Acumen, LLC

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Acumen, LLC/The SPHERE Institute seek new and experienced Ph.D. candidates for our Policy Associate position. Ideal candidates will lead and support research staff in data analysis and communication tasks for contracts with government agencies. We're looking for individuals interested in monitoring and improving public health policy by conducting quantitative analyses, interacting with clients, writing reports, and directing statistical programmers. Strong econometric modeling skills and experience with large administrative datasets is preferred.

Our organization has expertise in topics including: value-based purchasing, real-time policy monitoring and evaluation, drug safety, drug pricing, expenditure forecasting, comparative effectiveness research, and outcomes measurement for various health and welfare programs.

The Policy Associate will perform some combination of the following job functions:
• Develop descriptive statistics
• Conduct literature searches and other independent research and summarize findings
• Produce draft econometric and statistical analyses of data using statistical software such as SAS and STATA
• Coordinate project activities and communications among diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders
• Draft interpretations of study specifications, research findings, and quantitative analyses for relevant audiences
• With support from senior employees, prepare research files from large confidential datasets, such as healthcare claims, enrollment, and payment data
• Draft project reports, memos, presentations, and proposals
• Present findings to clients with support from more senior employees
• Interact with project officers and other government agency representatives to access data and program information and determine analytical strategy
• Assist with tracking and monitoring budgets
• Train employees on skills, concepts, and competencies of increasing complexity
• Help ensure work is consistent with established methods, best practices, and policy trends
• Comply with company policies and with applicable laws and regulations
• Demonstrate professionalism in the workplace
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications Required:
• Ph.D. in a quantitative, public policy, or related field or equivalent relevant experience
• 2 years of relevant work experience (in addition to experience in lieu of degree)
• Excellent quantitative analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail
• Skilled in one or more of the following technical competencies: statistics, programming, policy writing, research methods documentation, or project management
• Experience demonstrating initiative, critical thinking, and problem-solving
• Experience demonstrating strategic and big-picture thinking
• Experience working in a team-oriented environment
• Experience prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Experienced in at least one relevant policy area