[Hiring] Research Economist @Research Triangle Institute

Role Description

RTI International’s Department of Health Care Systems Research has an opening for a Research Economist to serve as a task and project leader for evaluation, analysis, design, and implementation of innovative health care delivery policies, programs, and models.

As a Research Economist, you will provide cutting-edge analyses that will influence health care policy and health care system innovation, particularly within the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Using large health care datasets, you will:

• Design, evaluate, and support policies related to health care insurance, payment, and delivery models.
• Analyze managed care, health care financing, costs, utilization, and quality.
• Examine health insurance coverage and access, prescription drugs, and risk and case-mix adjustment through statistical analysis.

You will lead analytic projects as an integral part of a team, apply an in-depth understanding of critical health policy issues and methods, contribute to and lead proposals to funding entities, and publish and present on findings for scientific audiences.

Opportunities exist for new and experienced Ph.D.’s and Masters, and economists and policy analysts with relevant experience in academia, government, industry, or consulting. Openings are available immediately, or for positions starting in Spring or Summer 2027. Candidates may choose to work remotely within the United States or out of the Research Triangle Park, NC, office.

Qualifications

• PhD in economics, health policy, health services research, actuarial science, operations research, finance, or a related quantitative field.
• Completed coursework and experience with quantitative research.
• Experience with and skills in advanced micro-econometrics, simulation analysis, and program evaluation.
• Ability to communicate (both written and verbal) complex ideas and information clearly and precisely to diverse audiences.
• Ability to collaborate effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship for employment visa status.

Requirements

• Experience conducting analysis to understand the impact of public programs and other policy interventions.
• Experience with domestic (United States) health policy, particularly Medicare or Medicaid.
• Experience in project, task, timeline, and budget management.
• Experience in designing, developing, and implementing programming code and analysis of very large administrative datasets using open-source programming software and languages (SQL, Python, R) while maintaining data security and confidentiality.
• Experience with designing and executing analysis and processing of large, complex administrative datasets with advanced data analytic and machine learning techniques.
• Experience with or ability to quickly develop expertise in federal agency data processing and computing systems, environments, and requirements.
• Interest in topics such as renal disease and policies affecting patients with renal disease, kidney transplantation, and dialysis services; risk adjustment; prescription drug policy; Medicare and Medicaid payment policy, particularly Medicare Advantage, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and Part D; evaluation methods and econometrics.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary.
• Generous paid time off policy.
• Merit-based annual increases and bonus opportunities.
• Robust recognition program.
• Competitive range of insurance plans (health, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability).
• Access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan.
• Paid parental leave for all parents.
• Financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments.
• Financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities.
• Employee assistance program.
• Numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Company Description

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is $114,000 - $140,000.