Westat is an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. Westat's research, technical, and administrative staff of more than 2,000 is located at our headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, near Washington, DC.

Westat has an immediate opening for a senior social scientist with strong technical skills to join our team of leading researchers in public health to participate in nationally significant health research studies.  

As a Senior Social Scientist, you will lead and support large and small epidemiology and health-related studies. You will collaborate and consult with external investigators and internal project team members on designing and implementing mixed methods approaches including the application of social network analysis approaches to various research contexts. You will provide epidemiologic and analytic support including developing protocols, overseeing data management and conducting analysis to support and contribute to scientific peer reviewed publications.  

Job Responsibilities:
•    Responsible for all stages of research and surveillance projects from protocol development through data collection and management, analysis, and reporting.  
•    Participate in project teams to provide research support using qualitative, quantitative, and network analysis methods.  
•     Contribute to reports and manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed and technical journals.
•    Manage project budgets, develop technical, staffing, and cost proposals. 
•    Participate in business development and proposal writing. 
•    Supervise staff, and interact with clients.

Basic Qualifications:
•    Master's Degree in public health, social sciences, psychology, health services research or equivalent and 8 years of experience; or PhD with 3 years of experience.
•    Expertise in designing and conducting public health research projects.
•    Expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods. 
•    Experience developing statistical analysis plans and overseeing analysis.
•    Experience managing large datasets and conducting analyses using statistical programs (e.g., SAS, Stata, R, Python).
•    Experience working with relational data and familiarity with data analytics and computational social science methods (e.g., network analysis, text analysis, or other systems science methods).
•    Experience collecting and analyzing administrative data (e.g., electronic medical records, bibliometric) and primary data sources (e.g., agencies, individuals). 
•    Experience disseminating research findings to a variety of audiences. 
•    Experience managing project budgets, developing technical, staffing, and cost proposals. 

You will leverage your strong collaboration and communication skills with internal and external teams.  Prior experience in a government contracting environment is beneficial.
 

Westat offers a well-rounded and comprehensive benefits program focused on wellness and work/life balance. Eligible employees may participate in:

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Vacation Leave
• Sick Leave
• Holiday Leave
• Professional Development
• Health Advocate
• Employee Assistance Program
• Travel Accident Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Short Term Disability Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Health Savings Account

 

Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.