Head of Statistics

Headwater Science; Raleigh (NC); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) with company match

Generous PTO and holidays

Paid parental leave

Hybrid role in RTP, NC

Job summary

Headwater Science, a data science and methods partner, is seeking a Senior Statistical Leader to drive real-world evidence and causal inference strategies. You will shape the statistics roadmaps, supervise statisticians, and collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Operations to ensure rigorous analyses and regulatory-grade results.

Proven leadership in complex observational studies, familiarity with regulatory expectations, and a strong R background are essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or related quantitative field.
• 4+ years post-doc in causal inference, advanced epidemiology, and real-world data.
• Led observational studies with publications or regulatory use.
• Deep expertise in causal inference for real-world data: target trials, IP weighting, MSMs.
• Translate statistical needs into product requirements and API designs with engineers.
• Strong R experience: package development, testing, profiling.
• Collaborate with software engineers in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead senior statistical contributions on research pods and validate analyses.
• Architect statistical designs for causal estimation under confounding, missingness.
• Develop SAPs, code, figures, and outputs for validity and reproducibility.
• Support quality and compliance with audit trails and reproducibility standards.
• Mentor statisticians, set standards, and uplevel engineers and PMs on methods.

Skills

Causal inference

Advanced epidemiology

Real-world data

Statistical software development

API design

R programming

Education

PhD in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or related quantitative field

Tools

R

CI/CD

Quarto/R Markdown

Job description

Overview

Headwater Science (formerly NoviSci) is a data science and methods company specializing in principled, reproducible evidence generation for complex clinical and regulatory challenges. With deep expertise in comparative effectiveness, causal inference, healthcare utilization and expenditure research, and regulatory-grade analytical software, Headwater Science provides the methodological foundation that delivers reproducible analytic pipelines, novel epidemiologic and statistical methods, and regulatory-grade software validated to hold up under the most demanding scrutiny. The company works with life sciences organizations as a long-term scientific partner. Headwater Science is a Highlander Health company. Learn more at headwaterscience.com.

Statistical leadership & strategy

• In collaboration with the Head of Statistical Software Development, define and execute the statistical methods roadmap across products and services
• Serve as the functional center of excellence for statistical rigor, methods standardization, code reproducibility, and adoption of advanced causal inference and epidemiologic methods for real-world data
• Lead the development and implementation of causal inference, advanced epidemiologic, and statistical methods for real-world evidence generation, ensuring scientific rigor, transparency, and reproducibility
• Guide the design of longitudinal and observational study workflows, including uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analyses
• Represent Headwater’s statistical perspective with external partners, clients, collaborators, and at scientific venues as a subject-matter expert

Product partnership (requirements, architecture, APIs)

• Collaborate with Product, Statistical Software Development, and Engineering to:
• Translate statistical and methodological needs into product requirements and roadmaps
• Advise on high-level system and architecture decisions
• Co-design API specifications (inputs/outputs, parameterization, defaults, error handling, diagnostics) and review PRDs/tech specs for statistical fidelity
• Provide reference implementations and simulation harnesses used as ground truth for verification; help design CI checks and validation datasets
• Establish documentation standards for methods notes, assumptions, and user-facing guidance

High-value scientific delivery

• Serve as a senior statistical contributor on select research pods, providing high-level expertise, validating analyses, and pioneering new methods
• Architect statistical designs for causal estimation of complex interventions under confounding, missingness, and dependent censoring
• Develop and review statistical analysis plans (SAPs), code, figures, and outputs for validity, reproducibility, and regulatory readiness
• Support quality and compliance processes in partnership with the Head of Operations, ensuring analysis validation, audit trails, and reproducibility standards are met

Thought partnership for clients

• Act as a senior statistical advisor to client teams (HEOR, Med Affairs, Epi); help mature their internal evidence pipelines and governance
• Evaluate statistical methodology choices for complex study designs, including distributed and federated analyses
• Guide clients on methods choices for regulatory submissions and HTA assessments

Team building & mentorship

• Serve as functional manager for all statisticians: hire, mentor, train, and conduct performance reviews
• Develop and enforce standards and SOPs for statistical analysis, code reproducibility, and methods adoption across the statistics group
• Foster a rigorous, supportive, and learning-oriented culture within the statistics functional group
• Uplevel engineers and PMs on statistical, advanced epidemiologic methods, including causal inference; uplevel statisticians on software craft (versioning, testing, CI/CD, profiling)

Required background

• PhD (or equivalent) in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or a related quantitative field
• 4+ years of post-doctoral experience spanning causal inference, advanced epidemiologic methods, statistical software development, and real-world data (claims, EHR, registries)
• Demonstrated track record of leading complex observational studies through publication and/or regulatory use
• Deep, hands-on expertise in causal inference and advanced epidemiologic methods for real-world data, including:
• Target trial emulation
• IP weighted estimators for confounding, missingness, and censoring
• Clone-censor-weighted estimation of dynamic treatment regimens
• Marginal structural models (MSMs), IPTW, and IPCW
• Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis
• Proven ability to translate statistical and methodological requirements into product requirements, architecture trade-offs, and API designs in close partnership with engineering
• Strong experience with R, including package development, testing, and performance profiling
• Experience collaborating closely with software engineers in a production or near-production environment
• Evidence of thought leadership (publications, invited talks, open-source contributions, or methods papers)

Nice-to-have background

• Experience designing statistical APIs or platforms used by external customers
• Familiarity with regulatory expectations for RWE (e.g., FDA, EMA guidance on real-world evidence)
• Experience with CMS/Medicaid data governance and multi-source linkage/tokenization
• Prior experience managing or mentoring senior statisticians or data scientists
• Experience working in a fast-paced, product-driven or startup environment
• Comfort with protocol/report generators and figure/table QA pipelines (e.g., Quarto/R Markdown)
• Fluency with AI/ML coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor) and comfort incorporating them into statistical programming and reproducible research workflows

What We Offer You

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family
• 401(k) with company match
• Generous PTO and company holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Hybrid role: Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

If you are ready to be part of a team where your work truly matters—where your expertise is valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions help shape the future of healthcare—Headwater Science is the place for you. We’re building something meaningful together, and we’d love for you to be a part of it.

Headwater Science is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds and abilities.