At DHS our mission is to use analytics and technology to support the most vulnerable populations in Allegheny County. DHS Data Science interns will work with PhD data scientists to advance the analytic capabilities of the research team. This is a fast and dynamic environment so the work you will do can vary, but may include:
- Iterating on machine learning infrastructure. This may include setting up datasets which allow for fast iteration, container orchestration services for recurrent jobs, etc.
- Building predictive models to identify which populations are most at risk;
- Conduct causal analyses to determine which interventions are most effective at improving outcomes
- minimum skills/knowledge required
Interns applying must have curiosity for modeling and infrastructure related tasks. The below list is a set of suggested qualifications – if you don’t have everything on the list please consider applying in any case, but successful applications will show some programming interest and experience.
Qualifications:
- Familiarity with relational data / SQL
- Python (preferred) and / or R programming
- Git / github
- Setting up / configuring cloud infrastructure
- Interest in public policy
Additional Requirements:
- Allegheny County Residency (local student address)
- County employees must work in designated offices. This is NOT a remote work opportunity.
- Pre-Employment Covid-19 Vaccination and Background Check Requirements:
It is the policy of Allegheny County that in order to receive a final offer of employment, candidates for positions within the executive branch must provide proof of a Covid-19 vaccination. The prospective employee will need to be fully vaccinated or have at least one shot of a two-shot series before beginning work. Any employee who does not receive and provide proof of the second shot within 30 days will have their probationary employment terminated. Allegheny County will allow for medical and religious exemptions from the requirements in accordance with state and federal law.
Additionally, it is the policy of Allegheny County that in order to receive a final offer of employment, candidates must successfully pass a background check.
What is DHS?
DHS is an integrated service system serving the 1.2 million residents of Allegheny County. On average, DHS serves every 5th resident and has a budget of $1 billion. DHS employs nearly 1,000 staff and funds nearly 400 provider organizations. Services are designed to:
- Protect children;
- Strengthen families;
- Improve children’s prospects for school and beyond;
- Improve the mental health of children, youth, and adults;
- Support those struggling with substance use issues;
- Prevent incarceration and reduce recidivism;
- Improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and autism;
- Prevent and reduce homelessness;
- Protect vulnerable adults;
- And provide a range of services to enable older adults to remain safely in their own homes or communities.
All services, policies, and processes will be informed by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, requiring the active and intentional inclusion of people of varying social identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, ability, religion, citizenship status, and country of origin).
Vision Statement
To create an accessible, culturally competent, integrated, and comprehensive human services system that ensures individually tailored, seamless, and holistic services to Allegheny County residents, in particular, the county’s vulnerable populations.
Guiding Principles
All services will be:
- High quality, comprehensive, and accessible
- Individualized and designed to be respectful of the unique cultural characteristics of each individual and/or community.
- Integrated an offered through a team approach that recognizes the capacity of individuals and families to identify their own strengths, needs and goals; create relationships and natural supports; and take the steps necessary to accomplish these goals.
Why Work for County Government?
- We work on some of the hardest and most important social problems today.
- We provide opportunities to take risks, make connections, and dream big.
- An ambitious, transparent, goal-oriented public sector promotes human flourishing in people and communities you care about.