Senior Research Associate-Behavioral Health

Westat•Bethesda, MD

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Westat is seeking a Senior Research Associate to join their team, focusing on evaluations and technical assistance to strengthen behavioral health and public health policies. The role involves supporting projects that address the needs of individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. This is a collaborative and fast-paced position where you will work closely with project leadership and multi-disciplinary teams to translate science into resources for various audiences, including policymakers, clinical service providers, and individuals affected by mental health and substance use disorders. Content areas cover prevention, promotion, treatment, and recovery services for a wide range of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Opportunities exist to contribute to research on behavioral health system transformation, healthcare financing, mental health and substance use services, recovery and resilience, substance misuse prevention, overdose prevention, opioid and stimulant use disorders, and advancing access to effective behavioral health care. Strong writing skills and the ability to work quickly are essential for developing federal reports, implementation guides, policy analyses, and journal articles. Regular in-person collaboration is valued, with a preference for candidates who can work two days per week at the Bethesda, Maryland office or other Westat locations.

Requirements

Master's degree in public policy, economics, or a social science discipline (psychology, sociology) or analytical methods (applied statistics) with 6 years of relevant experience; OR a PhD in public policy, economics, or a social science discipline (psychology, sociology) or analytical methods (applied statistics) with 2 or more years of relevant experience.
Experience conducting evaluations on mental health and substance use relevant topics.
Experience as the lead writer on technical reports (literature reviews, study plans, methodology reports, summaries of research findings) or peer-reviewed journal articles.
Experience with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods evaluation approaches and using analytic software.
Experience using Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) to produce reports, tables, graphs, and presentation slides.
Experience working on federal contracts.
US Citizenship is required by contract.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with Medicaid/Medicare claims and other administrative data.
Demonstrated communication skills and ability to translate complex technical information into plain language and data visualizations for various audiences.
Experience working with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or other HHS agency.
Demonstrated ability to mentor junior staff and work collaboratively with senior staff.
Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver presentation content for various audiences.
Demonstrated ability to work at a fast pace, working across several projects simultaneously.
Experience working on and delivering training and technical assistance activities.
Experience conducting quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods evaluations.
Excellent organizational skills.
Experience leading meetings with clients and staff.
Detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day implementation of behavioral health research projects, including project management, directing and supervising junior staff, data collection/management, data analysis, report writing, manuscript preparation, and client management.
Assist with operationalizing project scope, goals, and deliverables, including developing, monitoring, and adjusting work plans, setting target milestones, defining staffing needs, and delegating tasks.
Provide direction, management, and support to evaluation, technical assistance, and training activities on federal contracts.
Participate in business development with internal and external staff on proposals and projects for federal agencies, states, and foundations.
Lead and support qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods evaluations and interpret results for broad audiences.
Lead meetings with federal clients and internal project teams.