Data Scientist – CAHPS Analytic

Alignment Healthcare USA, LLC in; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Alignment Health seeks a mission-driven Data Scientist focused on CAHPS within the Stars program. You will model survey response behavior, identify drivers of CAHPS scores, and translate insights into interventions that impact Star Rating cut points.

You will collaborate with leadership across Stars, member experience, and operations to deploy end-to-end analytics and dashboards for enterprise-wide CAHPS insights.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS/Engineering/Math/Statistics or related field required.
• 2+ years of predictive modeling experience with survey or member data.
• Demonstrated CMS/NCQA CAHPS knowledge and methodology.
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, SQL; familiarity with NLP and dashboards.
• Experience with cloud ecosystems (Azure or AWS) is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Stars, member experience, and operations leaders to drive CAHPS insights.
• Segment members by response likelihood and predicted satisfaction for outreach.
• Build models for CAHPS domain scores and track performance drivers.
• Analyze item-level CAHPS data to identify drivers of measures.
• Develop pipelines for CAHPS survey cycles and CMS/NCQA adjustments.
• Create dashboards showing CAHPS performance vs Star Rating cut points.

Skills

Predictive modeling

CAHPS methodology

Python

R

SQL

NLP

C++

Scala

Cloud (Azure)

Cloud (AWS)

Education

PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or related field

Tools

SQL databases

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Alignment Health is breaking the mold in conventional health care, committed to serving seniors and those who need it most: the chronically ill and frail. It takes an entire team of passionate and caring people, united in our mission to put the senior first. We have built a team of talented and experienced people who are passionate about transforming the lives of the seniors we serve. In this fast-growing company, you will find ample room for growth and innovation alongside the Alignment Health community. Working at Alignment Health provides an opportunity to do work that really matters, not only changing lives but saving them. Together. Alignment Healthcare is a data and technology driven healthcare company focused on partnering with health systems, health plans, and provider groups to provide care delivery that is preventive, convenient, coordinated, and that results in improved clinical outcomes for seniors. We are seeking a mission-driven Data Scientist to join our growing Stars team, with a primary focus on CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) — the member experience survey component of our Star Ratings strategy. This role is responsible for modeling member survey response and satisfaction behavior, identifying the operational and service drivers behind CAHPS measure performance, and translating those insights into targeted interventions that move specific Star Rating cut points. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of healthcare, member experience, and survey methodology — directly shaping the strategy behind one of the most influential and least understood components of the Star Ratings program.

Job Duties/Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Stars, member experience, and operations leaders to understand CAHPS performance drivers and translate them into analytical solutions.
• Segment members by likelihood to respond to the CAHPS survey and by predicted satisfaction, to prioritize outreach and intervention.
• Build and fine-tune models predicting member-level risk of low CAHPS domain scores, including Getting Needed Care, Getting Appointments and Care Quickly, Customer Service, Care Coordination, Rating of Health Care Quality, and Rating of Health Plan.
• Analyze item-level CAHPS survey data, not just composite or domain scores, to isolate which specific survey questions are driving measure performance.
• Build pipelines that track CAHPS survey administration cycles — sampling, fielding, and response rates — and validate case-mix adjustment logic against CMS/NCQA methodology.
• Model statistical significance and year-over-year variance to distinguish genuine performance shifts from survey noise or sampling error.
• Coordinate with CAHPS survey vendors on sampling methodology, fielding timelines, and case-mix adjustment specifications.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to version, test, and deploy models using Git, CI/CD pipelines, and virtual machine (VM) environments.
• Partner with member experience, call center, provider network, Compliance, and Legal teams to ensure CAHPS-related data outputs and interventions align with CMS guidance.
• Build dashboards tracking measure-level CAHPS performance against Star Rating cut points and prior-year trend for each domain.
• Help standardize definitions, documentation logic, and reporting workflows to scale CAHPS analytics enterprise-wide

Supervisory responsibilities

N/A

Minimum Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Experience

2+ years of relevant experience in predictive modeling and analysis, with demonstrated application to survey-based or member experience data.

Education/Licensure

Required: PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field.

Domain Expertise (Required)

Demonstrated experience with CMS/NCQA CAHPS survey methodology, including case-mix adjustment, sampling and fielding cycles, and item response theory or other psychometric methods. Working knowledge of individual CAHPS measure domains: Getting Needed Care, Getting Appointments and Care Quickly, Customer Service, Care Coordination, Rating of Health Care Quality, and Rating of Health Plan. Working knowledge of CMS Star Ratings procedures, including how CAHPS measures are weighted, cut-point determined, and incorporated into the overall Star Rating.

Other

Excellent communication, analytical, and collaborative problem-solving skills. Experience building end-to-end data science solutions and applying machine learning methods to real-world problems with measurable outcomes. Solid data structures and algorithms background. Strong programming skills in one of the following: Python, Java, R, Scala, or C++. Demonstrated proficiency in SQL and relational databases. Experience with data visualization and presentation, turning complex survey analysis into clear, actionable insight for non-technical stakeholders. Experience setting experimental or analytical frameworks for complex, ambiguous scenarios. Understanding of relevant statistical measures such as confidence intervals, significance of error measurement, and development/evaluation data sets. Experience manipulating and analyzing complex, high-volume, high-dimensionality, and unstructured data from varying sources.

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare experience, particularly within Medicare Advantage.
• Experience applying NLP techniques to open-ended survey comment analysis.
• Experience in cloud ecosystems such as Azure or AWS.
• Published work in academic conferences or industry circles related to survey methodology, psychometrics, or member experience measurement.
• Demonstrable track record dealing well with ambiguity, prioritizing needs, and delivering results in an agile, dynamic environment.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Physical Functions

1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee regularly is required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
2. The employee frequently lifts and/or moves up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Pay Range

$149,882.00 - $224,823.00 Pay range may be based on a number of factors including market location, education, responsibilities, experience, etc.

Alignment Health is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Alignment Health is championing a new path in senior care that empowers members to age well and live their most vibrant lives. Our mission-focused team makes high-quality, low-cost care a reality for members every day. Alignment Health is breaking the mold in conventional health care, committed to serving seniors and those who need it most. We believe that great work comes from people who are inspired to be their best. We've built a team of people who want to make a difference in the lives of the seniors we serve. Come join the team that is changing health care — one person at a time.