Senior Heath Economist

Hinge Health•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Opportunity Digital health is transforming MSK care—but without rigorous economic evidence, innovation stalls. As a Senior Health Economist at Hinge Health, you'll architect the analytical strategy that proves our platform's value to the nation's largest health plans and employers. You'll lead high-stakes ROI analyses, mentor junior economists, and shape the research agenda that informs product development and go-to-market strategy. Your work will directly influence how millions of people access care—and how payers invest in digital health solutions that actually deliver savings. What You'll Accomplish In your first 3 months, you will: Assess Hinge Health's current health economics portfolio and prioritize the highest-impact studies for commercial growth and competitive differentiation Establish your presence as a trusted advisor to Client Success and Commercial teams, shaping how we position ROI evidence in sales conversations Lead your first complex external ROI study, including vendor negotiation, study design approval from internal stakeholders, and interim results presentation In your first 6 months, you will: Own concurrent health economics workstreams across product lines (e.g., chronic MSK, surgical replacement, pelvic health), balancing rigor with commercial timelines Present directly to external clients (health plan C-suite, actuarial teams) with polished, defensible analyses that close deals and renew contracts Mentor a junior health economist, establishing team standards for study design, code review, and client communication Build advanced analytics infrastructure (e.g., automated claims data pipelines in Databricks) that scales the team's capacity In your first year, you will: Define Hinge Health's long-term health economics research strategy, including publication goals, external partnerships, and methodology innovation Lead publication of high-impact manuscripts in top-tier journals (JAMA, Health Affairs) that establish Hinge Health as the evidence leader in digital MSK care Influence product roadmap decisions by proactively identifying economic opportunities (e.g., "Which member segments drive the highest ROI?") and designing studies to answer them Act as the primary advisor to Senior Leadership Team on health economics questions, shaping how we think about value-based contracting and payer partnerships Who You Are A Strategic Learn-it-all: You're not just executing studies—you're anticipating what questions the business will need answered in 12 months and building the infrastructure to answer them. You actively shape team priorities, not just respond to requests. A Master Communicator: You've presented to C-suite executives, defended methodologies to skeptical actuaries, and published in peer-reviewed journals. You tailor your message to any audience—from PhDs to sales reps—and always land the key takeaway. Accountable Under Pressure: You thrive in fast-paced commercial environments where study deadlines directly impact revenue goals. You make pragmatic trade-offs between perfection and speed, always communicating the implications clearly. A Leader at All Levels: You're hands-on with code and data, but you also set the vision for how health economics drives business strategy. You mentor junior team members while influencing senior leadership.

Requirements

PhD in health economics, health services research, or a related field strongly preferred; Master's degree with exceptional applied experience considered
6-10 years of experience designing and conducting health economics studies using advanced econometric methods (e.g., causal inference, cost-effectiveness analysis, budget impact modeling)
6-10 years of experience working with large-scale claims databases (commercial, Medicare, Medicaid), including deep knowledge of medical billing, CPT/ICD coding, and health insurance requirements
Expert-level programming skills in R, SQL, and/or Python, with a track record of building reproducible, scalable analytical pipelines

Nice To Haves

Publication record with first-author papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals (JAMA, Health Affairs, Medical Care, Value in Health)
3+ years of experience with Databricks, Snowflake, or similar cloud data platforms, including experience optimizing large-scale data transformations
Digital health or MSK care expertise, including understanding of virtual care delivery models, wearable technology, and value-based contracting
Experience mentoring junior analysts or economists, including code review and study design feedback
Proficiency with AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot) and willingness to drive team adoption of AI workflows
Prior experience in client-facing roles, including presenting to health plan executives, actuaries, or C-suite leaders

Responsibilities

Assess Hinge Health's current health economics portfolio and prioritize the highest-impact studies for commercial growth and competitive differentiation
Establish your presence as a trusted advisor to Client Success and Commercial teams, shaping how we position ROI evidence in sales conversations
Lead your first complex external ROI study, including vendor negotiation, study design approval from internal stakeholders, and interim results presentation
Own concurrent health economics workstreams across product lines (e.g., chronic MSK, surgical replacement, pelvic health), balancing rigor with commercial timelines
Present directly to external clients (health plan C-suite, actuarial teams) with polished, defensible analyses that close deals and renew contracts
Mentor a junior health economist, establishing team standards for study design, code review, and client communication
Build advanced analytics infrastructure (e.g., automated claims data pipelines in Databricks) that scales the team's capacity
Define Hinge Health's long-term health economics research strategy, including publication goals, external partnerships, and methodology innovation
Lead publication of high-impact manuscripts in top-tier journals (JAMA, Health Affairs) that establish Hinge Health as the evidence leader in digital MSK care
Influence product roadmap decisions by proactively identifying economic opportunities (e.g., "Which member segments drive the highest ROI?") and designing studies to answer them
Act as the primary advisor to Senior Leadership Team on health economics questions, shaping how we think about value-based contracting and payer partnerships

Benefits

Inclusive healthcare and benefits: On top of comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, we offer employees and their family members help with gender-affirming care, tools for family and fertility planning, and travel reimbursements if healthcare isn't available where you live.
Planning for the future: Start saving for the future with our traditional or Roth 401k retirement plan options which include a 2% company match.
Modern life stipends: Manage your own learning and development

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