Associate Research Scientist (Quality Assurance Lead)

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities 

•  As Quality Assurance Lead for the OPTN Patient Safety and Compliance task order, coordinates all QA across all systems and ensure there is a process in place for issue resolution across all teams/orgs. Maintains familiarity with modern quality assurance standards and tools. Champions automated testing and test coverage.
•  Leads of team of Quality assurance analysts that design and execute software tests to identify problems and learn how the software works.
•  Oversee, develop and execute comprehensive suites of automation test plans and test cases, maintaining and adding to existing automation framework, continued evaluation of test cases for inclusion in regression, automation for new features, and development of toolsets to augment QA and development testing.
• Contribute to major research projects and provide input into new directions for existing program areas. 
• Participate in successful proposals for new research studies that meaningfully support or extend Arbor Research’s portfolio. Lead proposals for supplementary support, including individual training grants. 
• Develop and carry out methodological and/or applied research leading to peer-reviewed publications, reports to sponsoring agencies, and other dissemination strategies. Research agendas will be formulated to target both individual and organizational development goals and may be supported by funded project activity and dedicated organizational resources. 
• Provide scientific and operational oversight for research projects. Work with a Project Manager to oversee the management of individual and team tasks and timelines. 
• Make significant contributions to study protocol development and analytic approaches. Provide mentorship and/or guidance to the analytic staff. 
• Present seminars, talks, and lectures externally on behalf of Arbor Research, and internally for staff advancement and education. 
• Work creatively to identify additional ways to translate research findings into improving health services practice and policy. 
• Lead projects including those focused on providing expert technical assistance to clients or health care organizations, implementation of health policies or health care delivery models, monitoring, program evaluation, and learning collaboratives. 
• Provide operational oversight for projects, often including as a project director, deputy project director, or task lead. Work with a Project Manager to oversee the management of individual and team tasks and timelines. Build and maintain relationships with project sponsors, external partners, and internal managers and staff. 

A successful Associate Research Scientist typically advances to Research Scientist in one to three years. 

Core Values 

Our core values define who we are as an organization and serve as the foundation of our code of ethics. Arbor Research expects all employees to embody these and demonstrate them in our day-to-day work. 

• Collaborative Spirit 

We expect each staff member to learn from and teach one another and ask each to exhibit a curiosity and respect for the contributions of others. 

• Creativity 

We strive to cultivate a challenging, stimulating, and supportive environment where our employees are expected to be inquisitive, take initiative, and demonstrate ingenuity. 

• Credibility 

Our employees are smart, thoughtful, and objective in their work. We expect them to be technically solid in their area of expertise, and for those conducting research to demonstrate scientific rigor. 

• Dedication 

Our team achieves success because of our dedication to carrying out high quality work and delivering trusted results. 

Supervision  

Associate Research Scientists work closely with a formal mentor to initiate and guide their own work. Additional opportunities for mentorship and collaboration will be made available among the organization’s methodological and clinical teams. Formal supervision is provided by a Senior Research Scientist (or other senior research staff member) who may or may not also be the formal mentor. 

Required Qualifications 

• MD, PhD or master's degree and/or relative experience in health services research, biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, health policy or other social science field 
• Capability to succeed in research, as demonstrated by development of specific content-area expertise, lead, or senior authorship on refereed publications, and/or invited presentations 
• Demonstrated potential to meaningfully contribute to research projects, as well as securing funding for new projects consistent with the Arbor Research mission   
• Strong oral and written communication skills  
• Ability to travel, including international, with several nights away from home per year 

Annual Salary Range 

$79,200 - $127,400 (US National Average) 

Base Compensation Determination

Base Compensation is determined by market range and geographic location pay zones. Base Compensation also includes various individual factors unique to each candidate such as job level, prior experience, skill set, certification and educational which may impact the compensation structure.

This position is classified as exempt according to FLSA guidelines 

Salary : $79,200 - $127,400