Principal Research Associate- Long-Term & Post-Acute Care Policy

29479

Principal Research Associate
- Long-Term & Post-Acute Care Policy

US - Nationwide

Westat is a leader in research, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, evaluation, and communications. Our evidence-based findings help clients in government and the private sector accelerate advancements in health, education, transportation, and social and economic policy. Our dedication to improving lives through research and our approach to projects grounded in investigative curiosity, statistical and data rigor, adaptive methods, and advanced technology are why clients find exceptional value in our work.

Westat has an opening for a Principal Research Associate with demonstrated subject matter expertise in gerontology, specifically in designing and conducting research on topics pertaining to healthcare quality measurement, workforce, and federal regulations as they relate to Medicare, long-term and post-acute care.

The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting healthcare analytics, statistical programming, reporting, and task management, and will work across multidisciplinary teams to support a variety of health services research projects focused on health care delivery, policy, and quality improvement.

We value regular in-person collaboration and preference will be given to candidates who can work 2 days per week at our Bethesda, Maryland office or at one of our other Westat office locations. Candidates must be based in the U.S. to be considered for a fully remote work arrangement.

• Serving in various technical roles using quantitative research methods for a variety of large, complex projects for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal clients, such as the Administration for Community Living.
• Independently conducting data programming and analysis using SAS, SQL, Python, R, Databricks or other statistical packages to ingest, link, clean, create, and manipulate data.
• Designing and leading projects and tasks using quantitative methods
• Conducting quantitative analysis, interpreting results, and preparing internal and client-facing reports and deliverables.
• Providing project leadership, including overseeing project staff.
• Communicating quantitative results verbally and in writing for a variety of internal and external audiences.
• Managing projects and tasks, including budgets, deliverables and timelines
• Serving as a technical lead or writer on proposals for government clients and contributing to strategic growth and business development activities.

• A master's degree in a relevant discipline including, but not limited to economics, statistics, public health, or computer science, and 8+ years of experience working in a healthcare-related field with progressively increasing responsibilities or a PhD and 5+ years of experience working in a healthcare-related field with progressively increasing responsibilities.
• Deep understanding of federal survey and certification and regulations for nursing homes.
• Quantitative expertise using SAS, SQL, Python, R, Databricks or other programming languages.
• Ability to summarize or synthesize information for different audiences and purposes.
• Experience conducting health services research independently and on multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience managing projects, including budgets, timelines and multidisciplinary staff.
• Ability to work on multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.

• Experience working with CMS data, including the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and Medicare claims data.
• Demonstrated track record of expertise in long-term and post-acute care, as evidenced through publications and/or experience securing research funding.

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