Principal State Evaluation Manager (Program Director 1 or 2)

Oregon Health & Science University - Portland, OR

Full-time - Senior

Portland, OR

Educational Services

About the position

The Principal State Evaluation Manager (Program Director 1 or 2) at Oregon Health & Science University is responsible for leading the development and implementation of state policy evaluation designs. This role involves overseeing complex research projects, managing both qualitative and quantitative teams, and ensuring high-quality outputs that meet client needs. The position requires strong project management skills, quantitative analytics expertise, and the ability to foster positive relationships with external stakeholders, particularly state agency sponsors.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support the development and implementation of state policy evaluation designs.
• Oversee all aspects of complex research projects, including coordination of qualitative and quantitative teams.
• Establish timelines for project tasks to deliver final products such as reports, briefs, and manuscripts for peer review.
• Monitor timelines, review output, and work with staff to revise work or make corrections to deliver results on time.
• Interface with clients to understand their needs and adapt timelines and tasks accordingly.
• Oversee research compliance, data collection, data management, and data analysis.
• Ensure the quality of results through ongoing engagement and QA support throughout quantitative analysis.
• Track methodological decisions across time and across evaluation projects, ensuring coherent documentation of approaches.
• Contribute to final written reports and presentations through writing, editing, synthesizing, and coordination across team members.
• Serve as the primary contact for state agency sponsors, fostering positive sponsor relationships.

Requirements

• Masters Degree or higher in health services research, public health, health economics, statistics, epidemiology, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years experience (7 years for a Program Director 2) in designing and leading complex program evaluations using advanced health econometric approaches.
• Demonstrated accountability for leading research teams across a project life cycle, including development of a scope of work/analysis plan, project kick-off, analysis, QA, interpretation of results, synthesis, report production, and presentation to clients.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; flexibility to manage multiple priorities under deadline.
• Proven ability to anticipate analytical issues, exercise sound judgment in problem-solving, and maintain thorough documentation of decision-making.
• Exemplary communication skills and ability to effectively present research findings to state policymakers.

Nice-to-haves

• PhD with major courses in quantitative evaluation methods and health policy; mixed-methods evaluation training and experience.
• Minimum of 7 years experience (20 years for a Program Director 2) demonstrating deep knowledge of Medicaid, 1115 waivers, and health care payment reform.
• Qualitative/mixed methods research experience.
• Extensive experience managing and analyzing healthcare claims and other administrative datasets.
• Proficiency coding in R.
• Deep understanding of research regulatory processes, e.g., IRB and DUAs.
• Experience working with diverse populations and in diverse environments.

Benefits

• Equal opportunity and affirmative action organization that values diversity and inclusion.
• Support for reasonable accommodation requests.