Senior Research Analyst, Acute Care Policy and Research Unit

The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a nationally recognized policy and research center dedicated to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Hilltop conducts research, analysis, and evaluation for Maryland state agencies, other states, the federal government, foundations, and non-profit organizations. Hilltop has nationally renowned expertise in Medicaid and in improving publicly funded health care systems. Formed in 1994 in a unique collaboration with the Maryland Medicaid program, Hilltop has grown to address issues that touch upon not only Medicaid, but also other publicly administered programs such as aging services, public health, Medicare, behavioral health, oral health, state coverage initiatives, and federally funded AIDS initiatives. Hilltop's interdisciplinary team of professionals includes clinicians, economists, attorneys, financial analysts, social scientists, and SAS programmers. Hilltop staff have extensive experience in health services delivery, data systems design, and public policy analysis. Hilltop is committed to addressing complex issues through informed, objective, and innovative research and analytics. For more on The Hilltop Institute, go to www.hilltopinstitute.org.

This position is in the Medicaid Policy Studies Section within Hilltop’s Health Services Policy and Research Unit. This unit collaborates with Maryland and other states to expand health care coverage and improve health care for vulnerable populations through research, policy analysis, program development and implementation, and evaluation.

Under the guidance of the Director of the Medicaid Policy Studies Section, the incumbent will be primarily responsible for conducting data analyses to identify key policy and administrative issues for publicly funded or publicly subsidized state-level health care delivery systems. Specific duties include:

• Developing specifications for data analyses
• Taking a lead role in qualitative and quantitative health services research, including primary data collection, data analysis, preparation of analytical reports, literature reviews, and Internet searches
• Coordinating multi-disciplinary project teams that may include Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) programmers, policy analysts, and researchers to support Medicaid policy analyses pertinent to Hilltop’s clients
• Disseminating findings through various means, ranging from informal memos to issue briefs to articles published in peer-reviewed journals
• Making presentations to public and professional audiences
• Performing other duties as assigned 

Education/Experience/Skills: Requires a Master’s degree in health services research, public health, health economics, or related discipline. Must have: a commitment to health care system improvement; extensive experience in quantitative analysis of large data sets; well-honed client relations and audiences; project management skills, including demonstrated ability to set and implement work plans, oversee the work of others, and manage the production of deliverables and deadlines; strong organizational skills; the ability to be flexible in a fast-paced environment; excellent interpersonal skills; the ability to be a team member, as well as a team leader; and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  

Working knowledge of publicly funded health programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and familiarity with SAS programming.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Full financial support to pursue a PhD at UMBC is available through Hilltop, should the candidate not hold such a degree.The position is full-time and includes the full university benefits package. Note: This position is grant-funded, wherein employment is contingent upon the renewal of Hilltop’s grant support and carries no layoff or reinstatement rights.

Note: If submitting materials electronically, the cover letter should be included in a separate attachment.
UMBC is an EOE/AA