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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Immunization Analyst

💰 $65,000 - $95,000

Data & AnalyticsPublic HealthHealthcare

🎯 Role Definition

As an Immunization Analyst, you are the data-driven backbone of our public health initiatives. Your work is crucial for understanding vaccination trends, ensuring data integrity within our Immunization Information System (IIS), and empowering healthcare providers and policymakers with the insights they need to protect community health. This role is a perfect blend of technical data analysis and meaningful public health impact. You won't just be crunching numbers; you'll be contributing directly to the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases and supporting the health and well-being of the populations we serve.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Public Health Intern / Fellow
  • Data Analyst (General or Healthcare)
  • Clinical Research Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Immunization Analyst / Lead Analyst
  • Epidemiologist
  • Public Health Program Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Healthcare Data Analyst
  • Clinical Informatics Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct comprehensive analysis of immunization data from diverse sources, including state Immunization Information Systems (IIS), electronic health records (EHRs), and medical claims, to accurately assess vaccination coverage levels across various demographics and geographic regions.
  • Develop, maintain, and optimize complex SQL queries to extract, transform, and analyze large, confidential datasets related to vaccine administration, inventory management, and patient demographics.
  • Design, build, and automate routine and ad-hoc reports and interactive dashboards using data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI to communicate immunization trends, coverage gaps, and program performance to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Perform rigorous data quality assurance activities, which involves systematically identifying, investigating, and collaborating with partners to resolve data discrepancies, patient duplicates, and submission errors within the IIS.
  • Monitor and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of public health immunization programs and interventions by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and conducting longitudinal trend analysis.
  • Provide expert technical assistance and data-centric support to local health departments, clinics, and private healthcare providers on best practices for IIS usage, data submission standards, and interpreting performance reports.
  • Actively support surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) by performing data linkages between immunization records and communicable disease case data to inform public health response.
  • Prepare and manage data for federal grant reporting obligations, including for the CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Grant and the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
  • Utilize statistical software such as SAS, R, or Python to perform advanced quantitative analyses, including predictive modeling for vaccine demand, spatial analysis of coverage disparities, and statistical testing of intervention effectiveness.
  • Translate and communicate complex analytical findings into clear, concise, and actionable insights for both technical and non-technical audiences through written reports, presentations, and data stories.
  • Collaborate closely with epidemiologists and program staff to support outbreak investigations by providing rapid, ad-hoc analysis of the immunization status of affected populations and their contacts.
  • Manage and assess the quality and integrity of incoming electronic data feeds from healthcare providers, ensuring their adherence to HL7 messaging standards for immunization data exchange.
  • Develop and implement robust data validation rules, business logic, and automated cleaning procedures to continuously improve the overall accuracy and reliability of the central Immunization Information System.
  • Conduct clinic-level vaccination coverage assessments (utilizing methodologies like AFIX/IQIP) to evaluate provider performance and deliver data-driven feedback and quality improvement strategies.
  • Create and maintain thorough documentation for all data sources, analytical processes, query logic, and reporting methodologies to ensure reproducibility, transparency, and effective knowledge transfer within the team.
  • Lead training sessions and develop educational materials for end-users, program staff, and clinical partners on how to effectively access, interpret, and utilize immunization data and available analytical tools.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer novel questions from leadership, researchers, and community partners.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader data strategy and roadmap by identifying opportunities for process improvement and technological enhancement.
  • Collaborate with business units and IT departments to translate programmatic data needs into clear and concise technical and engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies as part of a collaborative data team environment.
  • Stay informed on national immunization recommendations (e.g., from ACIP), emerging public health threats, and advancements in health informatics and data standards.
  • Represent the organization in inter-agency workgroups and national collaboratives to promote data sharing, best practices, and standardization in public health.
  • Assist in the development and review of data use agreements and internal policies that govern the secure, ethical, and appropriate use of confidential immunization data.
  • Evaluate and pilot new analytical software, tools, and technologies to enhance the team's data processing and visualization capabilities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced SQL: Deep proficiency in writing complex queries, multi-table joins, window functions, and stored procedures to manipulate and extract data from relational databases like SQL Server or Oracle.
  • Data Visualization Expertise: Demonstrated ability to design and build compelling, user-friendly, and interactive dashboards and reports in tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
  • Statistical Programming: Hands-on experience using at least one statistical software package for data analysis and modeling, such as SAS, R (Tidyverse), or Python (pandas, Matplotlib, SciPy).
  • Immunization Information Systems (IIS): Strong working knowledge of IIS/immunization registry functionality, data structures, and reporting modules. Experience with a specific state's IIS is a major plus.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: Mastery of Excel for data cleaning and quick analysis, including Pivot Tables, Power Query, and advanced functions (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH).
  • HL7 Messaging Standards: A solid understanding of health data interoperability standards, particularly HL7 v2.x messages related to immunizations (e.g., VXU, QBP/RSP).
  • Data Quality & Validation: Proven experience in developing and applying data cleaning methodologies, validation rules, and data profiling techniques to ensure high data integrity.
  • Public Health Knowledge: Foundational understanding of epidemiology, public health principles, and the science behind vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization schedules.
  • Geospatial Analysis (GIS): Familiarity with using GIS software (like ArcGIS or QGIS) to map health data and identify geographic patterns is highly desirable.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: An innate ability to dissect complex problems, see the story within the data, and formulate logical, evidence-based conclusions.
  • Exceptional Communication: The ability to clearly and effectively communicate technical and statistical concepts to diverse, non-technical audiences, both verbally and in writing.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A sharp eye for detail and a commitment to accuracy, ensuring the reliability and credibility of all analytical work products.
  • Proactive Problem-Solving: A resourceful and resilient approach to identifying challenges, investigating root causes, and independently developing and implementing effective solutions.
  • Collaborative Spirit: A natural team player who thrives on working with cross-functional teams, including IT professionals, epidemiologists, clinicians, and program leadership.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Education:

A Master's Degree in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in epidemiology or biostatistics, or a Master of Science (MS) in Health Informatics, Data Science, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Biostatistics
  • Health Informatics
  • Data Science
  • Health Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5 years of professional experience in a role focused on data analysis, data management, or reporting.

Preferred:

  • Experience working directly with a state or local Immunization Information System (IIS).
  • Experience in a public health department, hospital system, or health-related non-profit organization.
  • Demonstrable experience analyzing large-scale health datasets (e.g., EHR, claims, or registry data).
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