Senior Research Scientist, Market Access Analytics

About the Company

Avalere is a strategic advisory company whose core purpose is to create innovative solutions to complex healthcare problems. Based in Washington, DC, the firm delivers actionable insights, product solutions, and custom analytics for leaders in healthcare business and policy. Avalere's experts span 230 staff drawn from Fortune 500 healthcare companies, the federal government (e.g., CMS, OMB, CBO and the Congress), top consultancies and nonprofits. The firm offers deep substance on the full range of healthcare business issues affecting the Fortune 500 healthcare companies. Avalere’s focus on strategy is supported by a rigorous, in-house analytic research group that uses public and private data to generate quantitative insight. Through events, publications and interactive programs, Avalere insights are accessible to a broad range of customers.

Avalere is part of a parent company Avalere Health, a purposefully built commercialization partner for the biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and wellness industries. Its 1,500+ experts combine their knowledge and expertise across our core disciplines—Consulting; Medical; Policy, Access, Value, and Evidence; Marketing; and Digital Experience and Technology—to create the connections that make better health happen. Visit www.avalere.com and follow Avalere Health on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Avalere’s Market Access Practice is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to support its analytics team. The Market Access analytics team conducts a variety of claims-based analyses, payer analytics, and modeling to help life sciences companies, health plans, providers, and other stakeholders quantitatively address a variety of business questions such as: ·       Evaluating the impact of policy and market factors on patient access to therapy, manufacturer liability, and payer contracting and bid strategy; ·       Assessing payer and formulary coverage to support manufacturer launch planning; ·       Developing forecasting models to evaluate impacts on reimbursement and manufacturer gross-to-net; ·       Quantifying the impact of alternative payment models to drive stakeholder engagement strategies; ·       Conducting provider performance measurement to support health plan risk mitigation; ·       Performing benchmarking analytics to inform provider negotiation of value-based arrangements with payers The Senior Research Scientist will have responsibility for 1) structuring statistical analytic plans for new analyses, 2) providing technical oversight of the junior team’s analytic work, and 3) develop processes and best practices in partnership with colleagues across the organization. A successful candidate will have in-depth experience conducting and overseeing claims-based data analytics and modeling, is adept at driving analytics approaches and study designs, and has demonstrable experience mentoring and developing junior analysts. Specific requirements of the role include the following: Technical Background and Experience ·       Graduate-level degree in economics, math, engineering or other quantitative discipline preferred ·       At least 10 years of professional experience using SAS, SQL, or other comparable programming language to link, structure, and analyze healthcare data ·       At least 5 years of experience designing and developing Excel-based forecasting models; advanced proficiency in Excel including pivot tables and complex lookup functions ·       Expert knowledge of healthcare data, administrative claims data structure, and claims service settings.  Examples include: o   Hands-on experience using Medicare Research Identifiable File (RIFs) and/or Medicare data accessed through the CMS VRDC/Qualified Entity program, including Medicare Part A/B FFS claims, Part D prescription drug event (PDE) data, Medicare Advantage encounter data, and Medicare enrollment databases o   Experience using secondary data sources to supplement claims analyses, such as survey data, drug databases, formulary coverage data, area-level social determinants of health or geographic factors o   Experience using both payer-sourced (i.e., closed) claims and provider-sourced (i.e., open) claims datasets ·       At least 10 years of professional experience developing detailed, comprehensive analytic plans translating client business questions into concrete and documented analytic approaches or study designs ·       Demonstrable experience developing robust QC processes to ensure accuracy and quality of data inputs, assumptions, and analysis outputs ·       Ability to efficiently synthesize and distill analytic results into strategic insights to drive client decision-making and planning People Leadership Experience ·       At least 5 years of experience mentoring or supervising employees, encompassing a variety of skillsets and disciplines ·       Demonstrable experience developing staffing plans and processes to align staff to projects based upon capacity, skill sets, and professional growth areas Business Development and Consulting Experience ·       Experience participating in client pitches to present technical differentiation and capabilities in support of sales opportunities ·       Experience in healthcare consulting for or within biopharma companies or government agencies, to address a range of data-driven business applications and questions ·       Experience drafting and reviewing proposals and statements of work, including specification of analytic approach and development of budget plan and timelines