Lead Research Scientist

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The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 “Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For” by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) is a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI) focused on supporting collaboratives, organizations, and communities that build their capacity to work together to advance health, well-being, and equity. PHI’s mission is to advance wellbeing and health equity with communities around the world. PHIL’s mission is to design, catalyze, and accelerate innovative approaches that advance health, well-being, and equity.

The Lead Research Scientist stewards PHIL’s applied research and evaluation portfolio and supervises the research and evaluation team that delivers it. Reporting to the Director of Applied Research & Implementation or the Program Director, the Lead Research Scientist serves as lead on applied research and evaluation projects and is responsible for the scientific quality, methodological rigor, and timely delivery of that work. The role leads the design and execution of research protocols and evaluation plans, oversees data collection and analysis across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, and translates findings into products and practice for PHIL partners, including peer-reviewed publications and data share-back to community. The Lead Research Scientist supervises research staff and associates and provides scientific mentorship across the research team. This role works closely with PHIL leadership to ensure the scientific quality, methodological rigor, and practice relevance of the team’s research and evaluation work.

This position may be full- or part-time at 60% to 100% FTE with a work schedule of 24 to 40 hours per week, dependent on funding availability. The starting FTE will be determined upon hire.

This is a remote position based in California. Applicants should be equipped to work from home with reliable internet and computer access. Occasional travel may be required for partner meetings, convenings, and conferences. The position requires flexibility to coordinate with remote partners and colleagues across time zones.

Full salary range for this position: $102,876 to $154,966 per year. The anticipated hiring range for this position is from $102,876 (minimum) to $124,500, based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

1. Research and Evaluation Leadership

• Oversee the design, implementation, and dissemination of applied research and evaluation studies using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches, including designing research with support, delegating research tasks, and providing guidance to the research support team.
• Direct the development of research protocols, data collection instruments, and evaluation frameworks to ensure methodological rigor and protection of human subjects.
• Oversee quantitative and qualitative analyses, including network analysis, geospatial analysis, hierarchical and structural modeling, and grounded theory, qualitative content analysis, and thematic synthesis.
• Ensure proper data management, quality assurance, and adherence to data privacy and security standards.

2. Translation, Dissemination, and Practice Improvement

• Lead the translation of research and evaluation findings into actionable strategies, frameworks, and technical assistance products for PHIL partners (e.g., dashboards, briefs).
• Support the integration of research findings into PHIL programs through implementation feedback and continuous learning.
• Author and co-author with the Program Director, research associates and assistants, program staff, and partners summary reports, manuscripts, and other scholarly products, and present findings to partners, external audiences with a vested interest, and internal audiences at conferences, convenings, and other dissemination venues.
• Provide research-based technical assistance and training to partners as needed, including hands-on support to grantees on program reporting, data collection processes, survey administration, and the alignment of program activities with reported outcomes.
• Review partner-submitted reports and survey data for completeness, internal consistency, and data quality, and provide feedback to support accurate and consistent reporting.
• Advise funders and partners on improvements to reporting tools, indicator definitions, and data collection guidance, and provide implementation-informed interpretation of evaluation findings drawn from direct technical assistance relationships.
• Provide technical assistance to partners on data systems, including data infrastructure, data collection and management platforms, electronic health record (EHR) systems, and interoperability across systems, to strengthen partner capacity to collect, manage, and use data.
• Assess partner data systems and data flows, identify gaps in data quality and interoperability, and support partners in selecting, integrating, and improving data systems that fit their operational and reporting needs.

3. Staff Supervision, Mentorship, and Team Development

• Supervise and mentor research associates, assistants, and other research and program staff in research design, data analysis, visualization, and reporting.
• Support the professional development of research personnel and provide mentorship appropriate to each staff member’s role and level.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, trust, respect, mutual accountability and methodological rigor and high-quality research and evaluation across teams.
• Identify staff capacity needs and support skill development aligned with organizational priorities.

4. Research Infrastructure and Quality

• Maintain the scientific infrastructure required for high-quality research and evaluation, including software platforms, publication access, and quality controls.
• Manage research administration requirements, including IRB submissions and data use agreements, and data management.
• Coordinate with PHIL administrative staff and program staff on research-related project timelines and reporting needs.

5. Scientific Contribution to PHIL

• Contribute research and evaluation expertise to PHIL Leadership Team discussions and to the design of PHIL services and offerings.
• Contribute research and methods sections to proposals and scopes of work and support the identification of funding opportunities and preparation of applications in support of development efforts led by the Program Director.
• Serve as a scientific subject matter expert and project liaison to funders, clients, and partner organizations on assigned research and evaluation projects.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Five years of applied research, evaluation, or implementation science experience, which may include doctoral research, research assistantships, and other supervised research experience.
• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, health informatics, data science, biostatistics, or related field; or substitute with a bachelor’s degree plus two additional years of relevant experience.

Other Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-method research and evaluation projects.
• Proven record of research-to-practice translation and application of research and evaluation frameworks.
• Experience supervising research staff and managing multiple co-occurring or multi-year projects.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including authorship of research reports and peer-reviewed publications.
• Proficiency in advanced quantitative and qualitative methods, including multivariate modeling, network analysis, and thematic synthesis.
• Experience in community-based participatory research and systems-level evaluation, including systems thinking and the ability to collaborate effectively as part of cross-functional teams and with external partners.
• Familiarity with statistical and visualization tools (e.g., R, Stata, Tableau, Atlas.Ti, ArcGIS).
• Experience leading research or evaluation projects addressing health equity, social drivers of health, or public systems innovation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in implementation science or applied research translation frameworks.
• Familiarity with qualitative analysis tools (e.g., Atlas.ti, Dedoose)
• Experience managing data systems or research infrastructure (e.g., REDCap, MySQL, Airtable).
• Experience providing technical assistance on data systems, electronic health record (EHR) systems, or data interoperability, and familiarity with data standards and exchange across systems.
• Bilingual proficiency
• Doctoral degree (recent graduates qualify where doctoral research meets the experience requirement above) (Ph.D., DrPH, ScD, or equivalent) in public health, public affairs, social science, data science, or related field

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

EEO Statement

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

ADA Statement:

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.

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We’re so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at Recruitment@phi.org.

Additional information about PHI’s benefits and compensation offerings can be found here.