State seeks to modernize data scientist job series; US Digital Response recommends multi‑tier approach

Volunteers from nonprofit US Digital Response presented findings to the advisory board on June 18 about modernizing state job classifications for data occupations, urging a multi‑tiered career structure that can compete with private‑sector pay and accommodate GIS practitioners.

"You need a workforce that is able to, that is qualified to work with data," said David Bachrack of US Digital Response, summarizing the project's aim to align job classifications with market realities.

Bachrack and colleague Keith Wilson described benchmarking across multiple states and recommended that the state refine a single 'data scientist' occupation into four or five tiers (from junior through senior and supervisory levels) so career progression is clearer. They also recommended scoping the occupation so it does not overlap with existing research analyst or IT job series, and that GIS roles have an explicit place in the structure.

Board members raised use cases beyond agency operational roles — for example, data and analytics for investigations, enforcement and policy at offices such as the attorney general — and asked whether the proposed occupation would meet those needs. Bachrack said the approach was intended to be subject‑matter agnostic so the skillset maps to many agency applications, while remaining distinct from other specialized occupations.

The review is still being implemented with state HR and will require time to finalize class specifications and compensation considerations, the presenters said. The board thanked the volunteers and noted the work will continue through state HR processes and future board engagement.

Next steps: finalize the refined occupation and tiering with state HR, ensure clarity of overlap with research analyst and IT series, and consider follow‑up on compensation and recruitment strategies.