Research Data Scientist

Engineering Management Student Association (EMSA); Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 106,000 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics in Los Angeles is seeking a Research Data Scientist (HR title: Research Programmer II) for a 1-year fixed-term, full-time position with a hybrid work arrangement. The role involves leading analyses on large-scale health care data, building analytic infrastructure, and mentoring junior staff to translate data into policy-relevant insights.

Requires a Master’s degree and 5+ years in statistical programming with SAS/R/Python, plus health data

Qualifications

• MA/MS in statistics, data science, economics, applied mathematics, or related quantitative field (or equivalent combined education and work experience)
• 5+ years of experience with statistical programming (e.g., SAS, R, Python)
• Experience with administrative health care claims data (Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial)
• Experience with SQL, data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake), and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS)
• Demonstrated experience leading analytic efforts and contributing to research projects
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop innovative solutions for complex data challenges
• Eligibility to work in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship available)

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute complex data analyses using large-scale health care data (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, commercial claims)
• Design and build data pipelines, research tools, and analytic infrastructure
• Ensure data quality and reproducibility through rigorous quality assurance processes
• Manage projects, including timelines, deliverables, and coordination with cross-functional team members
• Supervise and mentor junior staff
• Translate complex data into actionable insights to support policy-relevant research
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time

Skills

Statistical programming

Project leadership

Policy research

Data visualization

Education

Master's degree in a quantitative field

MA/MS in statistics, data science, economics, applied mathematics, or related field

Tools

SAS

R

Python

SQL

Snowflake

AWS

Job description

Research Data Scientist (HR title: Research Programmer II)

Los Angeles, CA

Full-time, one-year fixed term position (renewable) with a hybrid work arrangement.

The mission of the Schaeffer Center is to measurably improve value in health through evidence-based policy solutions, research excellence, transformative education, and private- and public-sector engagement.

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to work that has a meaningful impact on the transformation of health care and to apply advanced analytics to real-world policy questions using large-scale health care data.

• Lead and execute complex data analyses using large-scale health care data (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, commercial claims)
• Design and build data pipelines, research tools, and analytic infrastructure
• Ensure data quality and reproducibility through rigorous quality assurance processes
• Manage projects, including timelines, deliverables, and coordination with cross-functional team members
• Supervise and mentor junior staff
• Translate complex data into actionable insights to support policy-relevant research
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time

• MA/MS in statistics, data science, economics, applied mathematics, or related quantitative field (or equivalent combined education and work experience)
• 5+ years of experience with statistical programming (e.g., SAS, R, Python)
• Experience with administrative health care claims data (Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial)
• Experience with SQL, data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake), and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS)
• Demonstrated experience leading analytic efforts and contributing to research projects
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to develop innovative solutions for complex data challenges
• Eligibility to work in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship available)

• Experience in health economics, health policy, public health, or similar discipline
• 7+ years of experience with statistical programming
• Experience with CMS secure environments (e.g., VRDC, IDR) and NIA LINKAGE.
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted tools to enhance coding, data analysis, and workflow efficiency, including iterative or semi-automated workflows

Minimum Education: Master's Degree

The annual base salary range for this position is $105,664.88 - $122,141.81. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations. Commensurate with experience and qualifications. Position is 100% FTE

• Cover letter
• Resume/CV

Since its establishment in 2009, the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics (opens in new window) has served as an intellectual hub for health policy and health economics research at USC. The Schaeffer Center’s mission is to measurably improve value in health through evidence-based policy solutions, research excellence, and private and public sector engagement. The Center ranks 4th in the world in health economics (opens in new window), and is a trusted resource for Congress, federal agencies (including CMS, FDA, CBO, and NIH), and organizations such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Schaeffer Center is a collaboration between the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (opens in new window) and the USC Price School of Public Policy (opens in new window), and it is a flagship program of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service (opens in new window).

The USC Schaeffer Institute (opens in new window) develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, foster civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.

Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society.

Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.

The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy (opens in new window) generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (opens in new window) is located on the USC Health Sciences Campus, which includes the Keck Hospital of USC, the Norris Cancer Hospital, Doheny Eye Institute, and the flagship LAC+USC Medical Center, along with directing five university- and community-based pharmacies, adding a sixth in South Los Angeles in 2023. Ranked by US News and World Report as the #1 private pharmacy school in the United States, and the #2 overall school according to World Scholarship Forum, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is recognized for its more than century-long reputation for innovation and leadership in pharmaceutical education, practice, research, and service to the community and to the profession. The school uniquely spans the entire spectrum of pharmaceutical development and clinical care – from drug discovery to regulatory approaches that promote safety and innovation, from delivery of contemporary patient care services to evaluating the impact of care provision on patient outcomes and costs. The school’s dynamic faculty is involved in all levels of pharmacy education: from undergraduate majors to multiple MS and PhD graduate programs, from the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program with dual degree options to a wide variety of advanced clinical residency and fellowship training, and from laboratory to bedside learning experiences. The school has recently received a $50 million endowment from the Alfred E. Mann Foundation to name the school and to support student scholarships, faculty development and recruitment, and integrated biomedical innovation.

Minimum Education: Master's degree Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 3 years Minimum Skills: Relevant work experience to provide strong technical knowledge of programming and analysis as well as senior or lead experience. Demonstrated ability to stand in for researchers as circumstances require. Demonstrated creativity and innovation in solving conceptual programming problems. Preferred Experience: 5 years