Sr Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis

At the American Cancer Society, we're working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Our employees and 1.3 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities.

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

This is a fully remote position; however, candidates located in Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA, are strongly preferred. We also welcome applicants residing elsewhere on the West Coast. Proximity to Portland is preferred to support occasional in-person team meetings and collaboration.

The Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis serves as a working principal investigator (PI) or co-PI to lead the design, conduct, and dissemination of high-quality systematic evidence reviews (e.g., systematic reviews, living systematic reviews, rapid reviews) to inform ACS guidelines for the early detection of cancer.

• Lead and conduct all stages of systematic evidence reviews, including protocol development, study selection, critical appraisal, data abstraction, and quantitative and qualitative synthesis
• Critically evaluate the quality and applicability of included research studies, and assess the strength of the body of evidence for selected outcomes
• Lead communication of findings; write presentations, reports, and manuscripts for journal publication; review, edit, and combine sections written by project team members
• Communicate and manage relationships with internal and external subject matter experts and interest holders
• Manage administration of systematic evidence reviews by delegating tasks, providing guidance, and monitoring progress for review team members of various backgrounds (BA/BS, MPH, MD, PhD, etc.)
• Ensure adherence to project deadlines
• Develop working knowledge of current cancer screening practices and guidelines for relevant ACS cancer screening guideline topics
• Use appropriate software and tools to manage each project (e.g., DistillerSR, End Note, data visualization tools); train project team members to use relevant software and tools

• Coordinate with CrEST leadership and the CECDS guideline development team to determine scope of evidence needs for cancer screening topics
• Communicate project updates and disseminate findings to the CECDS guideline development team and ACS Guideline Development Group

• Provide subject matter expertise, peer-review, etc.
• Represent ACS at professional meetings
• Perform ad-hoc evidence tasks for ACS CAN or ACS leadership
• Participate in other research tasks as assigned

• Participate in staff recruitment efforts (screening, interviewing, etc.)
• Supervise, train, and mentor junior research staff
• Provide formal and informal leadership, oversight, mentoring, training, and guidance to volunteers and research team members
• Professional development; maintain and apply working knowledge of systematic review methods

• Master's degree in public health, health policy/services, or related field AND a minimum of 5 years of experience working with and leading teams conducting systematic evidence reviews, health technology assessments, or rapid reviews.
• Research methods employed in epidemiology and/or clinical research, including study design and basic biostatistics, current systematic evidence review methods
• Prefer advanced or specialized knowledge in at least one of the following areas: medicine or clinical practice, epidemiology, biostatistics, meta-analysis, genetics, biomarkers, data visualization, and/or artificial intelligence

• Ability to translate complex findings into digestible and actionable written research products
• Outstanding organization and prioritization skills, including the ability to coordinate and complete multiple large projects simultaneously, on time, and with minimal supervision
• Ability to communicate effectively to scientific/technical audiences and non-clinical policymakers
• Excellent writing, grammatical, and proofreading skills, including the ability to follow a variety of style guides
• Proficiency in evidence synthesis, including:
• conducting systematic reviews or health technology assessments
• conducting critical appraisal of scientific literature using…