Statistician

Penn State University • University Park, IL

19h

About The Position

The Department of Health Policy and Administration at the Penn State College of Health and Human Development in University Park, PA is seeking a Statistician to join a collaborative research team. The candidate will provide essential support by overseeing and advising on a variety of research projects relating to health policy, with an important ongoing project relating to the opioid settlement funds in Pennsylvania. The candidate will serve as the primary point of contact for Principal Investigators (PIs) on day-to-day research activities, and will interact directly with staff, faculty, and internal/external collaborators. This role will bridge technical statistical analysis with project management to support effective research execution and decision-making. This position is funded for 1 year(s); continuation past 1 year(s) will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, health policy, health services research, public administration, social sciences, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or managing research projects in an academic, policy, or applied research setting.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and priorities simultaneously.
• Experience coordinating with diverse stakeholders, including researchers, staff, administrators, and external collaborators.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience supporting manuscript preparation, reports, or other scholarly products.
• Experience with at least one programming language (e.g., Stata, R, or SAS).
• Experience with one data collection and management platform (e.g., REDCap or Qualtrics).
• Familiarity with research methods and data analysis (quantitative and/or qualitative).
• Experience organizing, managing, and documenting research data and project materials.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented research environment.
• 3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted.
• Required Certifications: None.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in public health, health policy, health services research, public administration, social sciences, or a related field; or a bachelor’s degree plus relevant professional experience.
• Experience working on health policy, public health, or related research projects.
• Experience supporting grant-funded research projects or contributing to grant proposal development.
• Experience coordinating manuscript submissions to peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience supervising or mentoring student or part-time research staff.

Responsibilities

• Execute research objectives outlined in funded projects in collaboration with the research teams.
• Assist with developing and oversee data management plans across multiple ongoing research projects.
• Perform data cleaning, validation, and statistical analysis using statistical software packages (e.g. R, or SAS).
• Develop and manage data collection workflows through REDCap or Qualtrics to ensure data integrity and accessibility.
• Interpret complex data to guide decision-making and support the preparation and communication of statistical findings through reports, presentations, written summaries, and data visualizations.
• Provide guidance on project planning with PIs.
• Plan, track, and ensure completion of project milestones and deliverables across multiple research initiatives, including the preparation of scholarly outputs.
• Lead cross-functional coordination between the research teams and external collaborators, aligning partner requirements with research goals and driving shared progress toward agreed-upon project outcomes.
• Develop workflow procedures to prioritize and assign research tasks.
• Manage and organize the timely collection of data related to all research projects.
• Participate in and contribute to short and long-term planning of activities supporting subsequent grant proposals for department projects.
• Assist with manuscript and abstract submissions and presentations by working collaboratively with PIs and project collaborators.
• Assist PIs with hiring, onboarding, and mentoring part-time wage staff.
• Provide administrative support as needed to PIs.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Robust retirement plans
• Substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time
• Generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees