Designing a Public Health Informatics Job Classification Series: A How-To Guide

December 15, 2025

As part of state and territorial data modernization programs and data system improvement, many public health agencies are realizing that their existing job classifications don’t always reflect the specialized work of public health informatics professionals.

While some positions may resemble traditional roles like epidemiologists, they require a distinct set of skills. Informatics professionals focus on integrating and managing data, building stronger data systems, and improving how information flows across programs and partners. They often use advanced tools such as SQL and Tableau, and they work with national data standards — like HL7, FHIR, LOINC, and USCDI — to ensure that health information systems can “speak the same language.”

Existing classifications (such as epidemiologist or information technology specialist) rarely capture these technical and cross-disciplinary responsibilities. Creating a dedicated public health informatics job classification series helps agencies attract and retain experts with the right mix of data, technology, and public health skills. It also provides a clear structure for professional growth, defining duties and qualifications for entry-, mid-, senior-, and managerial-level positions. This clarity supports both staff development and long-term workforce planning.

However, establishing a new job classification is not a simple task. It requires careful planning, collaboration across departments, and formal approval processes that can take time. This guide outlines the key decisions, documentation, and steps needed to determine whether a new classification is right for your agency and how to develop one effectively. Each health department’s structure and policies are unique, so the process described here should be adapted to fit local circumstances.

Steps in the Process

1. Identifying the Need for a New Job Classification

The first step is to determine whether your agency truly needs a new public health informatics job classification. Many health departments find that existing job titles — like epidemiologist or clinical application coordinator — don’t align well with the skills required for informatics work. A new classification may be warranted if current titles have different job requirements, pay structures, or barriers that make it difficult to attract and retain qualified candidates.

Begin by asking key questions:

• Does your department already employ staff performing informatics functions? If so, what are their current classifications, and are they effective in recruitment and retention?
• How flexible are your civil service rules for posting positions with modified requirements or titles? If there’s sufficient flexibility, you may not need a new classification.
• Are you relying on temporary staff or contractors for informatics work? If so, analyze whether creating permanent positions could reduce long-term costs.
• If a new classification isn’t immediately feasible, what options exist to train, promote, or compensate staff doing informatics work within the current framework?

2. Understanding the Approval Process and Requirements

Once a need is established, identify the steps and timeline required to create a new classification. This process varies widely by jurisdiction and can take several months, or even years, to complete. Start by determining who has decision-making authority and which offices must approve the proposal. This may include local HR departments, statewide HR or civil service offices, commissioners, or budget authorities such as the Office of Management and Budget.

If your HR department has a moratorium on creating new classifications, consider negotiating or repurposing existing ones. Document the rationale thoroughly, highlighting recruitment challenges, misaligned duties, and how informatics roles support data modernization goals. Include evidence such as prolonged vacancies or the impact on program performance.

Prepare necessary documentation, which may include:

• A list of required competencies.
• Subject matter expert reviews.
• A work study or position analysis.
• A “career ladder” illustrating differences between entry, mid, senior, and managerial roles (see example: Nebraska’s Informatics Series (PDF)).
• Comparisons with other job families, such as Nebraska’s Epidemiology Series (PDF).

Additionally, determine whether other state agencies also require informatics roles, as cross-agency collaboration can strengthen the case for a new classification. When it comes to salary justification, find out who sets pay scales — some states use centralized systems, while others allow departmental flexibility. In unionized settings, salary changes may also require negotiation. For example, Minnesota uses the Hay methodology through Korn Ferry to determine compensation levels.

3. Gathering Job Descriptions, Competencies, and Key Skills

Developing an accurate and competitive job description is crucial. Start by analyzing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required for informatics work. Assess whether existing staff possess these competencies and where skill gaps may exist.

Collect and review comparable job descriptions and frameworks from trusted sources, such as:

• Public Health Informatics Institute and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
• Region V Public Health Training Center
• O*Net Online Health Informatics Profile
• PublicHealthCareers.org

Commonly required skills include:

• SQL
• R
• SAS
• Python
• Tableau
• Snowflake
• ETL processes
• Interoperability standards (HL7, FHIR, LOINC, USCDI)
• Project management tools (e.g., Agile and LEAN)
• Certifications such as HL7 CDA Specialist, FHIR Fundamentals, or Tableau Desktop Specialist may also be valuable.

