With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation. As the largest employer in Southern California, over 112,000 employees in more than 36 departments provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities and many more.

We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee. With more than 2,300 different job descriptions, the County offers a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the nation. Join us and discover a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans, and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate in order to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.

What does a Data Scientist do?
The Data Scientist under general supervision, will develop and apply methods to identify, collect, process, organize, and analyze structured and unstructured data using statistical prediction, inference, and optimization; effectively communicate results to County, departmental, and divisional decision makers to support data-driven program design and management.

Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits! CLICK HERE to see a list of employee benefits!

Essential Job Functions

• Collaborates with division, department, and countywide stakeholders to solicit, define, and manage data science projects from conception through implementation, including identifying and developing statements of business problems; conducting exploratory data analysis and data mining; developing model specification requirements; and conducting advanced statistical analyses.
• Develops and presents visualizations of findings and recommendations that can be used to support business decisions and allocate resources.
• Works with departmental stakeholders to document business requirements and helps frame business problems so that appropriate corresponding data science techniques can be identified and applied.
• Collaborates with department subject matter experts to understand, identify, and select available and relevant sources of data for use cases, including internal, external, structured, and unstructured data sources.
• Works with departmental Information Technology organization to support collection, integration, and retention requirements for large sets of structured and unstructured data from various sources and consults with data engineers and architects on the design and architecture of relevant data systems and processes.
• Collaborates with other Data Scientists, Analysts, and IT staff to select, evaluate, improve, and document tools and systems in order to strengthen divisional and departmental analytic capacity.
• Independently conducts advanced analytical studies for the resolution of business problems and transfigures data into critical information by selecting and deploying appropriate advanced statistical techniques such as machine learning, bivariate and multivariate analyses, predictive/prescriptive analytics, and optimization.
• Uses statistical computer scripting, domain-specific, and programming languages and other software and tools to digest, manipulate, prepare, augment, evaluate, analyze, summarize, and visualize data.
• Plans, designs, and manages experiments, consumer surveys, and other data collection projects to augment existing sources of data as necessary to solve business problems.
• Reviews the work of Predictive Data Analysts and other lower-level analysts assigned to project for quality-control purposes.
• Conveys findings and conclusions of work orally, in writing, visually, in presentations, and by developing interactive tools as appropriate to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences, including technical and nontechnical staff, stakeholders, and members of the public.
• Works with program staff to understand the implications of analyses and to ensure that findings are actionable and support data-driven program, policy, and operational decision-making.
• Assists in implementing recommended business process changes in ways that both retain fidelity to best practices identified through the analysis and recognize the operational realities underlying existing business processes.
• Works with functional teams to develop and implement products, services, and tools, such as dashboards and reports, emerging from the analysis. Contributes to advanced analytic products (e.g., Recommender Engines, Auto Classification algorithms, Predictive Scoring, geo-spatial clustering, NLP classifier, etc.) and helps place them in production.
• Recommends ongoing improvements to methods and algorithms that lead to findings, including new information.
• Provides business metrics for departmental projects to show improvements both initially and over multiple iterations. Provides ongoing tracking and monitoring of performance of decision systems and statistical models and troubleshoots and implements enhancements and fixes to systems as needed.
• Accesses ongoing training and professional development to maintain familiarity with current industry and academic research to apply the latest and most useful statistical learning techniques to help extract pattern and trends from data.
• Develops relationships with local academic data science programs to foster recruitment of data science interns and is responsible for overseeing their work on departmental data science projects.

Requirements

WITHHOLD INFORMATION:
NO WITHHOLDS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR THIS EXAMINATION. REQUIRED EXPERIENCE MUST BE FULLY MET AND INDICATED ON THE APPLICATION BY THE LAST DAY OF FILLING.

ENDORSEMENT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY QUALIFICATIONS:
County employees who wish to meet the requirements using out-of-class experience must provide official documentation such as additional responsibility bonus, out-of-class bonus, temporary assignment bonus, or reclassification study from CEO Classification with your application at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days from application submission. Out-of-class duties should be accurately described in the application work history, and questionable experience will be verified through the departmental HR Manager when necessary.

LICENSE:

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class II – Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

Additional Information

OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS:
This assessment will consist of two (2) parts:

PART I: Multiple Choice and/or Simulation Assessments weighted at 50% assessing:

• Deductive Reasoning
• Professional Potential
• Achievement
• Working Relationships
• Analyzing Information
• Learning Quickly
• Generating New Ideas
• Using Time Efficiently
• Working to High Quality Standards
• Adapting to Change
• Coping with Uncertainty
• Willingness to Learn
• Responsibility

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on Part I to proceed to Part II of this examination.

