Senior Research Associate I - Health Care Programs Research
NORC at the University of ChicagoAbout the role
NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking a Senior Research Associate I to join the Health Care Programs Research Department. The Health Care Programs team provides data-driven research, policy and program analysis, and technical assistance to a mix of clients including the federal and state governments and foundations.
Work Location
This is a hybrid role based in either our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office. Remote work status may be considered for outstanding candidates.
Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
NORC’s Health Care Programs team provides a wide array of services and expertise to support federal and state government and foundation clients in addressing health system transformation and delivery, payment reform and implementation, and a range of policy issues facing public health insurance programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace coverage.
NORC’s expert staff has extensive knowledge of all aspects of health care delivery, from private marketplaces and employer-sponsored insurance to Medicare and Medicaid; from large health care systems to small clinics; and from the needs of children to those of older adults, and people with disabilities. Our expert team includes social scientists that acquire, collect, and analyze data from health care organizations and patients; evaluators; health services researchers; health-policy analysts; and professionals with first-hand experience running and supporting health care programs.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of key project tasks in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers.
- Lead key tasks in technical assistance, research design, data collection, and analysis, while supporting the project manager with timely project management and production of deliverables.
- Plan and implement a wide range of data collection methods and activities.
- Assist with quantitative and qualitative data analysis and synthesis.
- Lead the drafting of reports and presentations for clients and professional meetings.
- Author sections of technical reports, white papers, key findings from analyses, and other project deliverables.
- Perform task level project management duties such as monitoring budgets, tracking schedules, and following quality guidelines.
- Engage in key roles for business development coordination, writing and budgeting tasks.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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- Bachelor's Degree; Masters' degree strongly preferred in Health Policy, Public Health, or other related field.
- Minimum three (3) years' research experience which includes playing a lead role in managing and driving tasks including:
- technical assistance and support
- literature reviews and environmental scans to produce finding and recommendations.
- survey design, administration, and analysis
- qualitative data collection methods such as key informant interviews, site visits, and focus groups.
- Demonstrated experience working with CMS Data Use Agreements (DUAs) and data request processes, including preparing, reviewing, and managing requests for Research Identifiable File (RIF) data files and ensuring compliance with CMS requirements.
- Knowledge of CMS data assets (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, claims, and survey data) and their appropriate use in health services research, including understanding strengths, limitations, and common analytic use cases.
- Strong familiarity with CMS data privacy, security, and disclosure review policies, including HIPAA requirements and CMS cell suppression and data release guidelines.
- Strong analytic ability, writing and organizational skills are required.
- Experience with quantitative/qualitative analysis is preferred, including working knowledge of SAS, SPSS, NVivo or other statistical data analysis packages.
- Experience and familiarity with Medicaid or other health care programs for vulnerable populations is a plus, especially state-level health programs preferred.
- Must demonstrate effective workplace competencies including
- Attentiveness to detailed tasks, strong organizational skills, and ability to meet requirements of multiple assignments simultaneously
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