Managing Research Scientist, Neonatal and Child Health

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

IHME has an excellent opportunity for a Managing Research Scientist to join our team. We are looking for someone ready to advance in their career in global health research. As a Managing Research Scientist, you will be a supervisor on your research team by contributing to research design and training and mentoring junior staff. IHME researchers analyze and produce key estimates for their assigned research team and will assess all available relevant quantitative data – including those on causes of death, epidemiology, and a range of determinants such as education and income – from surveys, vital registration, censuses, literature, registries, primary research databases, and administrative records. Managing Research Scientists play a critical role in supervising and managing research team staff.

You will primarily work with the Neonatal and Child Health Team with a primary initial focus on multiple topics related to maternal, perinatal, and child health, including pregnancy risk factors, congenital birth defects, preterm birth, low birth weight/fetal growth restriction, neonatal encephalopathy, neonatal sepsis, hemolytic disease of the newborn, malnutrition and child growth failure, pregnancy care coverage, and oral disorders. You will be integrally involved in producing, critiquing, improving, and disseminating results. You are someone who is capable of keeping your team on track to meet deadlines and research objectives. You have experience with the publication process, and at IHME, you will build out your portfolio with several peer-reviewed papers. You thrive in a collaborative work environment and are capable of working on multiple projects concurrently while meeting deadlines. You keep current of recent scientific, engineering, and technical advances and are able to translate these into your research. This position is contingent on project funding availability.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supervision and Management

• Supervise staff, to include hiring and training; leading workflow; priority setting; critiquing work and establishing quality standards; and conducting regular performance assessments and providing mentorship and professional development for employees.
• Train team members, providing guidance, coaching and support, and course-correcting guidance when necessary.
• Ensure the team delivers to the highest standards of the organization.
• Identify and foster opportunities to advance individuals’ knowledge and abilities.
• Ensure the team works effectively with other groups at IHME – promote cross-organization teamwork.
• Assess and map project deliverables to resource needs and allocate resources accordingly; advise PI on short- and long-term team structure.
• Provide ideas and content and support for the development of internal trainings, both for your team, IHME, and external audiences. Teach established trainings

Research Dissemination

• Growing peer network where sought out as having solid command with engineering/technical areas, a given disease, risk, key indicator, relevant methodological area, and the related data sources and scientific underpinnings.
• Exhibit command of one or more of the research areas at IHME, including the methodology and its components.
• Independently carry out quantitative analyses and participate in reciprocal research projects. Interpret and vet results from junior staff, formulate conclusions, and inform team leaders.
• Develop and implement new computational and statistical methods. Create, test, and use relevant computer code (R, Python).
• Draft presentations and manuscripts, and contribute to funding proposals. Lead and co-author scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.
• Maintain scientific awareness and intellectual agility with data, methods, and analytic techniques.
• Contribute to research design.
• Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences, or related discipline plus four years’ related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent analytic, critical thinking, and quantitative skills.
• Results- and detail-oriented individual who can initiate and complete tasks under tight deadlines and changing priorities both independently and in a team environment. Flexibility with hours and workload is key.
• Experience devising and executing statistical modeling techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly recognize problems in results and identify root causes in data, methods, and code.
• Ease in designing, executing, and troubleshooting code in R or Python is required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required, including track record of success in co-authorship on multiple scientific papers, presenting results, and representing research at meetings.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a team.
• A long-term interest in a research scientist position contributing to the overall mission of our research.

DESIRED:

• PhD or MD in public health, epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, math, economics, quantitative social sciences plus two years’ experience preferred.
• Experience supervising employees.
• Experience with machine learning, data mining, and analytic techniques.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior employees on soft and technical skills.
• Experience with project management methods.
• Peer-reviewed publication record.
• Experience implementing hierarchical models, particularly small area estimation or geospatial models.
• Highly developed command of one or more of the research areas at IHME (GBD preferred), including the methodology and its components.
• Experience working with US survey, census, vital registration, and other data sources.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Weekend and evening work sometimes required.
• This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
• Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your “My Jobs” page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.