Director, Methods & Modernization Unit, Bureau of Vital Statistics

Director, Methods & Modernization Unit, Bureau of Vital Statistics

The Bureau of Vital Statistics is responsible for registering and certifying all birth, death, spontaneous and induced terminations of pregnancy in NYC and for issuing, analyzing and reporting on 285,000 vital events each year. It provides death‑certification services on a 24/7 basis, issues more than 900,000 certified copies of birth and death records, and fulfills hundreds of data requests annually.

• Lead the development and application of predictive modeling for mortality rates, life expectancy, and related population health outcomes.
• Design and implement anomaly detection and early‑warning systems to identify unexpected patterns by cause, geography, or demographics.
• Advance geospatial analytic methods to support neighborhood‑level surveillance and equity‑focused analysis.

• Lead and contribute to applied public health research using vital statistics data.
• Translate methodological advances into analytic products that inform policy, planning, and public communication.
• Serve as a senior scientific authority on vital statistics methods within the agency.

• Develop and apply identity‑risk analytics to assess and mitigate risks associated with linkage, disclosure, and reuse of vital records data.
• Advance privacy‑preserving analytic methods that balance data utility with confidentiality protections.
• Partner with governance, legal, and systems teams to embed privacy‑by‑design into analytic workflows.

• Lead methodological modernization related to ICD‑10 coding, cause‑of‑death classification, and nosology.
• Ensure analytic methods remain aligned with national and international standards while meeting NYC‑specific needs.

• Guide integration of advanced analytic methods with the cloud‑based Enterprise Data Platform and other next‑generation data and interoperability standards.
• Partner with systems and data engineering teams to ensure analytic requirements are translated into scalable, sustainable infrastructure.

• Supervise and mentor research scientists, analysts, and methodologists within the unit.
• Build analytic bench strength through coaching, review, and embedded skill development.
• Foster collaboration with other BVS units and offices to support routine operations and modernization goals.

• Advanced expertise in statistical modeling, epidemiology, biostatistics, or demography.
• Experience developing or applying privacy‑preserving or risk‑aware analytic methods.
• Strong understanding of geospatial analysis and early‑warning systems.
• Familiarity with ICD‑10, nosology, or cause‑of‑death classification.
• Experience integrating analytic methods with modern data platforms.
• Proficiency in statistical programming languages (SAS, R, Python, SQL).
• Experience working in government or other highly regulated data environments.

• A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental science or public health.
• Or a doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field and one year of full‑time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity.
• Or a master's degree with three years of responsible full‑time research experience.
• All candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field and at least two years of experience described above; two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in the preceding bullet points.

Probationary period: one year. Residency requirement: NYC residency within 90 days of appointment, with certain extensions for employees who have worked for the City for two continuous years.

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation, contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.