Description
Computer Scientist: Computer Systems Engineer
VA Boston Healthcare System
Boston, MA 02130
The role is based within a leading healthcare system in New England that serves as a major referral center and a hub for clinical research. The organization is seeking a Data Scientist/Manager to support research aimed at improving cancer care for older, frail, and multimorbid patients who are often underrepresented in clinical trials. The position offers the opportunity to lead data-driven projects that inform clinical decision-making and enhance outcomes for diverse patient populations.
Under the supervision of Principal Investigators and senior scientific staff, the Data Scientist/Manager will lead data management, analysis, and annotation across multiple projects evaluating the realworld benefits and harms of cancer treatments. The program integrates clinical outcomes, health services, and qualitative data to generate evidence that informs both retrospective analyses and prospective implementation. This work supports a learning healthcare system in which insights from existing data directly guide the development, testing, and refinement of clinical decision support and care delivery strategies for older Veterans with cancer.
You will join a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, statisticians, and data scientists at a nationally recognized, AgeFriendly academic VA health system affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. This role offers a unique opportunity to apply data science skills to highimpact research that translates realworld evidence into improved, patientcentered cancer care for older patients.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Design and integrate hardware and software components into comprehensive system solutions.
- Develop system architecture and design documents.
- Develop and manage databases
- Automate routine tasks using scripts and management solution tools.
- Oversee the implementation of system solutions, including the development of test plans, conducting tests, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software developers, network engineers, and project managers, to ensure successful project delivery.
- Work with stakeholders to gather and analyze system requirements, ensuring that proposed solutions meet user needs.
- Develop storage architecture based on capacity planning analysis and other needs assessments.
- Support and configuration of network services
- Assist with implementation of System Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions
- Assist with configuration and maintenance of firewalls, network infrastructure, and configuration/vulnerability scanning systems.
- Assist with management of web and database servers
- Serve as a resource for scientific teams with regards to security and privacy requirements for the transmission of data. Assist in the process of making dure than any authorized data transfers are completed securely.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION:
- MUST be a US Citizen and MUST clear a US government background check
- DEGREE: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions.
- EXPERIENCE: Must have at least one year of related experience at the lower GS level. Per OPM, the minimum qualification requirements are one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in federal service (GS-11 for GS-12 fills) or education substitution for GS-12 research jobs (Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in related field to position being hired into)
NOTE: Reference OPM website for more information on Qualification Standards: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/computer-science-series-1550/
PREFERRED QUALIFICATION:
- Experience with network services.
- Experience with high-performance computer clusters
- Experience with Linux systems
- Experience with managing Storage Area networks
- Experience with system monitoring tools
- Experience with virtualization and cloud platforms
- Experience with Database administration
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills are a must.
POINT OF CONTACT FOR POSITION:
Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV/Resume (must indicate full-time or part-time and include hours for each position listed under work experience), and unofficial transcripts with “Computer Systems Engineer” in the e-mail subject line to: kellyanne.howarth@va.gov by Monday, August 31, 2026. Please confirm US citizenship in your cover letter.
EEO/Equal Opportunity Employer