PART II: Multiple Choice and/or Simulation Assessments weighted at 50% assessing:

• Data Science including: Probability and Statistics, Machine Learning Algorithms and Implementation, and Setting Up Machine Learning Experiments

MULTIPLE-CHOICE AND/OR SIMULATION ASSESSMENT(S) ARE NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON EACH WEIGHTED PART OF THE EXAMINATION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST.

Scores cannot be given over the telephone.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
You will move through the Assessment Process and if you pass, we will place your results on a list. The list of everyone who passed is valid for twelve (12) months.

TRANSFER OF TEST COMPONENTS:

• Applicants who have taken identical components recently for other exams may have their responses automatically transferred to this examination.
• This examination contains test components that may be used in the future for new examinations and your test responses may be transferred.

Please note: All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. DO NOT select "off" under Email Preferences within your profile or click "unsubscribe" on our notices if you would like the County of Los Angeles to notify you regarding your application status, test schedules, and other important information pertaining to your candidacy for this position.

Please add the below email addresses to your email address book and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

• ecervantes@hr.lacounty.gov
• info@governmentjobs.com
• talentcentral@shl.com
• noreply@proctoru.com
• donot-reply@amcatmail.com

TEST PREPARATION:
Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides will help you prepare for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.

• An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at http://hr.lacounty.gov/. Please click on "Find A Job" and then "Job Search Toolkit." Test preparation information is located under the "Employment Test Assistance" section.
• Additional online practice tests are available at https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practice-tests.

VACANCY INFORMATION:
The resulting eligible list will be used to fill vacancies in the District Attorney's Office throughout Los Angeles County.

AVAILABLE SHIFT: Any

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
Applications must be filed online only. We must receive your application before 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will not be accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the November 7, 2024 BEFORE 5:00 p.m. (PT) deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you have already have a job seeker account on governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Requirements to Qualify as listed on this job posting. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

IMPORTANT: Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to verification at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment. Utilizing verbiage from the Class Specification and Minimum requirements serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and you may be disqualified.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
Testing Accommodations Email: Testing Accommodations@hr.lacounty.gov
Teletype Phone: (800) 735-2929
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Department Contact Name: Elia Cervantes
Department Contact Phone: (213) 738-2037
Department Contact Email: ecervantes@hr.lacounty.gov
Exam Number: A1763A-R

