Data Privacy Specialist Jobs in New York

Company Overview:

With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team.

With grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DOHMH is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health. Investments and improvements through this initiative will help modernize DOHMH’s foundational capabilities and data infrastructure, enabling it to partner in complex health and health care environments and, in turn, support better public health outcomes, including COVID-19. This initiative supports larger efforts to rebalance investments in public health and more equitably serve communities and populations.

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant but will work be supervised by DOHMH. This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

Program Overview:

The Center for Population Health Data Science (CPHDS)- launched in October of 2023- aims to catalyze critical data modernization work and enable the agency to make progress toward linking public health, healthcare, and social service for timely and effective public action. We are working towards making these data more accessible, timely, equitable, meaningfully usable, and protected – and actively used to protect and promote the health and well-being of New Yorkers. We aim to strengthen agency-wide data capabilities by empowering our workforce, enhancing intra- and inter-agency data sharing, and using modern technology to yield trusted and integrated data and insights. A real-time and comprehensive view of city needs is needed to enhance public health actions and improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable New Yorkers. This position will be based at the Health Department’s office in Long Island City, NY, with the possibility of hybrid work.

Job Description:

DOHMH has an opening for a Data Privacy Analyst. The Data Privacy Analyst will play a critical role in ensuring the confidentiality, security, and compliance of sensitive data across CPHDS and the agency. This position will guide data risk management practices, support the development of governance standards, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed privacy-by-design principles into data systems and processes. The analyst will ensure compliance with city, state, and federal data privacy laws while enabling effective and secure data use for public health initiatives.

Specifically, the Data Privacy Analyst will:

• Monitor and interpret federal, state, and local data privacy laws and regulations, including those for sensitive health information, and translate them into actionable guidance for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Conduct privacy impact assessments and structured data risk assessments to identify and mitigate risks.
• Assist programs with implementing Data Risk Management techniques and processes, including identification and classification of data assets, creating data governance strategies, identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies, and compliance monitoring.
• Develop and implement policies and practices for data privacy, security, acceptable use, data governance, retention, and destruction.
• Guide the adoption of privacy-by-design principles in collaboration with data engineers and architects, ensuring alignment with governance frameworks (e.g., NIST Privacy Framework, HIPAA Safe Harbor) and interoperability standards (e.g., HL7, FHIR, FAIR data principles).
• Collaborate with data stewards and program managers to implement privacy-preserving techniques (e.g., de-identification, aggregation, pseudonymization, synthetic data) to share line-level and tabular data in ways that balance data utility with confidentiality protections.
• Contribute to the development of AI governance policies and assessment of AI tools to advance staff capacity while strengthening the Health Department’s risk strategies.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Data Science, Informatics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in data privacy, data governance, or data risk management.
• Strong understanding of data privacy laws and regulations and experience translating them into operational or technical guidance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Additional Desired Qualities

• IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) or Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) or equivalent.
• Experience with assessing, implementing, and using AI tools in an organizational setting.
• Experience working collaboratively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, with the ability to adapt communication styles to bridge knowledge gaps.
• Working knowledge of data architecture concepts (e.g., data pipelines, data warehouses, access controls, APIs).

Benefits:

• Hybrid Work Schedule.
• Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays.
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Commuter Benefits.
• Company Paid Life Insurance and Disability Coverage.
• 403(b) + employer matching and discretionary company contributions.
• College Savings Plan.
• Ongoing trainings and continuous opportunities for professional growth and development.

Additional Information:

At PHS, we place immense value on diversity within our teams, understanding that varied backgrounds and experiences significantly enhance our community and propel us toward our goals. If you find you don’t have experience in all the areas listed above, we still encourage you to apply and share your background and experiences in your application. We are eager to discover how your unique perspective can bring positive transformations to our team and help advance our mission of creating healthier, more equitable communities.

We look forward to learning more about you!

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and veterans.