Job Posting Title Senior COA Scientist, Scoring & Interpretation (M / W / D)

IQVIA; Berlin; Vor Ort; EUR 90.000 - 130.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

IQVIA is seeking a Senior COA Scientist to lead interpretation, documentation, and governance of COA scoring algorithms in clinical research. You will translate complex source materials into robust, implementation-ready requirements and resolve ambiguities in scoring logic and missing-data handling.

You will bridge COA documentation with downstream teams, ensuring scientifically meaningful scoring methods and standardized, scalable documentation practices across delivery models and technologies.

Qualifikationen

• 7+ years of COA science, outcomes research, psychometrics, or related roles.
• Experience with instrument development, validation, or interpretation.
• Familiarity with COA concepts, including domains, scoring structures, missing-data rules, interpretation.
• Experience translating scientific materials into structured documentation and specifications.
• Ability to evaluate ambiguous or incomplete source documentation and escalate as needed.
• Strong stakeholder management across scientific, operational, quantitative, and technical teams.
• Excellent written English and documentation discipline.

Aufgaben

• Provide scientific leadership across COA evaluation and implementation, ensuring outputs are robust and fit for clinical research use.
• Support best practices, review scientific deliverables, and strengthen scalable processes for COA work.
• Translate scoring manuals and source materials into validated scoring requirements and implementations.
• Define and document missing-data handling rules and interpretation guidance for COA scores.
• Collaborate with statisticians, programmers, product, and engineering teams to translate requirements into implementations.
• Investigate discrepancies and root causes to support robust resolution in COA processes.
• Serve as the scientific point of contact for COA queries and interpretation challenges.

Kenntnisse

COA science

Outcomes research

Psychometrics

Stakeholder management

English writing

Ausbildung

Advanced degree (PhD, MSc, MPH, PharmD, psychology, outcomes research, public health, psychometrics, epidemiology, health sciences, or related)

Jobbeschreibung

Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

Berlin, Germany

Full time

R1565981

Senior COA Scientist, Scoring and Interpretation

About the role

This role serves as a scientific lead for the interpretation, documentation, and governance of Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA) scoring algorithms. The position is responsible for translating complex source materials—including scoring manuals, publications, and author guidance—into scientifically robust, implementation-ready requirements, while resolving ambiguity in scoring logic, missing-data handling, and interpretation.

Acting as the critical bridge between COA source documentation and downstream statistical, product, engineering, and operational teams, the role ensures scoring methodologies are accurately implemented, clinically meaningful, and aligned with validated instrument standards.

The role also contributes to strengthening IQVIA’s scoring capability by developing reusable scientific assets, standardised documentation practices, and governance frameworks that enable consistent, high-quality deployment of scoring solutions across delivery models and technologies.

Role & Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership across COA evaluation and implementation, applying expertise in measure development, instrument documentation, scoring methodology, and interpretation to ensure outputs are scientifically robust and fit for clinical research use.
• Contribute to high-quality COA science across the organisation by supporting methodological best practices, reviewing scientific deliverables, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and strengthening scalable processes for both instrument-related and scoring-related work
• Interpret scoring manuals, instrument documentation, publications, and related source materials to define scientifically valid, implementation-ready scoring requirements, including score structures, derivations, recoding, transformations, weighting, conditional logic, among others.
• Define and document missing-data handling rules, minimum completion thresholds, suppression logic, and other algorithm requirements where source guidance is incomplete, ambiguous, or complex.
• Assess and document interpretation guidance associated with COA scores, including severity bands, score meaning, benchmarks, and other clinically relevant interpretation outputs where supported.
• Identify, evaluate, and resolve ambiguities in scoring methodology, escalating appropriately when scientific judgement, author clarification, or senior SME input is required.
• Partner with statisticians, programmers, product, and engineering teams to translate scientific requirements into validated scoring implementations.
• Investigate discrepancies, implausible outputs, and scoring-related issues to determine root cause and support robust resolution.
• Serve as the scientific point of contact for internal queries related to scoring logic, interpretation, algorithm complexity, and implementation feasibility.
• Contribute to standard templates, SOPs, review checklists, and reusable scientific assets that improve the quality, consistency, and scalability of scoring operations.

Required Qualifications - our ideal candidate will have

• Advanced degree (PhD, MSc, MPH, PharmD, psychology, outcomes research, public health, psychometrics, epidemiology, health sciences, or related discipline).
• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in COA science, outcomes research, psychometrics, patient‑centred research, or closely related scientific roles within pharma, CRO, healthcare research, or instrument development.
• Experience with instrument development, validation, psychometric evidence, or interpretation / meaningful‑change work.
• Deep familiarity with COA concepts, including domains, scoring structures, recall periods, missing‑data rules, interpretation, and fit‑for‑purpose use in clinical research.
• Strong, demonstrable experience interpreting and applying scoring methodologies for clinical outcome assessments, including at least some experience beyond simple sum or average scoring.
• Demonstrable experience translating scientific source materials into structured documentation, specifications, reports, or implementation guidance.
• Ability to evaluate ambiguous or incomplete source documentation and make sound, well‑documented scientific judgements or escalations.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to work across scientific, operational, quantitative, and technical teams.
• Excellent written English and strong documentation discipline.

Additional Requirements

• Experience supporting regulated or audit‑sensitive clinical research workflows.
• Experience supervising or reviewing work from more junior scientists, analysts, or cross‑functional partners.

THIS ROLE IS NOT OPEN TO VISA SPONSORSHIP. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CV IN ENGLISH

IQVIA is a leading global provider of clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries. We create intelligent connections to accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments to help improve patient outcomes and population health worldwide. Learn more at https://jobs.iqvia.com

IQVIA is committed to integrity in our hiring process and maintains a zero tolerance policy for candidate fraud. All information and credentials submitted in your application must be truthful and complete. Any false statements, misrepresentations, or material omissions during the recruitment process will result in immediate disqualification of your application, or termination of employment if discovered later, in accordance with applicable law. We appreciate your honesty and professionalism.

IQVIA is a leading global provider of clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries. We create connections that accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments. Everything we do is part of a journey to improve patient outcomes and population health worldwide.

To get there, we seek out diverse talent with curious minds and a relentless commitment to innovation and impact. No matter your role, everyone at IQVIA contributes to our shared goal of helping customers improve the lives of patients everywhere. Thank you for your interest in growing your career with us.

EEO Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled