RESEARCH SCIENTIST SUPERVISOR I
People & HR, Operations
Sacramento County, CA, USA
USD 9,578-12,343 / month
Job Posting: Data Analytics/Governance Supervisor
Covered California
RESEARCH SCIENTIST SUPERVISOR I
$9,578.00 - $12,343.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.
Final Filing Date: 9/20/2026
Job Description and Duties
Become a part of Covered California’s Data Strategy and Insights Office!
Are you passionate about making a real-world impact through data science? Covered California invites you to apply for one of two Research Scientist Supervisor I positions, a Data Governance Supervisor and a Data Analytics Supervisor.
As a working-level supervisor, you will work with a small, expert team on high-impact projects to while serving as a subject matter and technical scientific expert. You will oversee projects and initiatives that improve the use of data and research at Covered California. Your work will inform operational, strategic, policy, and executive decision-making.
In this role you will lead enterprise data efforts, guide methodological decisions and promote sound scientific and statistical practices, validate critical data and identify data risks. As a first level supervisor you will mentor and direct the work of Research Scientists and Research Data Specialists, manage personnel and administrative responsibilities, and assist with hiring efforts and facilitate employee onboarding.
This is an opportunity to combine leadership, scientific expertise, and public service. Your work will help Covered California make informed decisions, strengthen marketplace operations, and improve services for millions of Californians.
This position is headquartered in Sacramento at 1601 Exposition Blvd. Business travel may be required, and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquarters office subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. Travel expenses associated with commuting to the employee’s office headquarters location are not reimbursable, other than authorized transit subsidies.
NOTE: To be considered for this job opportunity, applicants must be reachable on an employment list, have transfer eligibility, or have reinstatement eligibility. If you are new to California State service and you do not have list eligibility, you must take the exam for this classification. To gain employment list eligibility, please click here to access the exam bulletin.
Possession of minimum qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications, the applicant's name may be removed from the eligibility list.
Covered California does not provide visa sponsorship and is not an E-Verify employer.
Effective October 1, 2025, in response to the budget deficit, the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) has implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 requires that each full-time employee working their assigned work schedule receive a 3.5 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 6 hours of PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 30, 2027.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
Working Conditions
This position may be eligible for telework. In accordance with Government Code section 14200, only employees who reside in California are eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Covered California’s current telework policy. While Covered California supports telework, in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksite with minimal notification if an urgent need arises, as determined by the Department.
Minimum Requirements
You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.Additional Documents
Position Details
Department Information
Covered California works to improve the health of all Californians by assuring their access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Our employees are the vital link that ensures that our vision, mission, and values are fully realized and are the driving force that allows us to continually provide exceptional service to those who need it most.
We offer an award-winning wellness program, inclusive and diverse atmosphere, employee recognition programs, on site fitness centers at our Sacramento and Service Center locations, and free parking at all of our locations!
Life can change in an instant – so can your career!
Visit our website to learn more about why Covered California is an employer of choice.
Special Requirements
Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions: A SOQ is required to apply. The SOQ will be used as a pre-interview screening tool. Applicants who do not follow the SOQ instructions and/or do not answer the prompt as stated below may not be considered.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the development of written responses; however, it is important to use these tools responsibly and ethically. Where assistive tools may be used, responses within the SOQ should be your own original work. Applicants must write in their own words and avoid plagiarism. Failure to comply may be cause for disqualification.
Please describe how your experience and leadership approach prepare you to lead an enterprise function that integrates research, analytics, data governance, validation, and decision support in a complex organization. Use one or two specific examples from your professional experience. For each example, briefly describe your role, actions, challenges, results and lessons learned. Examples may reflext governance, research, analytics, validation, reporting, decision support, or a combination of these areas.
Limit your response to no more than two pages, size 12 pt. font. Address how you have:
- Led as a working supervisor or technical leader by setting priorities, managing workload, developing staff, reviewing work, ensuring quality, and personally contributing to complex or high-impact assignments.
- Built cross-funtional understanding, trust, and adoption across business, technical, privacy, security, legal, audit, policy and IT partners; communicated complex methods, findings, limitations, definitions, and recommendations clearly to executive, technical, and non-technical audiences; and resonlved competing priorities without relying soley on formal authority.
- Led complex research, program evaluation, analytics, reporting, governance, validation, or decision-support work from defining the need or question through selecting methods or processes, assessing data, validating quality, interpreting results, and developing recommendations or implementation actions.
- Applied scientific, analytic, and governance judgement to identify and address data-quality issues, bias, limitations, uncertainty, subgroup differences, inconsistent definitions or results, privacy or security concerns, compliance requirements, and risks of inappropriate use; and prioritized issues based on mission impact, risk, data sensitivity, regulatory requirements, stakeholder needs, and feasibility.
-
Balanced enterprise standards and consistent measures or processes with divisional operating needs while developing or improving practical controls, documentation, stewardship, access and use requirements, issue escalations, decision tracking, monitoring, and feedback processes.
