Data Scientist (Privacy Engineer) N374

Position Overview

Housing for Health (HFH) is a program office within Community Programs under the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS). Created to support people experiencing homelessness with complex clinical needs, HFH helps individuals obtain housing, improve their health, and thrive in their communities while being a core component of Los Angeles County’s effort to address the homeless emergency. In this environment—and where appropriate—a hybrid work schedule may be available, allowing employees to work both remotely and from the office as needed.

The Privacy Engineer leads governance and access control within the Community Programs Data Engineering team. This role is key to protecting, responsibly sharing, and governing data in line with legal, ethical, and operational standards. The engineer collaborates with legal, compliance, and engineering teams to embed privacy controls, develop de-identification strategies, and support one of the nation’s most ambitious homelessness data systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and maintain role-based access control (RBAC) and access control across datasets using Unity Catalog, Terraform, and Azure.
• Develop and maintain a data catalog and identity resolution logic for matching records while preserving privacy.
• Collaborate with analytics and engineering teams to design semantic data models that proactively embed privacy controls and access restrictions.
• Identify and address data privacy vulnerabilities by assessing new workflows and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
• Lead design of de-identification, masking, and minimization workflows to prepare datasets for countywide or public use.
• Advise on embedding privacy controls during model and pipeline design, ensuring compliance with sensitive data classifications such as CJIS.
• Develop documentation, sharing agreements, and metadata to support audit readiness and regulatory compliance.

Required Qualifications

• Either two (2) years of experience using advanced statistical analyses and data engineering techniques at the level of a Predictive Data Analyst OR a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Data Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Computer Science) with four (4) years of experience, with advanced degrees substituting for up to two years of experience.
• A valid California Class C Driver License or an alternative method of transportation, along with successful clearance through Live Scan and the Health Clearance process.
• Over 4 years of experience implementing access control and data governance in cloud-based environments.
• Proficiency in SQL, Unity Catalog, Terraform, GitHub, and experience with Azure DevOps and CI/CD workflows, paired with deep familiarity with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, CMS, and California-specific privacy rules.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: $8,840.90 - $11,912.82 Monthly
• Hybrid work schedule available as needed.
• Opportunity to contribute to high-impact data-driven initiatives supporting community health.
• Supportive office environment with a focus on inclusivity and equal employment opportunities.