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The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics is seeking a Research Data Scientist (HR title: Research Programmer II) to support cutting-edge health policy and economics research through advanced analytics, data infrastructure development, and project leadership. This role is part of a state-of-the-art data core and collaborates closely with principal investigators and a multidisciplinary research team. This is a full-time, one-year fixed term position (renewable) with a hybrid work arrangement.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and execute complex data analyses using large-scale health care data (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, commercial claims)
• Design and build data pipelines, research tools, and analytic infrastructure
• Ensure data quality and reproducibility through rigorous quality assurance processes
• Manage projects, including timelines, deliverables, and coordination with cross-functional team members
• Supervise and mentor junior staff
• Translate complex data into actionable insights to support policy-relevant research

Required Qualifications:

• MA/MS in statistics, data science, economics, applied mathematics, or related quantitative field (or equivalent combined education and work experience)
• 5+ years of experience with statistical programming (e.g., SAS, R, Python)
• Experience with administrative health care claims data (Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial)
• Experience with SQL, data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake), and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS)
• Demonstrated experience leading analytic efforts and contributing to research projects
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop innovative solutions for complex data challenges
• Eligibility to work in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship available)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in health economics, health policy, public health, or similar discipline
• 7+ years of experience with statistical programming
• Experience with CMS secure environments (e.g., VRDC, IDR) and NIA LINKAGE.
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted tools to enhance coding, data analysis, and workflow efficiency, including iterative or semi-automated workflows

Minimum Education:

Master's Degree

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this position is $106,012.83 - $125,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Position is 100% FTE

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents

Cover letter

Resume/CV

Minimum Education: Master's degree

Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 3 years

Minimum Skills: Relevant work experience to provide strong technical knowledge of programming and analysis as well as senior or lead experience. Demonstrated ability to stand in for researchers as circumstances require. Demonstrated creativity and innovation in solving conceptual programming problems.

Preferred Experience: 5 years

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