| JOB SUMMARY: |
NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking a Senior Research Associate I to join the Health Care Programs Research Department. The Health Care Programs team provides data-driven research, policy and program analysis, and technical assistance to a mix of clients including the federal and state governments and foundations.
Work Location
This is a hybrid role based in either our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office. Remote work status may be considered for outstanding candidates.
Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
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| DEPARTMENT: Health Care Programs Research |
NORC’s Health Care Programs team provides a wide array of services and expertise to support federal and state government and foundation clients in addressing health system transformation and delivery, payment reform and implementation, and a range of policy issues facing public health insurance programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace coverage.
NORC’s expert staff has extensive knowledge of all aspects of health care delivery, from private marketplaces and employer-sponsored insurance to Medicare and Medicaid; from large health care systems to small clinics; and from the needs of children to those of older adults, and people with disabilities. Our expert team includes social scientists that acquire, collect, and analyze data from health care organizations and patients; evaluators; health services researchers; health-policy analysts; and professionals with first-hand experience running and supporting health care programs.
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| RESPONSIBILITIES: |
- Contribute to the design and implementation of key project tasks in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers.
- Lead key tasks in technical assistance, research design, data collection, and analysis, while supporting the project manager with timely project management and production of deliverables.
- Plan and implement a wide range of data collection methods and activities.
- Assist with quantitative and qualitative data analysis and synthesis.
- Lead the drafting of reports and presentations for clients and professional meetings.
- Author sections of technical reports, white papers, key findings from analyses, and other project deliverables.
- Perform task level project management duties such as monitoring budgets, tracking schedules, and following quality guidelines.
- Engage in key roles for business development coordination, writing and budgeting tasks.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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| REQUIRED SKILLS: |
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- Bachelor's Degree; Masters' degree strongly preferred in Health Policy, Public Health, or other related field.
- Minimum three (3) years' research experience which includes playing a lead role in managing and driving tasks including:
- technical assistance and support
- literature reviews and environmental scans to produce finding and recommendations.
- survey design, administration, and analysis
- qualitative data collection methods such as key informant interviews, site visits, and focus groups.
- Demonstrated experience working with CMS Data Use Agreements (DUAs) and data request processes, including preparing, reviewing, and managing requests for Research Identifiable File (RIF) data files and ensuring compliance with CMS requirements.
- Knowledge of CMS data assets (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, claims, and survey data) and their appropriate use in health services research, including understanding strengths, limitations, and common analytic use cases.
- Strong familiarity with CMS data privacy, security, and disclosure review policies, including HIPAA requirements and CMS cell suppression and data release guidelines.
- Strong analytic ability, writing and organizational skills are required.
- Experience with quantitative/qualitative analysis is preferred, including working knowledge of SAS, SPSS, NVivo or other statistical data analysis packages.
- Experience and familiarity with Medicaid or other health care programs for vulnerable populations is a plus, especially state-level health programs preferred.
- Must demonstrate effective workplace competencies including
- Attentiveness to detailed tasks, strong organizational skills, and ability to meet requirements of multiple assignments simultaneously,
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively as part of a team,
- Effective written and verbal communication,
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including MS Teams.
- Occasional travel for site visits and meetings may be required.
- Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
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| SALARY AND BENEFITS: |
The pay range for this position is $71,000 to $85,000.
This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:
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Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
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Dental and vision insurance
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A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
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Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
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Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate’s placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs.
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| WHAT WE DO: |
NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.
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| WHO WE ARE: |
For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.
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| EEO STATEMENT: |
NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.
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