BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST IV - 64084987

Requisition No: 874370 

Agency: Department of Health

Working Title: BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST IV - 64084987

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 64084987 

Salary:  $50,000.00 - $51,000.00 

Posting Closing Date: 04/29/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Job posting category (Internal)

Applicants accepted only from Department of Health employees, (includes OPS, Career Service, SES or SMS employees). Applicants will not be accepted from outside of the department.

Position Name: Biological Scientist IV, Position Number 64084987

Your Specific Responsibilities:

The incumbent, an employee of the Florida Department of Health in Clay County, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.   The incumbent is expected to promote innovation by searching for creative solutions and managing resources wisely.  They are expected to collaborate through teamwork to achieve common goals and solve problems.  The incumbent is expected to be accountable and perform with integrity and respect. They are expected to be responsive by serving our customers and engaging our partners.  Finally, the incumbent is expected to perform with excellence by promoting quality outcomes through learning and continuous performance improvement initiates.

This is a professional position that conducts epidemiologic investigations and environmental health assessments in response to cases and outbreaks that are believed to have environmental causes and responds to natural and technologic disasters.This is a highly technical position where work is performed and accomplished independently with limited supervision by the immediate supervisor.  

Disease Control & Prevention

 Senior Epidemiologist:

This position is an independent, highly responsible senior epidemiologist position responsible for epidemiological monitoring, investigation, reporting, and syndromic surveillance processes throughout the medical and public health community in Clay County. 

• This position requires daily in-office or field work.
• Consults with, and is a liaison to, local and state government epidemiology officials and provides assistance to the State Epidemiology office as requested.
• Epidemiological monitoring, investigation, reporting, and the related evaluation of community health.
• Technical expertise for the required accurate reporting of communicable diseases and conditions.
• Leads investigations, analyzes, and controls outbreaks of suspected diseases in Clay County. 
• Monitors established surveillance systems: EPICOM, MERLIN, and ESSENCE and other electronic reporting data bases. Follows up on flagged visits to triage whether additional follow up is needed from the epidemiology program.
• Creates required and requested reports using internal and external, local, state, and private data. 
• Responsible for meeting or exceeding reporting deadlines for cases and ensuring accurate completion.
• Joins Monthly Regional and statewide epidemiology conference calls.
• Maps data using geographic information systems (GIS) for use in analyzing disease clusters. 
• Assists in the health assessment of Clay County and the sub-populations using epidemiological, bio statistical reporting tools and other appropriate data bases and tools.
• Analyzes data for outbreaks and communicable disease surveillance reports using advanced programming techniques. 
• Monitors and follows up on state and local epidemiological data from reporting sources including but not limited to hospitals, primary care and specialty clinics, walk-in clinics, urgent care centers, free standing emergency departments, public and private schools, colleges, laboratory results and zoonotic disease reporting.
• Establish working relationships with local infectious disease practitioners, especially at local hospitals.
• Shares attendance at local, regional, and state Disease Control meetings with other Disease Control staff personally.
• Participates in Epidemiology on-call drills and assists in the development and execution of these drills.
• Conducts monitoring of DOH-Clay disease prevention practices.
• Works with team members to implement improved disease prevention, identification, and entry to treatment practices for infectious diseases, STD, TB and HIV.
• Maintains cross training to other duties of the Disease Prevention department to be able to provide assistance as assigned when staffing is limited, demand for the service is unusually high or there is an emergency.
• Maintains a contemporary knowledge of epidemiology evidence-based practice, rules, and regulations.
• Acts as backup to the rabies program lead. Reviews/triages animal bites received and coordinates animal follow up, where applicable. Educates bite victims on post-exposure prophylaxis and refers clients/victims to the appropriate medical facility.

