Senior Research Scientist – Public Health Systems and Evaluation

NORC at the University of Chicago; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 137,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental & Vision insurance

Retirement plan (defined contribution)

Life insurance

Disability insurance

PTO & holidays

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

NORC at the University of Chicago seeks a Senior Research Scientist to lead and support complex public health research and evaluation projects in a hybrid role. You will guide mixed‑methods studies, engage stakeholders, and translate findings for government agencies and partners, coordinating across multiple NORC departments.

The role involves developing frameworks, logic models, performance measures, and data plans, and delivering reports and dashboards for technical and nontechnical audiences.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, health policy or related field.
• At least 9 years in program evaluation, research, or qualitative research with 3+ years in project management.
• Knowledge of public health data sources and health systems.
• Experience in publishing peer‑reviewed research results.
• Experience with mixed methods and translating findings for government clients.
• Eligible to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of complex, multi‑year public health evaluations.
• Develop evaluation frameworks, logic models, research questions, and performance measures.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative evidence from diverse data sources.
• Translate findings into actionable recommendations for government clients and partners.
• Create reports, dashboards, and tools to communicate findings to varied audiences.
• Coordinate with clients, subcontractors, evaluation partners, and program staff.
• Ensure activities meet contractual and federal reporting requirements.

Skills

mixed-methods evaluation

stakeholder engagement

interpret evidence for policy

oral and written communication

mentoring staff

project management

Education

Master’s degree in public health or related field

Job description

Senior Research Scientist – Public Health Systems and Evaluation

Job no: 503984 Work type: Regular Full-Time Location: Washington, DC Capability Area: Public Health

JOB SUMMARY

NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to lead and support complex public health research and evaluation projects. The successful candidate will bring expertise in mixed-methods evaluation, public health systems and programs, stakeholder engagement, and the translation of evidence into actionable findings for government agencies and other partners. The Senior Research Scientist will collaborate across NORC’s Public Health Research, Health Sciences, and Health Care Evaluation and Programs Research departments to deliver rigorous, timely, and policy-relevant research.

Location: This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office.

Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

The Public Health Research team conducts work on a variety of public health topics including disease surveillance, health communication science, health promotion, interpersonal conflict and violence, rural health, and social determinants of health. Our team includes prominent health policy experts, nationally recognized public health researchers with general and specialized expertise in areas such as rural health and tribal issues, health communications, skilled methodologists, and leaders in the field of survey design and implementation. Our staff also brings expertise in populations of special interest and the intersection of public health and health care delivery. We offer broad, multidisciplinary experiences spanning public health, epidemiology, statistics, policy, developmental psychology, economics, sociology, social work, and political science.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the design and implementation of complex, multi-year evaluations of public health programs, policies, infrastructure investments, and systems-transformation initiatives.
• Develop evaluation frameworks, logic models, research questions, performance measures, data-collection plans, and analytic strategies.
• Integrate and synthesize quantitative and qualitative evidence from administrative, programmatic, survey, interview, focus-group, and other data sources.
• Translate evaluation findings into timely, actionable recommendations for government clients, program leaders, community partners, and other stakeholders.
• Develop reports, presentations, dashboards, performance-monitoring tools, and other products that communicate findings clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Coordinate effectively with clients, subcontractors, evaluation partners, subject-matter experts, and organizations implementing programs across diverse settings.
• Ensure that evaluation activities and deliverables support applicable contractual and federal reporting requirements.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Master’s degree in public health, health policy or related fields (training in an array of social science disciplines will be considered).
• At least 9 yearsof experience in positions of increasing responsibility in program evaluation, research, qualitative research (or equivalent education) including at least 3 years of project management.
• Knowledge of public health data sources and health systems.
• Experience with the design and execution of social science research and in publishing research results, with a strong career-appropriate record of peer-reviewed technical publications.
• Experience synthesizing complex health topics using mixed methods.
• Knowledge of public health infrastructure, workforce development, rural health, health care delivery, or health systems transformation.
• Experience analyzing administrative, programmatic, health care, or performance-measure data.
• Experience facilitating meetings with subject matter experts and high level government officials and partner organizations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and aptitude in leading and working with project teams, coordinating multiple projects (including those run by others within NORC).
• Must have experience managing and mentoring staff.
• Experience with estimating project and proposal costs and managing project budgets a plus.
• Occasional travel to NORC offices and client sites may be required.
• Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The pay range for this position is $136,500 - $155,000.

This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
• Dental and vision insurance
• A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
• Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
• Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate’s placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs.

WHAT WE DO

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

WHO WE ARE

For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

EEO STATEMENT

NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.

Advertised: September 18, 2026 Eastern Daylight TimeApplications close: Open until filled