Director of Data and Analytics

Job Summary

The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) is a university-wide initiative dedicated to interdisciplinary research focused on population change, socioeconomic development, and public health. The HCPDS is seeking a full-time, experienced Director of Data and Analytics to serve on its NIH‑funded study, Health and Aging in Africa:
Longitudinal Studies in South Africa (HAALSA). HAALSA explores aging in South Africa, focusing on cognitive health, cardiometabolic disease, HIV and treatment, public policies, social determinants of health, and health inequalities. The Director will oversee research analyses for multiple papers related to the study’s aims, supervise data management processes, and provide hands‑on support for manuscript development.

• Leads and oversees research plans for papers related to project aims
• Supports and reviews manuscript development, including co‑authorship and contribution to scientific publications with co‑investigators
• Supervises data management processes, including quality assurance protocols and public‑use dataset development to ensure consistency across outputs
• Directs technical project activities, including analytic dataset production and data analysis
• Oversees the public release of data and ensures timely and appropriate dissemination of research findings
• Leads the identification and adoption of innovative statistical methods to address evolving analytic challenges and enhance the scientific impact of HAALSA outputs
• Oversees and coordinates statistical and data management activities across projects to ensure alignment with study goals and timelines
• Oversees the development of analytic tools and resources addressing key data challenges
• Provides strategic oversight and guidance on statistical approaches across HAALSA projects, ensuring methodological rigor and alignment with study objectives
• Reviews and advises on the selection and implementation of statistical methods, including complex longitudinal analyses and advanced modelling techniques, in collaboration with the Senior Statistical Analyst
• Reviews statistical outputs, models, and results to ensure quality, reproducibility, and readiness for publication and reporting
• Oversees the preparation of analytic datasets and ensures adherence to data management and documentation standards
• Leads cross‑team coordination of analytic workflows and communication among investigators, data managers, and collaborators in the US and South Africa
• Oversees progress on analytic deliverables and timelines across multiple analyses and studies
• Provides direct supervision of the Senior Statistical Analyst and Data Manager, including direction on task prioritization, workflow, and project activities
• Other duties as assigned

• Master’s Degree in Biostatistics, Statistics, or a closely‑related field
• 5+ years of related experience
• Experience with statistical software such as SAS, R, Stata, etc.

• Master’s degree or higher in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, or related field with two or more years of post‑doctoral training/experience preferred
• Doctoral level degree a plus
• Prior experience with longitudinal observational studies
• Experience managing budgets
• Experience working on NIH studies
• Experience with IRB protocol preparation/compliance
• Prior capacity building experience
• Experience with US Health and Retirement Survey or sister study (with longitudinal data)
• Experience and/or strong interest in low‑income, low‑literacy settings
• Experience managing or contributing to longitudinal observational research studies, including primary data collection and cohort‑based research
• Experience supporting NIH‑funded research and IRB protocol preparation/compliance
• Experience working with health‑related research in low‑ and middle‑income countries, including field‑based research, medical record data, or longitudinal cohort studies
• Experience with large‑scale longitudinal datasets such as the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) or related international sister studies
• Experience developing survey instruments and working with computer‑assisted personal interviewing…