Research Associate Implementation Science

RTI International•Durham, NC

1d•$70,000 - $80,000

About The Position

RTI Health Solutions (RTI-HS), a wholly owned subsidiary of RTI International, is an independent research organization providing healthcare consulting and research expertise to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device clients. Its Patient-Centered and Outcomes Research team aims to produce evidence that supports informed decisions, patient-centered care, and improved healthcare delivery. RTI-HS is seeking a motivated, collaborative, entry-level Research Associate to support the growth and execution of its Implementation Science Program. The role is suited to a candidate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree who is interested in implementation science, applied health research, healthcare delivery, or quality improvement. Working with senior researchers, the Research Associate will contribute across the research lifecycle, including project execution, literature synthesis, mixed-methods research, site-based activities, stakeholder engagement, proposal development, and coordination across multidisciplinary teams. The role provides guidance while contributing to client deliverables and research that may help identify adoption barriers and integrate implementation questions into clinical development and evidence-generation plans.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in health sciences, public health, implementation science, health services research, psychology, sociology, anthropology, epidemiology, life sciences, social or behavioral science, or a related field.
Foundational knowledge of qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research acquired through coursework, a thesis or capstone, internship or practicum, research assistantship, volunteer research, or professional experience.
Ability to organize information, maintain accurate documentation, manage assigned tasks, and meet deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear research summaries or other professional materials.
Ability to collaborate across disciplines, receive direction, incorporate feedback, and contribute to shared deliverables.
Careful attention to detail and commitment to research quality, ethics, participant confidentiality, and data integrity.
Proficiency with standard word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and virtual collaboration tools.
Ability and willingness to learn new methods, software, therapeutic areas, and project-management processes.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting mixed-methods research, including qualitative and quantitative data collection or analysis.
Experience coordinating a research project or maintaining timelines, action items, study records, and communications.
Experience with site-based, multisite, clinical, community-based, or healthcare delivery research.
Exposure to implementation science theories, models, frameworks, strategies, or outcomes, such as CFIR, RE-AIM, EPIS, or Proctor’s implementation outcomes.
Experience conducting interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, qualitative coding, descriptive analysis, literature reviews, or environmental scans.
Exposure to pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, medical devices, real-world evidence, health economics and outcomes research, patient-centered research, market access, or quality improvement.
Experience with relevant qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, survey, reference-management, electronic data-capture, or project-management software.
Experience in a consulting, pharmaceutical, academic, healthcare, public health, or other applied research environment.
A research work product, such as a thesis, capstone, report, manuscript, presentation, poster, or portfolio example.

Responsibilities

Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of implementation science projects across the RTI-HS portfolio.
Conduct landscape assessments, literature reviews, environmental scans, and other evidence-synthesis activities using established procedures.
Assist in applying implementation science theories, models, and frameworks to research questions and client challenges.
Help develop logic models, implementation plans, evaluation measures, study protocols, interview guides, surveys, observation tools, and site-facing materials.
Support qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods data collection and analysis under senior researchers’ guidance.
Help identify barriers and facilitators affecting adoption, implementation, scale-up, and sustainability of therapies, programs, or healthcare solutions.
Prepare draft evidence summaries, tables, figures, reports, presentations, and other project deliverables.
Follow approved procedures for research ethics, participant confidentiality, data security, documentation, and quality control.
Coordinate assigned day-to-day project activities, including scheduling, meeting materials, document management, task tracking, and status communications.
Maintain project timelines, deliverable trackers, milestones, action items, and budget-tracking information under the project lead’s direction.
Monitor assigned work and promptly communicate questions, risks, delays, or quality concerns to senior team members.
Support site-based and multisite research through site communication, training and data-collection materials, recruitment tracking, documentation, and issue follow-up.
Assist with Institutional Review Board submissions, amendments, and study records, as applicable.
Facilitate collaboration and information sharing among multidisciplinary colleagues and teams.
Help prepare materials for project-team meetings, leadership briefings, and client discussions.
Support collaboration with internal scientific experts and external stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, research sites, industry partners, academic collaborators, and advocacy organizations.
Assist with stakeholder mapping, recruitment, engagement, meeting preparation, note taking, and follow-up.
Participate in client and stakeholder meetings as assigned and communicate professionally with partners.
Contribute to proposal development through background research and draft methodology descriptions, work plans, timelines, staffing information, or past-performance materials.
Assist in developing capability statements, slide decks, and materials communicating RTI-HS’s implementation science expertise.
Conduct background research supporting opportunity identification and program planning.
Draft or contribute to study reports, client presentations, research summaries, manuscripts, conference abstracts, posters, and other scientific communications.
Prepare materials for workshops, scientific conferences, and client meetings.
Organize references and source materials and help ensure research outputs are accurate, clear, consistent, and appropriately documented.
Communicate findings and project information appropriately for scientific, client, site, or community audiences.
Support the development and standardization of implementation science tools, templates, resources, and best practices across RTI-HS.
Document lessons learned, emerging techniques, and opportunities to strengthen the Implementation Science Program.
Maintain awareness of developments in implementation science, applied health research, healthcare delivery, and pharmaceutical development, and share relevant insights with the team.
Participate in mentoring, training, methods discussions, and other professional-development activities.
Contribute to a collaborative, inclusive, and quality-focused team culture.