Application Instructions
Completed applications and all required documents must be received or postmarked by the Final Filing Date in order to be considered. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application.
Final Filing Date: 9/20/2026Who May Apply
Applications will be screened and only the most qualified applicants will be selected to move forward in the selection process. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications stated in the Classification Specification(s).
How To Apply
Address for Mailing Application Packages
You may submit your application and any applicable or required documents to:
Address for Drop-Off Application Packages
You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:
Required Application Package Documents
The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:
- Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
- Resume is required and must be included.
- Statement of Qualifications -
Please attach your SOQ to your application. Applications received without an SOQ may not be considered. Resumes and cover letters will not be accepted in place of an SOQ. Please see above “Special Requirements” section for SOQ instructions.
Desirable Qualifications
- Experience leading enterprise research, program evaluation, analytics, reporting, measurement, data governance, data quality, validation, or decision-support work across multiple divisions, business units, or organizational partners in a complex organization.
- Experience applying scientific research, social or behavioral research, program evaluation, statistical, advanced analytic, data-management, or validation methods to define questions, evaluate evidence, interpret findings, establish reliable information, and support operational, policy, or executive decisions.
- Experience developing, standardizing, documenting, and validating enterprise measures, key performance indicators, dashboards, scorecards, reporting products, data definitions, governance processes, quality controls, or other high-impact analytic or data products.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment by identifying and resolving data, methodological, governance, privacy, compliance, and operational issues, including bias, data limitations, uncertainty, subgroup differences, conflicting results, inconsistent definitions, and risks to validity or appropriate use.
- Demonstrated ability to build stakeholder trust and achieve adoption of standards, processes, analytic practices, or data-use expectations across business, technical, privacy, security, legal, audit, policy, and IT partners, including resolving competing priorities without relying solely on formal authority.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex scientific, technical, analytic, and governance issues, findings, limitations, and recommendations clearly to executive, technical, policy, operational, and non-technical audiences.
-
Experience supervising and developing research, analytic, governance, validation, or technical staff while maintaining a substantive individual workload and providing hands-on technical direction, coaching, and quality review for complex work.
Benefits
The State of California offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes Health, Vision, Dental, Retirement, and an array of other options. For more information on the benefits offered by the State of California, please click below:
CalHR Salary and Benefits Information
Contact Information
The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.
Employment & Classification Services Unit
(916) 228-8386
Careers@covered.ca.gov
Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled. You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.
EEO Contact:EEO Office
(916) 228-8930
EEO@covered.ca.gov
Pre-Employment Requirements
Background Check: All applicants shall be subject to a pre-employment background investigation. The investigation will consist of completion of a pre-employment questionnaire, fingerprinting, and an inquiry to the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose criminal records.
Incompatible Activities: To maintain our integrity and focus on serving Californians, Covered California adheres to unique conflict of interest restrictions on the outside employment and activities of its board members and staff. If you’re considering a role with us, it’s important to know at the time of your start:
- You must not be employed by or otherwise affiliated with health insurance carriers, other insurers, agents, brokers, health care professionals, health facilities, or health clinics, or trade associations of any of these entities. This also means that you must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
- You must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
- Health care professionals are welcome to join our team, provided you do not receive payment for professional services and do not hold ownership or financial interests in a health care practice.
Conflict of Interest: This position is also designated under Covered California’s Conflict of Interest Code. This means if you’re selected to join us, you’ll be required to disclose certain financial interests, including of a spouse, that could potentially interfere with your ability to perform your duties impartially and with the best interests of the public in mind. You may also be disqualified from participating in decisions that may affect those financial interests.
Please email any questions or concerns you may have prior to accepting a final offer of employment to Form700@covered.ca.gov.
Additional Application Instructions
Using the online application system as specified in the announcement is the preferred method of applying for civil service job opportunities; however, applicants may instead apply by way of U.S. mail, parcel delivery or courier service, or in person, as set forth in this announcement.
All information regarding your employment history must be included on the State Employment Application STD. 678. Applications that are submitted blank or with “see resume” in place of duties performed or applications received without the following information for each job entry may be considered incomplete and may not be accepted:
- "To" and "from" dates (month/day/year)
- Hours worked per week
- Private sector job titles
- Supervisor name and phone number
- Job duties performed
- State employees must list the specific departments for which they worked and indicate the specific civil service classification titles held (not working titles).
Transcripts:
If you are meeting minimum qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcript for verification. If selected, you will be required to provide official transcripts at the time of hire. Foreign transcripts must include official verification of U.S equivalency prior to appointment by an organization found here.
Personally Identifiable Information:
Please do not include your Social Security Number, date of birth, veteran status, personal photos, LEAP information, or any other personally identifying information on any documents in your application package.
If you have additional questions regarding this advertisement or are having issues applying through CalCareers, please contact the Employment & Classification Services Unit at 916-228-8386 or careers@covered.ca.gov.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.