For competency alignment, reference the following professional frameworks:

• HIMSS Global Health Informatics Competency Frameworks
• Applied Public Health Informatics Competency Model (PDF)
• Council on Education for Public Health (PDF)
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Competencies Toolkit
• Public Health Accreditation Board
• Council on Linkages Core Competencies
• CDC Competencies for Public Health Professionals

You can also consult the Lightcast workforce analytics reports for skills and salary trends and review the literature review repository for additional insights.

4. Conducting Salary Benchmarking

Competitive compensation is essential to attracting informatics professionals. Begin by identifying your HR department’s comparison states or agencies and reviewing their pay plans. Compare rates with large local jurisdictions when possible. Showing cost savings from converting contractors to permanent employees can strengthen your justification.

If union negotiations are part of your environment, plan early to align with contract timelines. Many agencies use external benchmarking tools aligned with the location of the job, such as Salary.com, Payscale, Glassdoor, or Indeed. Large-scale workforce datasets from Lightcast — a large-scale data vendor that includes data collected from millions of job descriptions — can be useful as well. Data from Lightcast queries include examples of competitor employers, top technical and soft skills, example job titles, and salary ranges for public health informatics positions. Searching and summarizing reference data like this is vital for establishing baseline job information that is in-line with successful public health informatics positions elsewhere, which can help build a case for why your new series is different than existing jobs and requires a specific pay range.

For deeper insights into salary trends and disparities, review the following:

• Salary and Job Requirement Differences for Jobs in Local and State Health Departments Versus the Private Sector: Analysis of Large-Scale Job Postings Data demonstrates that public-sector informatics roles can pay up to 50% less than private-sector equivalents.
• Salary Disparities in Public Health Occupations: Analysis of Federal Data (2021–2022) shows that informatics jobs pay between 25-45% less in local or state government compared to all other sectors, a difference of up to $71,000 per year in wages.
• When Money Is Not Enough: Reimagining Public Health Requires Systematic Solutions to Hiring Barriers explores structural barriers beyond pay, such as slow hiring processes or outdated job descriptions, that cause barriers to hiring in health departments.

Also review relevant salary surveys from professional associations:

• HIMSS Nursing Informatics Survey (2022)
• American Health Information Management Association Salary Survey Report (2019) (PDF)
• American Medical Informatics Association Salary Survey
• iMercer Healthcare Informatics and Technology Compensation Data

Other Considerations

Establishing a new public health informatics job classification requires more than paperwork — it requires persistence, partnerships, and long-term planning. Building relationships with key stakeholders, such as HR leaders, civil service administrators, union representatives, and department executives, is essential. Each may have unique perspectives and concerns about creating new classifications, so tailoring your approach can make a difference.

Persistence is often key. If one strategy or argument isn’t successful, try another. For example, some departments have found success by framing informatics roles as critical to data modernization, interoperability, and cost efficiency, while others emphasize workforce development or public health impact.

Having distinct classifications for public health informaticians and epidemiologists also supports workforce morale and clarity. It helps staff and partners understand who to contact for specific issues (e.g., analytical versus technical data management) and allows each group to take pride in their defined professional identity.

Agencies should also plan for the future. Can you anticipate your department’s informatics workforce needs over the next two to three years? Are there universities or training programs producing graduates with informatics or data science backgrounds who could become future hires? For example, Minnesota partnered with the University of Minnesota to align coursework with public health informatics career pathways.

If internal pipelines are limited, explore succession planning and training opportunities to build talent from within. Consider developing student internship programs, fellowships, or mentorships that prepare participants for full-time public health informatics roles.

Finally, remember that recruitment success is about more than salary. Consider “Total Rewards” messaging, which highlights the value of benefits, work-life balance, mission-driven culture, and professional growth opportunities. Useful recruitment and retention resources include:

• Public Health Foundation’s Recruitment and Retention Toolkit
• TRAIN Course: Recruitment and Retention in Public Health
• Recruitment and Retention in Public Health: Workshop Series
• Secrets of the Government Job Search: How to Apply for Local & State Health Department Jobs

If your state requires individual development plans, use them to outline professional growth pathways for new informatics roles. Individual development plans can reinforce expectations, support promotions, and help employees see how their role contributes to broader modernization efforts.

Overall, establishing a new job classification requires careful preparation, working together across multiple departments, and navigating often-complex formal approval processes that can take time and energy. However, as data systems across the local, state, and federal levels become increasingly interoperable and advanced, the value of having specific informatics staff that can understand the nuances of these complex health data systems will only grow. ASTHO can help guide you through this journey — reach out to workforce@astho.org for assistance.