Medical Entomologist

Work for Indiana Begin a fulfilling career with the State of Indiana by joining one of the largest employers in the state, offering a range of opportunities across 60+ agencies. At the state, youll find competitive compensation, a robust benefits package and a commitment to work-life balance. Most importantly, youll have the chance to make a real and measurable impact on the lives of Hoosiers across Indiana. About the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH): The Indiana Department of Health's mission is to promote, protect, and improve the health and safety of all Hoosiers so that they can reach their optimal health regardless of where they live, learn, work, or play. Role Overview: The Medical Entomologist serves as a member of the medical entomology team in the Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Disease Program, which is part of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Division (ERC) at the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). The purpose of this position is to provide technical support to local health departments and conduct entomologic surveillance for vector-borne diseases in approximately 30 northern Indiana counties. This role also collaborates with professionals at educational institutions, other state agencies, and local health departments to solve problems due to adverse impacts of arthropods on vertebrate health and well-being. This remote position requires extensive travel and field work in the northern 3rd of Indiana. Salary: The salary for this position traditionally starts at $67,314.00 but may be commensurate with education and work experience. Use our Compensation Calculator to view the total compensation package. A Day in the Life: The essential functions of this role are as follows: • Maintain current subject matter knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of diseases and public health topics. • Provide epidemiologic consultation and technical assistance to local health departments, health care providers, the general public, and other partners with respect to diseases and public health topics. • Conduct routine epidemiologic surveillance for disease and public health topics. • Lead or coordinate epidemiologic investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of diseases or public health topics. • Design and conduct applied epidemiologic studies of diseases or public health topics. • Manage and analyze data collected through routine surveillance, public health investigations, and applied epidemiologic studies. • Prepare and disseminate written and oral reports and presentations that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners. • Conduct educational presentations and/or trainings for a variety of audiences, including local health departments, health care providers, veterinarians, and the general public. • Engage directly with members of the public at health fairs and other outreach events. • Participate in writing grants and other funding proposals. • Serve as a backup to other staff, as needed. • If applicable for program area, serve as the epidemiologist on call after business hours for approximately two to three weeks per year. • Recruit, select, onboard, and train employees to ensure role responsibilities and expectations are clearly understood while providing opportunities to continue professional development. • Set expectations, measure progress, provide ongoing feedback, and evaluate the performance of employees. Ensure work adheres to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures. • Essential functions of this position require travel on most workdays to inspect, audit, examine, survey, or investigate clients, customers, or other regulated entities and write reports at those sites or employee's home. Employee reports to the agency's office for occasional meetings or events. Number and timing of work hours may vary daily or weekly to accommodate operational needs and staffing concerns at the client's or customer's worksite, minimize expenditures for repeated visits to complete the work, and allocate resources to complete assigned work effectively. This position is exempt from overtime compensation for additional work hours which may be required to complete essential functions or other assigned work. Exempt employees may work more than 75 hours in a pay period without additional compensation and must report a minimum of 75 hours per pay period of work hours and/or paid leave taken to receive their base biweekly salary. The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice. What Youll Need for Success: Individuals in this role should minimally be able to articulate or demonstrate the following: • Current employee promotion requirement: Internal candidate should be a high-performing Epidemiologist 1 or other internal role based on demonstrated ability, competency attainment, and/or performance feedback. • Knowledge of the epidemiology and biology of diseases and public health topics. • Knowledge of state laws and regulations as well as federal public health guidance documents pertaining to diseases and public health topics. • Skill in identification of public health problems pertinent to Indiana residents. • Skill in conducting epidemiologic surveillance activities, including selection and use of appropriate field methods as well as use and evaluation of public health surveillance systems. • Skill in eliciting relevant information from patients in structured or unstructured telephone interviews. • Skill in conducting public health investigations of individual cases and/or outbreaks of diseases or public health topics. • Skill in designing descriptive and analytical epidemiologic investigations, including hypothesis generation. • Skill in managing large datasets, performing complex data analyses, and identifying key findings. • Skill in recommending evidence-based interventions and control measures in response to epidemiologic findings. • Skill