humor.

Required

Lived experience with and/or knowledge of the criminal legal system.

Preferred

Experience working with remote teams.

Preferred

Ability to prioritize and effectively manage a workload with multiple deadlines.

Required

Familiarity or interest in working with public health and/or criminal justice data.

Required

Outstanding leadership, judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to foster a collaborative remote working environment.

Required

LOCATION AND PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, MENTAL (PEM) REQUIREMENTS

Environment and Work Location Information

Environment Type:

Non-Clinical Setting

Location Setting:

Other University Setting(s)

Location:

Remote

Standing/Walking

X

Sitting

X

X

Bending/Stooping

X

Squatting/Kneeling

X

Climbing

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 0-25 lbs

X

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 26-50 lbs

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull over 50 lbs

X

Physical requirements other

X

Chemicals, dust, gases, or fumes

X

Loud noise levels

X

Marked changes in humidity or temperature

X

Microwave/Radiation

X

Operating motor vehicles and/or equipment

X

Exposures other

X

Sustained attention and concentration

X

X

Complex problem solving/reasoning

X

X

Ability to organize & prioritize

X

X

Communication skills

X

X

Numerical skills

X

X

Mental demands other

X

X

Classification 3:  Position in which exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues is not part of the position description. The normal routine task involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues and the employee can decline to perform tasks which involve a perceived risk without retribution.