Qualitative Research and Policy Specialist - Research Scientist

Position: Qualitative Research and Policy Specialist - Research Scientist 3
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* Working Title:

Qualitative Research and Policy Specialist*
* ** Job Class:
Research Scientist 3*
* ** Agency:
Human Services Dept*
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** Job ** : 98119

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** Location** :
St. Paul

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** Telework Eligible** :
Yes

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** Full/Part Time** :
Full-Time

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** Regular/Temporary** :
Unlimited

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** Who May Apply** :
Open to all qualified job seekers

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** Date Posted** : 10/30/2026

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** Closing Date** : 11/19/2026

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** Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit** :
Human Services Dept / MAPE DHS Central Office

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** Division/Unit** :
Health Care Administration / Office of Medicaid Medical Director

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** Work Shift/Work Hours** :
Day Shift / 8:00am - 4:30pm

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** Days of Work** :
Monday - Friday

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** Travel Required** :
No

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** Salary Range:**  $37.91 - $56.39 / hourly; $79,156 - $117,742 / annually

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** Classified Status** :
Classified

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** Bargaining Unit/Union** : 214 - MN Assoc of Professional Empl/MAPE

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** FLSA Status** :
Exempt - Professional

+ Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./connect
700/) :
Yes

The Department of Human Services is unable to provide sponsorship for work visas. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States at the start of employment. DHS does not participate in E-Verify.

** The work you'll do is more than just a job.*
* 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.

** This position is eligible for telework for applicants who reside in Minnesota or in a bordering state, with supervisory approval and satisfactory performance. If you live in a state bordering Minnesota, you must live within 50 miles or less from the primary work location to be eligible for telework.*
* This position provides expert-level qualitative research, methodological design, and policy translation across the Office of the Medicaid Medical Director (OMMD), which works across four domains:
Clinical Integration and Innovation, Advancing Health Equity, Community Engagement, and Research and Analytics. This work spans OMMD's portfolio, from integrated care models and health equity analyses to shared governance structures such as the MAC/BAC and the implementation of federal changes to Medical Assistance and Minnesota Care, including H.R. 1. Ultimately, the goal of this position is to bring increased rigor to how OMMD listens to communities and providers, turning input from listening sessions, focus groups, co-design processes, and surveys into findings that can withstand scrutiny and drive actionable policy change.

This position leads qualitative work across the team from start to finish, including study design, codebook development and refinement, coding, theme construction and analysis, integration with claims and administrative data, and writing for legislative reports, federal deliverables, and peer-reviewed publications. This position also builds the qualitative capacity across OMMD and DHS by setting methodological standards, directing and reviewing the analytic work of others, and developing qualitative data infrastructure.

** Minimum Qualifications*
* Three (3) years of research experience leading qualitative or mixed-methods research.

Experience must demonstrate:

+ Leading the full qualitative analysis process, including designing qualitative data collection and informed consent tools, completing IRB review protocols, collecting qualitative data through focus groups, interviews, open-ended survey items, observations, and document analysis, developing and refining a codebook, coding data using deductive, inductive, or hybrid approaches, constructing themes, and interpreting findings in relation to the research questions.

+ Ensuring the trustworthiness of qualitative findings through methodologically appropriate practices such as reflexivity, consensus coding, peer debriefing, triangulation, member reflection, and audit trails.

+ Writing qualitative methods and findings sections that clearly document the analytic approach, reflexivity, and trustworthiness practices and present themes supported by participant data, in products such as peer-reviewed manuscripts or formal research or evaluation reports.

+ Using qualitative data analysis…