in preparing written and oral reports, presentations, and educational materials that communicate necessary information to internal and external partners. • Skill in applying principles of informatics, including data collection, processing, and analysis, in support of epidemiologic practice. • Demonstrated skill in statistical, analytical, and/or geospatial software (e.g., EpiInfo, SAS, ArcGIS, SQL, SPSS, R, Python, Stata, etc.). • Ability to identify appropriate laboratory resources and use them appropriately. • Ability to provide prompt, courteous, and helpful customer service. • Ability to collaborate with others inside and outside the agency to identify public health problems and form recommendations. • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, using principles of risk communication where appropriate. • Ability to prioritize tasks efficiently to meet internal and external deadlines. • Ability to appropriately document work activities and maintain organized records. A degree is not required. However, at least 10+ years of public health experience applying the outlined knowledge, skills, and abilities in a similar role may be considered. Completion of relevant education degree(s) may substitute for equivalent years of experience. Individuals should have the ability to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports: This role may serve as a team lead for an assigned work group. Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana: The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefit package for full-time employees which includes: • Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) as well as vision and dental plans • Wellness Rewards Program: Complete wellness activities to earn gift card rewards • Health savings account, which includes bi-weekly state contribution • Deferred compensation 457(b) account (similar to 401(k) plan) with employer match • Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options • A robust, comprehensive program of leave policies covering a variety of employee needs, including but not limited to: • 150 hours of paid New Parent Leave and up to eight weeks of paid Childbirth Recovery Leave for eligible mothers • Up to 15 hours of paid community service leave • Combined 180 hours of paid vacation, personal, and sick leave time off • 12 paid holidays, 14 on election years • Education Reimbursement Program • Group life insurance • Referral Bonus program • Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits • Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program • Free Parking for most positions • Free LinkedIn Learning access Equal Employment Opportunity: The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to recruiting, selecting, developing, and promoting employees based on individual ability and job performance. Reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to complete the application and interview process as well as perform the essential functions of a role. If you require reasonable accommodations to complete this application, you can request assistance by contacting the Indiana State Personnel Department at [email protected]. Remote Skills: Analysis Skills, Biology, Calculators, Communication Skills, Customer Support/Service, Data Analysis, Data Collection, Data Management, Data Sets, Dental Insurance, Disease, Disease Investigation, Disease Prevention and Control, Entomology, Epidemiology, Establish Priorities, Funding, Grant Writing, Health Department, Health Plan, Healthcare Providers, Identify Issues, Infectious Diseases, Informatics, Interviewing Skills, On Call, Organizational Skills, Prescription Drugs, Presentation/Verbal Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Public Health, Quality Metrics, Record Keeping, Reimbursement, Reporting Skills, Resource Management, Retirement Plan, Risk, Staff Training, Surveillance, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Technical Support, Time Management, Training/Teaching, Veterinary Medicine, Vision Plan, Willing to Travel, Writing Skills About the Company: State of Indiana A State of Opportunities! Indiana State Government is a goal driven, performance oriented, customer focused workforce. If you are looking to advance your career in a dynamic and energized environment, then we welcome you to explore opportunities within state employment. In joining our workforce, you will gain a rewarding experience working on behalf of Hoosiers to build a better Indiana. No other organization can offer the diversity of careers, the upward mobility or the ability to change disciplines like the State of Indiana. Plus you'll find that enhancing your job description is something that is actually encouraged throughout the organization. Indiana State Government has more than 70 state agencies and approximately 31,000 Full-Time Employees located throughout the state. Within our agencies we are proud to offer a diverse workforce and a variety of job categories that include: Architecture & Engineering, Clerical & Office Support, Education, Training & Library Science, Executive, Health Care, Human & Social Services, Information Technology, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, Legal, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Environmental & Natural Resources, Animal Health, Maintenance Trades, Biologic & Scientific, Transportation, Food Service, Administrative & Managerial. To search for your next career opportunity with Indiana State Government, please visit our website at www.in.gov/spd. • Apply to jobs 24-7. • Jobs openings are posted to the state job bank on a daily basis. • Create your own profile and submit an application to multiple jobs at once. • Edit/update your information as often as you like • Your profile will now be searchable by hiring managers. • Use job search agents to aid in your job search. Company Size: 10,000 employees or more Industry: Government and Military Founded: 0 Website: http://www.in.gov/spd