JOB SUMMARY:
NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking a qualified Senior Data Scientist II to join the Statistics and Data Science Department to provide day-to-day program management, technical, and data governance expertise to a large-scale federal data access and record linkage program supporting NIH-funded researchers. This role provides leadership, coordination, and oversight for the delivery of secure data linkage services involving CMS and other federal datasets within a multi-contractor, multi-cloud environment. The role involves partnering closely with technical staff, federal sponsors, external platform providers, and collaborating contractors to monitor progress against project milestones, resolve challenges, and ensure successful execution of data linkage activities, secure data provisioning, regulatory compliance, project reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
This position combines program leadership with substantive expertise in CMS data, record linkage methodologies, federal data governance, and data security. The successful candidate will coordinate activities across multiple functional teams responsible for data linkage, cloud platform operations, data use agreements, training and community engagement, output disclosure review, and data stewardship. The person in this role will serve as a key point of contact for government stakeholders and help ensure that project milestones, quality standards, security requirements, and client expectations are consistently met.
The Senior Data Scientist II hired into this role will also have opportunities to work on other projects and leverage their expertise in other key domains, such as data integration, AI/ML, scientific computing, survey statistics, business development, and collaborative research. Generally, this position supports the development of the strategy and vision for large data analysis projects and may involve managing both the activities and the work product of data analysts and/or data scientists.
Location : Hybrid role based in either our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office. Highly qualified remote candidates will be considered.
Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
DEPARTMENT: Statistics and Data Science (SDS)
The Statistics and Data Science (SDS) department provides the scientific foundation required to advance NORC’s project portfolio. SDS delivers rigorous, innovative, and fit-for-purpose solutions along the project lifecycle. The department provides leadership for NORC’s approach on a broad range of approaches for study design and the analysis of primary and secondary data. SDS expertise includes artificial intelligence and machine learning; data integration; disclosure avoidance; imputation; data linkage and statistical matching for combining multiple data sources; data quality assessment; efficient and reproducible workflow development; privacy-preserving methods; record linkage; small area estimation; statistical methods for survey sampling, weighting, estimation, and inference; and visualization.
The SDS department works closely with teams in NORC’s Health and Social, Economic, and Global Research divisions, Digital Services and Solutions group, and operational teams across NORC to ensure that statistical excellence and innovation remain central to the organization’s work. Many of NORC’s projects and proposals are led by substantive research departments that require significant contributions from SDS staff. SDS works closely with highly collaborative groups across the organization to ensure success through cross-departmental partnerships. To further capture the innovative spirit of NORC, SDS also leads projects that target departmental focus areas. Examples of recent project topics involving SDS staff include survey sampling redesign; AI for enhancing data quality, standardization, and integration; enhancing traffic safety data; linkage of healthcare data including claims and other administrative data and surveys; and testing data visualization approaches for effective communication.
SDS is composed of a geographically distributed team of over 60 professionals located across NORC offices and remote locations throughout the United States and who are engaged in an array of activities, including research and statistical operations for client projects across NORC’s portfolio, strategic research projects on emerging topics, and business development.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Lead day-to-day management of a key component of a secure health data access and management program. Oversee project planning, staffing, schedules, deliverables, budgets, and performance to ensure successful contract execution.
• Serve as a primary liaison with client, external partners and providers. Manage cross-contractor dependencies, risks, issues, and decision points, proactively identifying barriers to milestone completion and coordinating resolution across technical, operational, and governance team.
• Provide technical and programmatic oversight of the data and technology environments supporting the program, including secure cloud platforms, data systems, applications, access controls, and associated operational workflows.
• Coordinate delivery of record linkage services, linked data products, and researcher support activities across multiple contractors and stakeholder groups.
• Ensure compliance with federal requirements and standards related to data security, privacy, governance, and management of sensitive federal datasets.
• Support establishment and maintenance of standard operating procedures, process documentation, and program reporting.
• Apply knowledge of CMS data, data linkage methodologies, and federal data management practices to support program objectives.
• Prepare and deliver presentations, status briefings, and written communications for federal sponsors and senior organizational leadership.
• Recommend methodology for data management, merging, cleaning, transforming and harmonizing data.
• Contributing to and reviewing code, datafiles, reports, presentations, and other deliverables.
• Engage in business development activities including authoring various sections of the technical proposal.
• Train and supervise staff on specific protocols and tasks.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED SKILLS:
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in bioinformatics, information systems, computer science, statistics, data science, health services research, economics, public health, or a related field.
• At least 9 years of experience (at least 12 years of experience if Bachelor's degree) in positions of increasing responsibility, working with large datasets and conducting statistical modeling and analytic programming.
• Leadership experience adhering to service level agreements and tight deadlines on technically challenging tasks in fast moving projects in consulting, government contracting or a similar setting.
• Experience managing teams of statisticians, data scientists, and deep subject matter experts.
• Experience managing advanced technical work in cloud-based environments require extensive engagement and coordination with platform contractors and CSPs.
• Experience in client communications and relationship management.
• Demonstrated experience with managing or implementing data governance processes. Experience with data use agreements and data protection protocols such as statistical disclosure review preferred.
• Proficiency with SAS, SQL, R, and/or Python, and experience working in modern cloud, data warehouse or data lake environments.
• Working knowledge of the methodologies and technologies for integrating data, including probabilistic record linkage and privacy preserving record linkage.
• Demonstrated experience working with Medicare and/or Medicaid administrative or claims data .
• Preferred: Experience supporting large-scale federal research data access programs, secure research environments, or programs involving controlled access to sensitive health or administrative data.
• Strong communication skills, including verbal and written communication.
• Occasional travel to sites and business meetings.
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 $160,000 - $185,000.
This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:
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Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
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Dental and vision insurance
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A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
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Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
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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. This role is bonus eligible. Bonus payment is contingent upon program terms and individual performance.
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.