Disease Control, Perinatal Hepatitis B Lead

• Leads the department’s perinatal hepatitis b program, under the supervision of the disease control manager, through reviewing of incoming faxes, requesting medical records, searching FLSHOTS for vaccination status, providing guidance to physicians and local OBGYN offices on inquiries received through email, fax, or phone call. Follows infected mother throughout pregnancy and coordinates proper treatment of baby at delivering hospital and pediatrician offices.
• Attends quarterly perinatal coordinator calls on TEAMS and disperses new information to team members as needed.
• Consults with the case reviewer for hepatitis regarding case classification and follow up.
• Remains subject matter expert on treatment, lab types and results, and prevention.

Disease Prevention and Control, Health Promotion and Outreach

• Works comprehensively with the outreach coordinator to ensure timely education and materials are being distributed to local partners, educational facilities, and hospitals.
• Responsible for planning an outreach calendar for the upcoming years in additional to collaborate with other departments to coordinate and staff outreach events as they relate to disease prevention.
• Staff outreach events that are planned in coordination with the Disease Control manager for assignment of staff to each event.  
• Distributes educational literature and disease response guidelines to medical providers. Seeks new and non-traditional opportunities to educate the community. Assist with implementation and tracking of strategies, goals, and objectives outlined in the strategic plan.

Other duties as required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of epidemiology principles and medical terminology. 
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills. 
• Ability to learn and utilize simple to complex computer programs. 
• Demonstrated ability to organize time and projects to meet all deadlines. 
• Skilled in communicating effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Knowledge of: Chapter 64E, F.A.C.

Qualifications:

Minimum –

This position requires daily in-office or field work.  Must be willing to physically come into the office daily and perform field work.

Must have a bachelor's degree in public health or higher, or a bachelor's degree with college-level epidemiology coursework, or a master's in public health with epidemiology coursework.

Preferred –

Experience conducting public health surveillance.

DOH Experience working with any of the following programs: Merlin, ESSENCE, STARS.

Experience interviewing, counseling, or conducting disease investigations

Florida Department of Health Mission, Vision, and Values:

Mission:

To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county & community efforts.

Vision:

To be the Healthiest State in the Nation.

Values:

I nnovation: We search for creative solutions and manage resources wisely.

C ollaboration: We use teamwork to achieve common goals & solve problems.

A ccountability: We perform with integrity & respect.

R esponsiveness: We achieve our mission by serving our customers & engaging our partners.

E xcellence: We promote quality outcomes through learning & continuous performance improvement.

Where You Will Work:

Clay County Health Department, 1845 Town Center Blvd, Fleming Island, FL 32003.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions

(For more information, please click www.myfrs.com);

• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a more complete list of benefits, including monthly costs, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

Please be advised:

Your responses to qualifying questions for this position must be verifiable by documentation provided through the electronic application process.  

This position requires a security background check and/or drug screening and participation in direct deposit. Any misrepresentations or omissions will disqualify you from employment consideration. Note: You will be required to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) in order to conduct this background check Successful completion of a drug test is a condition of employment for safety-sensitive positions.

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion unless they are registered with the Selective Services System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov 

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement. 

The successful candidate will be required to complete the Form I-9 and that information will be verified using the E-Verify system.  E-Verify is operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration to verify employment eligibility.   

Incumbents may be required to perform emergency duty before, during, and/or beyond normal work hours or days.

All Florida Department of Health positions require the incumbent to be able to learn and communicate effectively, orally and in writing, in English. Applicants who do not meet this requirement will not be considered.  

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace. 

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-877-562-7287). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation. 

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act. 

Florida has the third largest population of veterans in the nation with more than 1.5 million service men and women.  The Florida Department of Health (department) is committed to serving members of the United States Armed Forces, veterans and their families by encouraging them to apply for vacancies that fit their area of knowledge and/or expertise.  Through the Department's VALOR program, which expedites licensing for military veterans, the Department also waives initial licensing and application fees for military veterans who apply for a health care professional license within 60 months of an honorable discharge. These initiatives help ensure that the transition from military service into the workforce is as smooth as possible and reflects our appreciation for the dedication devoted to protecting our country.    

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.