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Employment Information
Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.
Your Responsibilities:
1. Completing Your Application:
a. Before submission of the application, it is your responsibility to ensure that all information provided is correct and complete on the application. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted.
b. List each payroll title separately for each job. Do not group your experience. Specify the beginning and ending dates for each job. If you are a Los Angeles County employee and have held multiple positions, do NOT list all of your time with the County under your present payroll title.
c. Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
d. To receive credit, include required documents (e.g., copy of your diploma, transcript, certificate, or license) as directed on the job posting. International degrees in a foreign language must be translated to English and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. Refer to the job posting for specific deadlines for supporting documentation.
2. Requirements on Job Posting:
a. Your application will only be accepted if it clearly shows you meet the requirements. The information you give will determine your eligibility and is subject to verification at any time.
b. You must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment unless other age limits are stated on the job posting. The Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of age for any individual age 40 or older.
c. Experience is evaluated on the basis of a verifiable 40- hour week, unless specified otherwise. Prorated part-time experience may be acceptable.
3. Application Deadline: All job applications must be completed and submitted before the closing time on the last day of the filing period as indicated on the job posting unless other instructions are provided. Job postings with an open continuous filing period are subject to closure without prior notice. It is to your advantage to file your application early and not wait until the last allowable date and time as you will not be able to apply once the filing period has closed.
4. Change of Name or Address: To change personal information such as your name or address, log into your profile on www.governmentjobs.com and make the necessary change. This can be done at any time.
5. Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy:
a. It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. b. If you are an individual requesting reasonable accommodation(s) in the examination process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. The provision of accommodation(s) may be subject to verification, consistent with state and federal law. All accommodation-related information will remain confidential.
Disclaimer: The County of Los Angeles is not responsible or in any way liable for any computer hardware or software malfunction that may affect the employment application or the application selection process.
You assume all responsibility and risk for the use of this system and the Internet generally. This system and the information provided on it are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. No advice or information given by the County of Los Angeles or its respective employees shall modify the foregoing or create any warranty.
The County of Los Angeles expressly disclaims any warranty that the information on this system or on the Internet generally will be uninterruptible or error free or that any information, software or other material accessible from the system is free of viruses or other harmful components. You shall have no recourse against the County of Los Angeles as the system provider for any alleged or actual infringement of any proprietary rights a user may have in anything posted or retrieved on our system.
The County of Los Angeles shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the use of this system or with the delay or inability to use it (or any linked sites), or for any information obtained through this system, or otherwise arising out of the use of this system, the Internet generally or on any other basis.
NOTE: Your application is submitted using Secure Encryption to ensure the privacy of all information you transmit over the Internet.
By accepting the Use Disclaimer set forth herein, you agree to all of the above terms and further agree to use this Online Job Employment Application System only for the submission of bona fide employment applications to the County of Los Angeles. Any other use of this Online Job Employment Application System, including without limitation any copying, downloading, translating, decompiling, or reverse engineering of the system, data, or related software, shall be a violation of the Use Disclaimer.
Test Preparation: Study Guides and other resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. An interactive system for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at https://hr.lacounty.gov/. Additional resources may be listed on the job posting.
Veteran’s Credit: In all open competitive examinations, a veteran’s credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examinations will be added to the final passing grade of an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under any of the following conditions: During a declared war; -or- During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; -or- During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on August 31, 2010 the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom; -or- In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal or expeditionary medal has been authorized and awarded. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti qualifies for credit.
A campaign medal holder or Gulf War veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980 (or began active duty on or after October 14, 1982, and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty) must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty.
This also applies to the spouse of such person who, while engaged in such service was wounded, disabled or crippled and thereby permanently prevented from engaging in any remunerative occupation, and also to the widow or widower of any such person who died or was killed while in such service. A DD214, Certificate of Discharge or Separation from Active Duty, or other official documents issued by the branch of service are required as verification of eligibility for Veterans preference. Applicants must submit the documentation for each open competitive exam to qualify for veteran’s credit. More information available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide-for-hr-professionals/
Accreditation Information: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies that are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). More information is available at: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf (Download PDF reader) and http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205105_PPG_123_AC E_Resource_Guide.pdf (Download PDF reader)
Background Check: The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.
Career Planning: Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career Path Finder application at https://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov/#/.
Benefit Information: Depending on the position, the successful candidate will enroll in a contributory defined benefit pension plan if the candidate is a “new member” of the County’s defined benefit plan (LACERA) on or after January 1, 2013 (first employed by the County on or after December 1, 2012) – unless she or he established reciprocity with another public retirement system in which she or he was a member before January 1, 2013. It should be noted that County employees do not pay into Social Security, but do pay the Medical Hospital Insurance Tax portion of Social Security at a rate of 1.45%. The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) has reciprocal agreements with several public retirement systems in California.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: All positions are open to qualified men and women. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons with disabilities who believe they need reasonable accommodation, or help in order to apply for a position, may contact the ADA/Personnel Services for Disabled Persons Coordinator. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. The County will attempt to meet reasonable accommodation requests whenever possible.
Equal Employment Opportunity: It is the policy of the County of Los Angeles to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. All positions are open to qualified men and women pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The County will comply with all of its obligations under State and Federal laws regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations to applicants.
Los Angeles County Child Support Compliance Program: In an effort to improve compliance with court ordered child, family and spousal support obligations, certain employment and identification information (i.e., name, address, Social Security number and date of hire) is regularly reported to the State Directory of New Hires which may assist in locating persons who owe these obligations. Family Code Section 17512 permits under certain circumstances for additional employment and identifying information to be requested. Applicants will not be disqualified from employment based on this information.
Social Security Act of 2004: Section 419 (c) of Public Law 108-203, the Social Security Protection Act of 2004, requires State and local government employers to disclose the effect of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset Provision to employees hired on or after January 1, 2005, in jobs not covered by Social Security. The County of Los Angeles does not participate in the Social Security System. All newly hired County of Los Angeles employees must sign a statement (Form SSA-1945) prior to the start of employment indicating that they are aware of a possible reduction in their future Social Security benefit entitlement. For more information on Social Security and about each provision, you may visit the website www.socialsecurity.gov, or call toll free 1-800-772- 1213. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the TTY number 1-800-325-0778 or contact a local Social Security office.
Employment Eligibility Information: Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States. Immigration law provides that all persons hired after November 6, 1986, are required to present original documents to the County, within three (3) business days of hiring, which show satisfactory proof of 1) identity and 2) U.S. employment eligibility.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 commencing with Section 12900 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) the Regulations of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Division 4, Sections 7285.0 through 8504) and other applicable laws prohibit employment discrimination based on an applicant's protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, childbirth, and other characteristics.
COVID-19 VACCINATION: Some County workforce members may be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Successful candidates for those positions/classifications may be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccination until instructed to do so by the hiring department.

Updated February 2024