Research Programmer II
About The Position
The Research Programmer II will join a multidisciplinary research team at the University of Southern California’s Center for Economic and Social Research, supporting large-scale studies that collect and analyze health, activity, and location data from wearable devices such as Fitbit and other fitness trackers. The role translates research objectives into practical software and data solutions, including complex data-collection systems, secure research portals, mobile applications, databases, and analytical tools. Many projects involve building new software and infrastructure to meet specific research needs. The position is fully remote and grant funded, with a renewable three-year fixed term. The annual base salary range is $106,012.83–$124,499.52. Applicants must attach a cover letter and resume to their employment application.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline; a combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered equivalent.
- At least three years of relevant programming experience.
- Strong programming skills in Python and PHP.
- Proficiency with MySQL and relational database management.
- Ability to work independently on complex programming projects.
- Experience working with large and complex research datasets.
- Experience working with location or geospatial data.
- Ability to analyze research requirements and translate them into effective software and data solutions.
- Creativity and innovation in solving conceptual programming problems.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong communication skills, including explaining technical concepts and solutions to non-technical collaborators.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and work effectively independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Relevant work experience providing strong technical knowledge of programming and analysis, as well as senior or lead experience.
- Ability to stand in for researchers as circumstances require.
Nice To Haves
- Experience developing software for academic or biomedical research.
- Experience with large databases, research datasets, and survey data.
- Experience with Stata or other statistical analysis software.
- Experience working with health, activity, wearable-device, or location data.
- Experience developing Android and/or iOS mobile applications.
- Experience designing data-collection systems and integrating data from external APIs and connected devices.
- Demonstrated creativity and innovation in solving complex conceptual programming problems.
- Experience collaborating with researchers and multidisciplinary teams.
- Five years of preferred experience.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with researchers to define technical requirements and translate research goals into software, data, and technology solutions.
- Design, develop, maintain, and document software systems for large-scale research data collection, including data from wearable devices.
- Develop and maintain secure research portals for accessing, managing, and downloading research datasets.
- Develop, maintain, and test native Android and iOS applications for secure health and activity data collection.
- Design and maintain databases and data pipelines for large research datasets, ensuring data integrity, reliability, security, and appropriate lifecycle management.
- Develop tools and analytical methods to address research questions using health, activity, location, survey, and other research data.
- Work with IT staff to deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot research software, databases, mobile applications, and supporting infrastructure.
- Participate in designing and implementing technologies and software systems to address emerging research needs.
- Develop and maintain reproducible workflows, testing procedures, documentation, and technical standards.
- Support data integration across wearable and nearable devices, mobile applications, databases, research portals, and other sources and platforms.
- Contribute to research projects by developing prototypes, conducting analyses, preparing technical documentation, and supporting publications and presentations.
- Apply creativity and innovation to solve programming problems and improve research workflows and data systems.
- Communicate technical concepts to researchers, IT staff, and interdisciplinary collaborators.
- Provide technical guidance or mentorship to junior programmers and research staff.
- Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
