Senior Evaluation Scientist - Research Scientist

Senior Evaluation Scientist - Research Scientist 3

At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well‑being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.

Join the Minnesota Department of Health as a Research Scientist 3 and play a key role in shaping the future of rural health care across Minnesota. This position leads high‑impact research, evaluation, and performance measurement activities for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), helping state and federal leaders understand what works to improve access, quality, sustainability, and outcomes in rural communities.

In this role, you will design and lead complex mixed‑methods research studies, develop statewide performance measurement frameworks, analyze large and complex datasets, and translate findings into actionable policy recommendations. You will collaborate with Tribal Nations, rural providers, policymakers, grantees, and national partners to inform health care transformation efforts and support data‑driven decision‑making that directly impacts rural and underserved Minnesotans.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead the design, implementation, and reporting of statewide performance measurement and evaluation frameworks for RHTP‑funded initiatives.
• Conduct advanced quantitative and qualitative research studies related to rural health systems, access to care, workforce, and service delivery innovation.
• Analyze complex healthcare and program data using statistical software and develop dashboards, reports, and data visualizations for diverse audiences.
• Develop policy recommendations and communicate research findings to executive leadership, legislators, CMS, providers, and community stakeholders.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to support data collection, quality assurance, federal reporting, and continuous quality improvement efforts.

Occasional travel to meetings across the state is required.

This vacancy announcement will be used to fill multiple Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) Senior Evaluation Scientist positions.

In accordance with HR/LR Policy #1422 Telework, this position is eligible for up to 50% telework for applicants who live in Minnesota or in a bordering state within 50 miles of the assigned work location. Candidates residing outside of Minnesota or in a bordering state within 50 miles of the assigned work location at the time of application must be able to relocate to Minnesota within 30 days of their start date.

The telework policy may exempt employees who live more than 50 miles from their primary work location from the 50% in‑office requirement, depending on job requirements, helping the State of Minnesota access top talent across the state.

• Four (4) years of experience in health‑related qualitative and quantitative survey research, performance measurement, and program evaluation.
• Experience using statistical analysis software such as SAS, Stata, R, SPSS, SQL, or similar tools.
• Associates degree: 6 months experience credit.
• Master’s degree: 18 months experience credit.
• Ph.D. degree: 24 months experience credit.
• Experience designing and conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research studies or program evaluations.
• Experience with implementing and managing performance measurement frameworks for large‑scale grant programs, healthcare initiatives, or system transformation efforts.
• Experience with developing meaningful, actionable, and feasible metrics that align with program goals, federal reporting requirements, and operational realities.
• Experience collecting, validating, cleaning, managing, or interpreting quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources.
• Strong written communication skills sufficient to prepare technical reports, briefing materials, or research summaries.

• Experience conducting health services research, rural health research, or healthcare…