Senior Epidemiology Statistical Programming Lead

Cytel; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cytel is seeking an Associate Director, Epidemiological Statistical Programming to lead and mentor a team supporting epidemiological and real-world evidence studies. You will translate study objectives into robust programming solutions using SAS and/or R, develop analysis-ready datasets, and ensure quality and timely delivery across multiple therapeutic areas.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, collaboration with epidemiologists, statisticians, and data scientists, and the opportunity to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Statistics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, or related quantitative discipline; advanced degree is a plus.
• 8+ years of relevant statistical programming experience within pharma/biotech/CRO with epidemiological/RWE experience.
• Experience with Optum and Truveta.
• Advanced programming in SAS and/or R; ability to develop, validate, and maintain complex analytical programs and reproducible workflows.
• Experience with large healthcare data sources (claims, EHR, registries).
• Understanding of epidemiological study designs and observational research.
• Proven technical leadership, mentoring, and review of deliverables.
• Experience leading programming across multiple projects; prioritizing deliverables and timelines.
• Experience with line management.
• Strong commitment to quality, reproducibility, documentation, and standards.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to explain complex technical concepts.
• Strong collaboration across multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and functional leadership to statistical programmers supporting epidemiological and real-world evidence studies, including mentoring team members and promoting high-quality practices.
• Lead hands-on programming activities for epidemiological studies across multiple therapeutic areas; translate study objectives into robust analytical solutions.
• Develop, validate, and maintain SAS and/or R programs to produce analysis datasets, tables, figures, and outputs for epidemiological research.
• Collaborate with epidemiologists, statisticians, data scientists, and cross-functional partners to determine programming approaches and ensure accurate analyses.
• Provide expert technical consultation on complex programming and data challenges; advise on best practices.
• Oversee and review programming deliverables for accuracy, reproducibility, and timeliness.
• Support programming using real-world data sources (claims, EHR, registries, etc.).
• Develop analysis-ready datasets and programming specifications, including transformations, QC, and documentation.
• Promote programming standards, reusable tools, code libraries, and QA processes across projects.
• Drive automation and standardization to improve scalability and quality.
• Plan and prioritize programming activities; identify resources, risks, and dependencies.
• Support scientific deliverables including regulatory requests and publications.
• Ensure activities comply with regulatory requirements, SOPs, and data privacy.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, conventions, and documentation governing epidemiological programming.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Epidemiology programming

Cross-functional collaboration

SAS

R

Quality control

Regulatory analytics

Automation

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Statistics/Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Computer Science/Data Science/Mathematics

Master’s degree or higher (preferred)

Tools

SAS

R

Python

SQL

Job description

Cytel is seeking an Associate Director, Epidemiological Statistical Programming to lead and mentor a team supporting epidemiological and real-world evidence studies. You will translate study objectives into robust programming solutions using SAS and/or R, develop analysis-ready datasets, and ensure quality and timely delivery across multiple therapeutic areas.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, collaboration with epidemiologists, statisticians, and data scientists, and the opportunity to