Senior Principal Data Scientist

Speridian Technologies is recruiting for a Senior Principal Data Scientist for our State of California Client, the Department of Healthcare Services, Behavioral Health. This person will be part of a long-term, fully budgeted, state-of-the-art, extremely vast technology modernization project working with a variety of cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

This is a remote role, however, there will be meetings in the Sacramento area several times a year. Candidates are expected to work business hours, Monday-Friday Pacific Time Zone.
Join DHCS’s Behavioral Health Transformation: Where Purpose Meets Innovation
Location: Remote
Department: Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS)
Commitment: Full-Time Consultant (W2 employee of Speridian or 1099/IC for Speridian)

Why DHCS?
At DHCS we are leading a transformative journey in Behavioral Health, reshaping systems and services to ensure better outcomes for communities across California. Our Behavioral Health transformation initiative is more than a project—it’s a movement to make California a leader in accessible, high-quality health services. We’re setting the stage for a new era of government services built on agile methodologies, cutting-edge technology, continuous improvement, and a relentless commitment to serving the public good.
At DHCS, we’re looking for innovators who are passionate about purposeful work and excited by the opportunity to drive lasting change through innovative solutions.

Our Core Values (Achieve Together, Be Curious, Elevate Yourself, and Deliver Value)

We achieve together by championing a team-oriented workplace built on mutual respect, collaboration, and open communication.
We encourage individuals and teams to constantly be curious and seek a deeper understanding and fresh ideas that drive innovation and meaningful change.
We provide a supportive workplace where you can elevate yourself and achieve personal growth through continuous learning, focused effort, and perseverance.
We deliver value as part of every action we take to serve California’s citizens.

We’re honest about the challenges—state government is bureaucratic, and we can't match most tech salaries. But here’s what we can offer:
Purpose that matters
Teammates who care deeply
Work-life balance (no nights, weekends, or burnout), Remote work
We're not just changing systems—we're changing how government works

Overview/Description
We work within government, for government, to deliver outcomes that matter to the citizens of California – but we don’t work like government. We are value-driven, agile in practice and philosophy, constantly innovating and improving our processes and tech stack, and committed to self-governing teams within a matrixed leadership structure.

We are passionate about solution delivery as a principle, entailing greater transparency and accountability for what is being delivered, decreasing risks faster, delivering organizational value sooner, and maximizing the flexibility and responsiveness of digital solutions to our customers' evolving business needs.

We serve the California Department of Health Care Services, which provides equitable access to quality health care for a third of Californians, leading to a healthy California for all. Right now, we are focused on transforming the delivery of behavioral health care delivery in California, including reducing suicide, drug overdoses, and the types of mental health and addiction crises that result in people living in tents on the streets where we live, too. We take this work very seriously, and we take team camaraderie and enjoying working with each other very seriously. We’re looking for innovators who are passionate about purposeful work and excited by the opportunity to drive lasting change through innovative solutions.

In this role you’ll have the opportunity to explore and define; how behavioral health outcomes are measured, the role of machine-learning and AI in improving how policy is administered, and modernizing the data science technology stack. This role requires hands-on execution, strategic guidance, and deep collaboration with stakeholders, internal data scientists, and data engineering teams.

Responsibilities:

Collaborate closely with DHCS leadership to define analytical needs, proactively translating business outcomes into actionable technical solutions.
Lead strategic data science projects from conception through execution, uncovering insights that directly inform policy decisions and organizational goals.
Develop and implement advanced analytics methodologies, including predictive modeling, statistical analysis, and data mining.
Translate complex analytical results into clear, strategic recommendations and present these insights to senior, non-technical stakeholders.
Mentor and build data science capability internally, contributing to establishing a data science center of excellence within DHCS.
Stay current on industry best practices and emerging trends, particularly within public policy and healthcare.

Qualifications:

Advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Public Policy, or related field.
10+ years of data science experience, emphasizing strategic insight derivation from large datasets.
Strong proficiency in Python, R, SQL, or similar analytical programming tools.
Exceptional ability to communicate insights clearly and persuasively to executive-level audiences.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage and deliver complex analytical projects aligned with strategic business outcomes.

Key Skills:

Advanced Statistical Analysis and Modeling
- Proficiency in statistical methods and machine learning algorithms.
- Experience with predictive modeling and forecasting.
Programming and Scripting
- Strong programming skills in Python or R.
- Proficient in SQL for database querying.
Data Visualization and Storytelling
- Ability to create compelling visualizations to communicate insights.
- Experience with data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, or DataDog.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
- Strong analytical skills to tackle complex business challenges.
- Ability to think strategically and provide data-driven recommendations.
Communication and Collaboration
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
- Proven track record of successful cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.

Common Technologies/Tools:

Programming Languages:
- Python, R, SQL
Data Visualization Tools:
- Tableau, Power BI, Atlassian Analytics, DataDog
Data Warehousing:
- Redshift, BigQuery, Snowflake, Teradata, Postgres

Speridian is an EEO employer

Senior Principal Data Scientist

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