Senior Research Associate-Behavioral Health

Westat•Bethesda, MD

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Westat is seeking a Senior Research Associate to support evaluations and technical assistance aimed at strengthening behavioral health and public health policies. The role focuses on projects addressing the needs of individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, translating research and science into useful resources for federal and state policymakers, clinical service providers, and affected individuals. Topics may include behavioral health system transformation, healthcare financing, mental health and substance use services, recovery and resilience, substance misuse and overdose prevention, opioid and stimulant use disorders, and access to effective behavioral health care. The position involves close collaboration with project leadership and multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment. Work products may include federal reports, clinical services implementation guides, policy analyses, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Westat values in-person collaboration and prefers candidates able to work two days per week at its Bethesda, Maryland office or another Westat office. This is a U.S.-based position requiring authorization to work in the United States on a full-time basis; employment-based visa sponsorship is not offered. U.S. citizenship is required by contract.

Requirements

Master’s degree in public policy, economics, a social science discipline, or an analytical methods discipline such as applied statistics, plus 6 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in one of these fields plus 2 or more years of relevant experience.
Experience conducting evaluations on topics related to mental health and substance use.
Experience serving as lead writer on technical reports or peer-reviewed journal articles.
Experience with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods evaluation approaches and relevant analytical software.
Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to produce reports, tables, graphs, and presentation slides.
Experience working on federal contracts.
U.S. citizenship is required by contract.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with Medicaid or Medicare claims and other Medicaid or Medicare administrative data.
Demonstrated communication skills and ability to translate complex technical information into plain-language written products and data visualizations for varied audiences.
Experience working with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or another HHS agency.
Ability to mentor junior staff and collaborate with senior staff.
Ability to develop and deliver presentations for varied audiences.
Ability to work quickly across several projects simultaneously.
Experience delivering training and technical assistance activities.
Experience conducting quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods evaluations.
Excellent organizational skills.
Experience leading meetings with clients and staff.
Attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day implementation of behavioral health research projects, including project management, supervision of junior staff, data collection and management, analysis, report writing, manuscript preparation, and client management.
Help define project scope, goals, and deliverables; develop and monitor work plans; set milestones; define staffing needs and responsibilities; and delegate tasks in collaboration with the project director.
Direct, manage, and support evaluation, technical assistance, and training activities on federal contracts.
Participate in business development and proposal efforts with internal and external colleagues for federal agencies, states, and foundations.
Lead and support qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods evaluations and interpret findings for broad audiences.
Lead meetings with federal clients and internal project teams.