Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis

American Cancer Society; Portland (OR); Remote; USD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical benefits

Retirement benefits

Professional development

Job summary

The American Cancer Society, Inc. is seeking a Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis to lead systematic reviews informing early cancer detection guidelines. The role emphasizes rigorous protocols, critical appraisal, data synthesis, and cross-team collaboration.

Remote-friendly with Portland, OR and Seattle, WA preferences, the position requires a Master’s degree and 5+ years of experience. Expect leadership, writing, and mentorship across diverse research teams.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with 5+ years leading systematic evidence reviews or similar
• Experience in epidemiology, clinical research methods, or HTA
• Ability to translate complex findings into actionable reports and briefings
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills across style guides

Responsibilities

• Lead all stages of systematic evidence reviews (protocol, study selection, data abstraction, synthesis)
• Assess quality and applicability of evidence and strength of recommendations
• Communicate findings through presentations, reports, and journal manuscripts
• Manage review team tasks, deadlines, and collaboration with experts
• Develop cancer screening guideline knowledge and stay current with ACS guidelines
• Train team members on tools and methodologies

Skills

Evidence synthesis

Project management

Scientific communication

Writing & editing

Education

Master's degree in public health, health policy/services, or related field

Tools

DistillerSR

EndNote

Data visualization tools

Covidence

Job description

Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis

Location Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington | Position Type Full time

At the American Cancer Society, we'reworking to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.Our employees and 1.3 million volunteersare raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities.

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

Location Preference: This is a fully remote position; however, candidates located in Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA, are strongly preferred. We also welcome applicants residing elsewhere on the West Coast. Proximity to Portland is preferred to support occasional in-person team meetings and collaboration.

Essential Functions:

The Senior Research Associate, Evidence Synthesis serves as a working principal investigator (PI) or co-PI to lead the design, conduct, and dissemination of high-quality systematic evidence reviews (e.g., systematic reviews, living systematic reviews, rapid reviews) to inform ACS guidelines for the early detection of cancer.

Evidence Synthesis Research and Administration (65%)

• Lead and conduct all stages of systematic evidence reviews, including protocol development, study selection, critical appraisal, data abstraction, and quantitative and qualitative synthesis
• Critically evaluate the quality and applicability of included research studies, and assess the strength of the body of evidence for selected outcomes
• Lead communication of findings; write presentations, reports, and manuscripts for journal publication; review, edit, and combine sections written by project team members
• Communicate and manage relationships with internal and external subject matter experts and interest holders
• Manage administration of systematic evidence reviews by delegating tasks, providing guidance, and monitoring progress for review team members of various backgrounds (BA/BS, MPH, MD, PhD, etc.)
• Ensure adherence to project deadlines
• Develop working knowledge of current cancer screening practices and guidelines for relevant ACS cancer screening guideline topics
• Use appropriate software and tools to manage each project (e.g., DistillerSR, EndNote, data visualization tools); train project team members to use relevant software and tools

Evidence Needs and Scoping (5%)

• Coordinate with CrEST leadership and the CECDS guideline development team to determine scope of evidence needs for cancer screening topics
• Communicate project updates and disseminate findings to the CECDS guideline development team and ACS Guideline Development Group

Research or Research-related (5%)

• Provide subject matter expertise, peer-review, etc.
• Represent ACS at professional meetings
• Perform ad-hoc evidence tasks for ACS CAN or ACS leadership
• Participate in other research tasks as assigned

Management and Growth (25%)

• Participate in staff recruitment efforts (screening, interviewing, etc.)
• Supervise, train, and mentor junior research staff
• Provide formal and informal leadership, oversight, mentoring, training, and guidance to volunteers and research team members
• Professional development; maintain and apply working knowledge of systematic review methods

FORMAL KNOWLEDGE

• Master's degree in public health, health policy/services, or related field AND a minimum of 5 years of experience working with and leading teams conducting systematic evidence reviews, health technology assessments, or rapid reviews.
• Research methods employed in epidemiology and/or clinical research, including study design and basic biostatistics, current systematic evidence review methods
• Prefer advanced or specialized knowledge in at least one of the following areas: medicine or clinical practice, epidemiology, biostatistics, meta-analysis, genetics, biomarkers, data visualization, and/or artificial intelligence

SPECIALIZED TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE

Required

• Ability to translate complex findings into digestible and actionable written research products
• Outstanding organization and prioritization skills, including the ability to coordinate and complete multiple large projects simultaneously, on time, and with minimal supervision
• Ability to communicate effectively to scientific/technical audiences and non-clinical policymakers
• Excellent writing, grammatical, and proofreading skills, including the ability to follow a variety of style guides
• Proficiency in evidence synthesis, including:
  • conducting systematic reviews or health technology assessments
  • conducting critical appraisal of scientific literature using established quality assessment tools
  • assessing strength of the body of evidence using established methods/criteria
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Proficiency in citation management software (e.g., EndNote)

Preferred

• Record of peer reviewed publication
• Experience conducting systematic reviews to inform clinical practice guidelines
• Experience working with systematic review software applications (e.g., DistillerSR, Covidence)
• Skilled using analysis and data visualization techniques and software (e.g., R, Stata, Tableau)
• Experience conducting meta-analyses
• Use of project management tools or software (e.g., Monday)

SPECIAL MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is a remote position. Much of the work is performed independently, with frequent team collaboration. Quarterly in-person meetings may require travel.

The starting rate is $90,000 to $105,000. The final candidate's relevant experience/skills will be considered before an offer is extended. Actual starting pay will vary based based on non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, skills, specialty, and education.

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

See our commitment to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity to continually ensure equal opportunity to our employees and to our applicants.