Research Associate III

JBS International•North Bethesda, MD

3d•Remote

About The Position

Work at JBS--a values driven health consulting firm dedicated to improving the lives of real people every day --and build a career with impact. Our over 400 passionate and diverse employees across the country create sustainable change in health care, social services, and education by providing our clients with individualized service and big reach. Our deep expertise is enhanced by access to JBS� parent company, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BCBSSC) and its team of subsidiary companies, the Celerian Group. We are looking for a behavioral and mental health specialist with progressive experience conducting complex and multi-faceted statistical and data analytic studies related to rural health transformation initiatives, and expert in analysis Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data. This position requires strong statistical and data analytic skills, expertise in various study designs and data sampling methods particularly using CMS data, rural health transformation initiatives, and demonstrated experience in collaborating with multiple stakeholders to apply evaluation findings to inform continuous improvement in behavioral and mental initiatives and programs. This position requires demonstrated expertise to serve as the point person on national evaluation technical assistance projects and community-level projects consisting of federal awardees including expertise in making staffing, financial and evaluation design decisions to align the project activities with the intended outcomes. This position will facilitate collaborative input and engagement with federal clients, partner organizations and rural communities to complete workplan. Proactively, the specialist mitigates project implementation problems and identifies and pursues areas of opportunity to further support clients and project teams by identifying service delivery models that work in rural areas. This position functions in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary work team; leads data preparation and data analysis supporting research and evaluation projects or roles within complex projects wherein research and evaluation activities are a critical component of the work. This position supervises Research Assistants and Research Associates working on research and evaluation tasks including sampling, weighting, data management, statistical analysis, continuous quality improvement, reports and presentation. Proactively, this position mitigates project implementation problems and identifies and pursues areas of opportunity to further support clients and project teams by developing and proposing appropriate solutions and services related to rural health. This position is responsible for collaborating with senior staff on continued strategic project and business needs.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in public health, epidemiology, economics, sociology, or other related social science fields
8 years of experience, including 5 years directly related to the essential job functions are required.
Direct experience analyzing CMS data is preferred.
SAS, R, Python, SQL, or other statistical packages or languages
Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
ATLAS.ti or other qualitative software
Strong project management, supervisory, problem-solving, and communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with clients, translate technical concepts for diverse audiences, and demonstrate confidence in client-facing interactions
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Ability to conduct advanced statistical analyses with minimal supervision
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Ability to write clearly and concisely with attention to detail and target audience focus with minimal supervision
English fluency (oral and written)
Ability to attain a Public Trust Clearance
Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk or computer workstation
Regularly uses a computer, keyboard, and mouse
Normal or corrected vision to read documents, view computer screens, and perform tasks that require visual accuracy
Ability to hear and understand spoken information in person and over the phone
Minimal lifting and carrying may be required, typically light office supplies or documents
Ability to move within the office environment to access equipment, files, and interact with colleagues
Ability to handle occasional stress related to deadlines, workloads, or challenging tasks

Nice To Haves

Preferred PhD in public health, epidemiology, economics, sociology, or other related social science fields
Experience leading national evaluation technical assistance projects and community-level projects
Experience in funding procurement for and management of contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants with respect to rural health initiatives and programs
Expertise in operations and financial management to monitor and improve program outcomes against operational and budget goals
Experience in leading behavioral and mental health federal projects including being the point of contact; making staffing, financial, and other decisions to align project activities with project outcomes
Proven facilitator and engagement with federal, community organizations, and rural communities to implement behavioral and mental health initiatives and programs.

Responsibilities

Designs evaluation quantitative and mixed methods studies to assess effects of health initiatives and programs on health outcomes, sustainability, capacity, and access.
Manages literature reviews and information synthesis
Designs data collection instruments and protocol that may include surveys, qualitative interviews, data abstraction tools, quality assessment tools related to behavioral and mental health.
Leads and oversees data collection and the development of data collection databases
Leads and oversees statistical and data analysis including implementing data cleaning protocols, and addressing data quality, and applying advanced data wrangling processes
Prepares client-ready written materials including reports, PowerPoint presentations, issue briefs, and case studies that include data visualizations such as charts, tables, dashboards, and infographics to convey findings and communicate information in a manner tailored to the intended audience
Leads and conducts statistical and data analysis with minimal supervision including monitoring the creation of cleaned, merged datasets, creates variables.
Develops IRB and OMB submission materials with minimal supervision
Assists with management of project budgets, schedules, and staffing with minimal supervision
Manages tasks and deliverables for contract compliance with minimal supervision