PUBLIC HEALTH REPRESENTATIVE 2 ONCOLOGY DATA SPECIALIST
Oncology Data Specialist
Career Family: PUBLIC HEALTH REPRESENTATIVE
In New Jersey, Public Health Representative 2 Oncology Data Specialist is filled through the competitive process: candidates take a civil service exam and are hired off a ranked list, not picked at will.
The stated bar is a bachelor's degree, but candidates can swap in added experience for the diploma, and a professional license is required on top of that. The FY2026 range lands between $64,340 and $94,062, and state payroll currently lists about 44 people in the title, most of them at Health and Senior Services.
How to apply
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Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
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Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
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Agency posting
Department of Health posts its own vacancies directly, often before (or instead of) any civil service exam announcement. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Pay ladder: Public Health Representative series
- Public Health Representative 3 — $56,253 – $81,897
- Public Health Representative 2 — $64,340 – $94,062
- Public Health Representative 1 — $73,707 – $108,073
Its top salary lands around the 37th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 44 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $79,201. The agencies employing the most are:
- Health and Senior Services (44)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under the limited supervision of a Supervising Public Health Representative (Oncology Data Specialist) or other supervisory official, conducts cancer data collection, quality control and medical data correction activities for the New Jersey State Cancer Registry in accordance with overall Cancer Registry Program goals; does other related duties as required. NOTE: The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
Examples of work
Reviews and resolves complex medical information problems submitted by health care facilities. Performs quality control activities associated with collection, preparation, and editing of cancer data. Performs tasks associated with medical data corrections related to demographic and medical information such as assignment of primary site and histology, staging extent of tumor invasion, and proper correction of diagnostic and cancer treatment information. Provides training to health care facilities staff in abstracting, coding, case finding, staging of tumors and use of cancer registry software. Conducts investigations and makes recommendations to health care facilities staff to correct deficiencies found in cancer reporting because of quality control activities. Ensures the compilation and timely submission of statistical cancer data by health care facilities on cancer incidence, treatment, and follow-up information. Ensures that cancer data is submitted in a format compatible with NJSCR and NAACCR. Prepares reports and correspondence of a technical nature as required. May provide guidance and assistance to lower-Level Public Health Representatives Oncology Data Specialists, and others involved in the work of the unit. Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and computerized information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
License
Appointees must possess a valid Oncology Data Specialist certification issued by the National Cancer Registrar's Association and the National Board for Certification of Registrars. Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in NJ only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of the public health principles of planning, organizing, implementing, and supervising a disease control program. Knowledge of regulations governing the reporting of cancer to the New Jersey State Cancer Registry. Knowledge of cancer registry practices on the hospital, state, and national levels. Knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Knowledge of medical and oncology terminology. Knowledge of clinical oncology, the course of cancer as a disease, and trends in cancer patient care and treatment. Knowledge of statistical and epidemiologic methods and their application to the management and utilization of large data sets. Ability to interpret and apply standards set by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the Center for Disease Control, the American College of Surgeons, the American Cancer Society, and other agencies concerned with cancer registry practices. Ability to perform cancer registry program activities which include abstracting, coding, case finding and staging. Ability to organize and develop cancer related data collection systems. Ability to use cancer registry software designed for health care facilities and central registry use. Ability to collect, calculate, analyze, interpret, and present numerical data related to cancer occurrence. Ability to apply legal and ethical principles and policies related to the confidentiality of data. Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Six (6) years of experience as a cancer registrar in a central cancer registry, hospital, or other health care facility which shall have included responsibility for abstracting cancer cases, quality control, and conducting public health surveys or patient care studies and evaluations. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and two (2) years of the above-mentioned professional experience. "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.