Working Title: Research Scientist 2
Job Class: Research Scientist 2
Agency: Health Department
Job ID : 91447
Location : St. Paul
Telework Eligible : Yes
Full/Part Time : Full-Time
Regular/Temporary : Unlimited
Who May Apply : This vacancy is open for bids and for all qualified job seekers simultaneously. Bidders will be considered through 01/25/2026.
Date Posted : 01/19/2026
Closing Date : 02/02/2026
Hiring Agency : Minnesota Department of Health
Division/Unit : Health Systems / Health Policy
Work Shift/Work Hours : Day Shift / 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
Days of Work : Monday - Friday
Travel Required : No
Salary Range: $32.40 - $47.76 / hourly; $67,651 - $99,722 / annually
Classified Status : Classified
Bargaining Unit/Union : 214 - Minnesota Association of Professional Employees
FLSA Status : Exempt - Professional
Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities (https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/diverse-workforce/people-with-disabilities/connect700/) : Yes
The work you'll do is more than just a job.
At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.
This position exists to support and promote health services research in Health Economics Program (HEP) by administering the Minnesota All Payer Claims Database (MN APCD), Minnesota Hospital Discharge Database (MN HDD), and other administrative data collection and reporting activities. The focus of this position is on the collection and effective use of non-claims-based data collected in the MN APCD, leveraging expertise in eligibility data, medical claim, pharmacy claim, dental claim, and hospital discharge data. This position is responsible for ensuring data submissions are timely and complete by leading development and implementation of effective compliance, administrative, and governance practices. This position provides advanced database management and statistical assistance to researchers and user communities. The position develops complex data validation systems, descriptive statistics and quality metrics. This position develops comprehensive reference information and presentation materials showcasing HEP's data. The incumbent will participate in other projects as deemed necessary by the Supervisor of the Health Care Data Service Center.
Primary responsibilities include:
Lead and coordinate data management and compliance processes for the MN All Payer Claims Database, Minnesota Hospital Discharge Database, and other administrative data collected and maintained by the Health Economics Program.
Lead database capacity initiatives.
Provide data and information project support.
The telework policy exempts employees who live more than 50 miles from their primary work location from the 50% in-office requirement to help the State of Minnesota benefit from top talent in every corner of the state.
Minimum Qualifications
Two (2) year's experience in data science, analytics, interoperability, data equity, informatics, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and data strategy, data modernization, governance and research.
This experience must include each of the following:
Experience managing, cleaning, validating, and analyzing complex administrative or health care datasets (e.g., claims, eligibility, hospital discharge, or similar), including assessing data completeness, accuracy, and usability.
Experience performing quantitative or statistical analysis to support research, evaluation, or policy analysis, such as descriptive statistics, data quality metrics, or other applied analytical methods.
Experience using statistical or data analysis tools (such as SQL, SAS, Stata, R, Tableau, or similar) to extract, manipulate, analyze, and document large datasets.
Experience applying data governance, privacy, or security standards when managing data or producing analytical outputs, including review of results to reduce disclosure or re-identification risk.
A bachelor's degree may substitute for twelve (12) months of experience; and associate's degree may substitute for six (6) months of experience.
Minimum qualifications to be assessed during the interview:
Ability to verbally explain and defend analytical approaches, including how data quality issues are identified, evaluated, and mitigated when working with complex administrative or health care datasets.
Ability to exercise independent judgment in applying data governance, privacy, and disclosure-avoidance principles, including explaining decision-making related to data access, output review, or release of summary information.
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts and analytical findings clearly to non-technical audiences, including describing how analyses or data products inform program, research, or policy decisions.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with all-payer claims databases, hospital discharge data, or other large, multi-source administrative health datasets, including familiarity with eligibility, medical, pharmacy, dental, or provider data structures.
Experience developing or maintaining data quality frameworks, metadata, data dictionaries, or validation rules that support long-term data usability and reproducibility for research or policy analysis.
Experience supporting or collaborating with diverse data user communities (e.g., researchers, program staff, external partners, or policymakers), including providing technical consultation, training, or user documentation
Additional Requirements
This position requires successful completion of a background check and employment reference check.
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to all qualified applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability who needs assistance or cannot access the online job application system, please contact the job information line at 651-259-3637 or email careers@state.mn.us . Please indicate what assistance is needed.
