Research Investigator II

Kaiser Permanente; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Permanente seeks a senior researcher to build and maintain an innovative research program, securing internal and external funding and ensuring compliance with award requirements. The role oversees fiscal management, budgets, and staff allocation across complex studies.

Responsibilities include mentoring, developing proposals, and disseminating findings to clinical partners and national audiences, while promoting best practices in data collection, privacy, and safety.

Qualifications

• Ambiguity/uncertainty management required for complex research projects.
• Attention to detail across study design, data handling, and reporting.
• Strong business knowledge and understanding of research funding processes.
• Clear communication with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Critical thinking to evaluate research methods and results.
• Ability to collaborate across groups and manage stakeholders.
• Decision making in prioritizing projects and resource allocation.
• Dependability in meeting timelines and compliance requirements.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research activities.
• Ability to drive results and lead projects to completion.
• Facilitation skills for mentoring and presenting findings.
• Understanding of the health care industry context.
• Ability to influence and persuade stakeholders.
• Maintaining integrity and ethical standards in research.
• Learning agility to adapt to evolving regulations.
• Commercial/organizational savvy in grant processes.
• Strong problem solving across research challenges.
• Teamwork across multidisciplinary teams.
• Effective topic-specific communication for scientific audiences.

Responsibilities

• Promotes learning and drives projects forward with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Manages complex research projects ensuring compliance with funding requirements.
• Leads mentoring and professional development activities.
• Oversees research budgets, timelines, and staff allocation for large studies.
• Leads development and pre-award activities for complex proposals.
• Disseminates research findings through publications and presentations.
• Participates in scientific community activities and grant review processes.

Skills

Ambiguity Management

Attention to Detail

Business Knowledge

Communication

Critical Thinking

Cross-Group Collaboration

Decision Making

Dependability

Diversity & Inclusion

Drives Results

Facilitation Skills

Health Care Industry

Influencing Others

Integrity

Learning Agility

Organizational Savvy

Problem Solving

Teamwork

Topic-Specific Communication

Education

Doctoral degree in Health Services, Public Health, Community Health, Health Education, Social/Behavioral Science, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy or related field

Job description

Job Summary:

In addition to the responsibilities listed below, this position is responsible for building and maintaining an innovative research program and the procurement of research funding from internal and external sources; managing the implementation of an externally-funded or internally-funded research project and/or program to ensure compliance with award requirements; overseeing fiscal management and ensuring the appropriate use of funds; and evaluating projects and forecasting workload and costs to determine budgets and proper allocation of staff.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Promotes learning in others by communicating information and providing advice to drive projects forward; builds relationships with cross-functional stakeholders. Listens, responds to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides actionable feedback to others, including upward feedback to leadership and mentors junior team members. Practices self-leadership; creates and executes plans to capitalize on strengths and improve opportunity areas; influences team members within assigned team or unit. Adapts to competing demands and new responsibilities; adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback. Models team collaboration within and across teams.
• Conducts or oversees business-specific projects by applying deep expertise in subject area; promotes adherence to all procedures and policies. Partners internally and externally to make effective business decisions; determines and carries out processes and methodologies; solves complex problems; escalates high-priority issues or risks, as appropriate; monitors progress and results. Develops work plans to meet business priorities and deadlines; coordinates and delegates resources to accomplish organizational goals. Recognizes and capitalizes on improvement opportunities; evaluates recommendations made; influences the completion of project tasks by others.
• Participates in mentoring activities by: seeking opportunities for professional growth and skill development, as well as sharing advanced knowledge and experience with colleagues and/or advising team members through formal or informal mentorships.
• Assists in the management of research projects by: attending trainings and maintaining advanced knowledge of all applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and accreditation standards, and any funding agency, grant, and/or contract management policies, as well as meeting the terms and conditions of the award to ensure compliance for complex and/or large research studies and mentoring team members on following correct processes to achieve a high degree of security, privacy, and safety; leveraging advanced knowledge to identify and develop research methodologies, protocols, and data collection and analysis plans in partnership with research collaborators across multiple, large, and/or complex research studies to ensure quality and scientific integrity and serving as a resource to team members through the process; leading and/or conducting complex qualitative and/or quantitative data collection, cleaning, management, and/or analyses, and providing feedback to team members to maintain the quality, accuracy, and integrity of data; serving as a liaison and building rapport with cross-functional research partners to facilitate communication, coordinate activities, and provide consultation toward achieving project goals; and supporting and/or leading the development and monitoring of budgets, timelines, and/or deliverables for complex and/or large research studies across a research program.
• Contributes to the development of proposals by: leveraging advanced knowledge to lead and/or collaborate on the development and writing of large and/or complex proposals with national impact, including as a principal or co-investigator, from conceptualization to submission and providing oversight to team members; and participating in and/or leading the oversight of pre-award activities (e.g., define and negotiate aspects of the proposal including the scope of work and budget) for complex and/or large proposals that may vary number.
• Advances knowledge of the scientific community by: applying advanced knowledge to assist and/or lead the interpretation and/or presentation of complex data; and lead- and/or co-authoring technical products and peer-reviewed publications and/or developing abstracts, posters, and/or presentations to disseminate research findings locally, nationally, or internationally to clinical partners, collaborators, stakeholders, or wider audiences, as well as serving as a resource on dissemination activities.
• Participates in service to the local and scientific community by: regularly participating in activities in the scientific community such as serving as a reviewer for scientific journals and grant review panels, and participating in committees, conferences, and/or professional organizations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Core)

• Ambiguity/Uncertainty Management
• Attention to Detail
• Business Knowledge
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Cross-Group Collaboration
• Decision Making
• Dependability
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support
• Drives Results
• Facilitation Skills
• Health Care Industry
• Influencing Others
• Integrity
• Learning Agility
• Organizational Savvy
• Problem Solving
• Short- and Long-term Learning & Recall
• Teamwork
• Topic-Specific Communication

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (Functional)

• Research Funding
• Change Management
• Confidentiality
• Data Governance
• Interpretation & Dissemination of Research
• Project Management
• Research & Evaluation Data Collection
• Research & Evaluation Study Design
• Research Ethics
• Scientific Writing
• Stakeholder Management
• Systems Thinking

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum four (4) years of experience serving as a principal investigator designing and conducting research in an externally and/or internally funded research environment.
• Doctoral degree in Health Services, Public Health, Community Health, Health Education, Social/Behavioral Science, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy or directly related scientific field related to health research AND Minimum four (4) years of experience in a scientific field related to health or health services research and/or evaluation or a directly related field.
• Minimum three (3) years of experience in a leadership role with or without direct reports.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Eight (8) years of experience performing analytical techniques on a research project(s).
• Served as an author (lead author, co-author, contributor) on published research products (e.g., journal articles, books, public entity reports, policy briefs, evidence-based reviews, white papers, clinical guidelines).