[Hiring] Research Assistant @CDC Foundation

Role Description

The Research Assistant will support a project that monitors electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth and young adults in the United States (US). The multi-state initiative aims to complement existing surveillance activities that monitor tobacco product use with innovative rapid response data collection strategies.

• Obtain real-time data for select states to evaluate the impact of flavored tobacco policies on e-cigarette sales volume, market share, and product or brand consumption.
• Implement a national longitudinal survey of youth and young adults.
• Support the regular categorization and validation of a broad range of tobacco products by flavor and sub-product type across various data sources.
• Conduct literature reviews to address identified research gaps and support project activities.
• Coordinate with contracted coders to maintain analysis timelines, data quality, and documentation.

This position is eligible for 100% remote work for US-based candidates; however, candidates in the Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts, or Houston, Texas areas are preferred. Relocation expenses are not included.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, statistics, epidemiology, biostatistics, public policy, economics, or related field required.
• At least one year of related work experience, including paid internships or part-time positions within public health, health administration, or social sciences.
• Prior experience with or interest in tobacco control research, retail sales data, and/or artificial intelligence initiatives strongly preferred.
• Self-starter with ability to work independently and efficiently while consistently delivering high-quality work under time constraints.
• Strong attention to detail and scientific inquisitiveness, as demonstrated by prior experience supporting fundamental components of research projects or tasks.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the preparation and presentation of reports.
• Strong technical skills, including word processing and spreadsheet management.
• Strong organizational, time management, interpersonal, and collaboration skills.

Requirements

• Assist with categorizing features of tobacco and nicotine products (e.g., e-cigarettes, cigarettes) such as categorizing flavors and subtypes of products, to prepare for analysis.
• Create and maintain technical documentation for standard procedures for coding and analysis.
• Support the maintenance of a database of tobacco and nicotine product features (including product type, subtype, and flavor) by Universal Product Code (UPC).
• Calculate percent change and other descriptive statistics to be used in data reports and presentations.
• Compare categorizations of multiple contract data coders to identify and resolve discrepancies, using logical comparison operators in Microsoft Excel.
• Provide iterative feedback to contract data coders to ensure consistent and high-quality work outputs.
• Conduct investigative research activities, such as literature reviews or internet explorations, to ensure tobacco product feature categorizations align with evolving public health needs.
• Support development of comprehensive reports that include findings from the analysis and evaluation of project activities.
• Other duties and project responsibilities as assigned.
• Travel up to 10 percent domestically.

Benefits

• Location: Remote, within the United States. Relocation expenses are not provided.
• Salary Range: $55,000-$65,000, based on education, experience, and qualifications.
• Position Type: Grant funded, limited-term opportunity contingent upon funding.
• Position End Date: December 31, 2026.