New

Program Area Director, NORC Health Data Lab

National Opinion Research Center - NORC

life insurance, vision insurance, parental leave, paid time off, tuition assistance, 403(b), remote work

United States, D.C., Washington

Jun 28, 2026

JOB SUMMARY:	NORC seeks a Director of the NORC Health Data Lab (HDL), to provide leadership for the organization's use of health care administrative data, large-scale linked data assets, and advanced analysis. The Director will set strategic vision and analytic standards, and establish practices that support high-quality, compliant, and innovative analytic work across NORC's health care evaluation and implementation portfolio. While housed in the Health Care Evaluation research department, the Director will play a role in projects involving use of health care administrative data across the organization, collaborating closely with departments responsible for program implementation and with statisticians and methodologists from NORC's Research Science division. The Program Area Director will lead the Health Data Lab to support analytic excellence, workforce development and business development for projects using Medicare, Medicaid, commercial claims, encounter data, and other administrative data for health projects. This role offers the opportunity to shape how one of the nation's leading research organizations uses health care data to support high-impact federal programs. This includes leading innovation projects, mentoring staff, and positioning NORC for continued leadership in data-intensive evaluation and implementation work. *Work Location* This is a hybrid role based in either our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office. Remote work status may be considered for outstanding candidates. Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
DEPARTMENT: Health Care Evaluation Research	NORC's Health Care Evaluation Research (HCE) department conducts large-scale evaluations, advanced analytics, and implementation support for Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal and state health programs. HCE is a national leader in evaluating CMS Innovation Center models, state Medicaid demonstrations, and payment and delivery system reforms. The department integrates health economics, policy analysis, advanced quantitative analytics, and mixed methods to support program design, ongoing monitoring, and formal evaluation for high-impact public-sector clients.
RESPONSIBILITIES:	Provide strategic leadership to guide NORC's approach to using health care administrative data, including claims, enrollment, encounter, provider, and linked datasets used in federal and state health programs. Lead the NORC Health Data Lab as an internal center of excellence supporting analytic standards, best practices, workforce development, and proposal and business development enablement. Establish and maintain standards for health care data ingestion, processing, documentation, quality assurance, reproducibility, and analytic workflows across multiple projects. Provide senior technical leadership to CMS implementation and evaluation projects, including design and oversight of data management approaches, feasibility assessments, and alignment with platform-specific constraints. Lead and mentor teams responsible for health care administrative data management and analytics on large, multi-year federal contracts. Oversee development and maintenance of shared analytic resources, including code libraries, analytic templates, reference databases, data dictionaries, and internal technical guidance. Collaborate with IT, security, and data governance partners to ensure compliant and efficient use of restricted data environments and secure cloud-based analytic platforms. Collaborate with experts across NORC to co-design and oversee training programs, guidance materials, and communities of practice to support analysts, data scientists, and researchers working with health care administrative data. Play a senior role in business development, including capture strategy, proposal design, technical narratives, staffing models, and participation in data calls and client discussions. Partner with Communications and Business Development teams to strengthen NORC's external positioning related to health care data, analytics, and innovation. Serve as an advisor to organizational leadership on emerging data, cloud, and AI-enabled capabilities as they relate to health data while maintaining appropriate governance and compliance.
REQUIRED SKILLS:	Doctorate or Master's degree in health services research, economics, public policy, or a related field required. At least 12 years of progressive experience working with health care administrative data, including senior technical or program leadership responsibility. Demonstrated experience leading data management and analytic infrastructure for CMS or CMS-sponsored implementation and/or evaluation work. Proven ability to lead, mentor, and influence multidisciplinary technical teams in complex, matrixed organizational environments. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex concepts for executives, clients, and non-technical audiences. Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Preferred Qualifications Demonstrated proficiency with analytic and data management languages used in health care evaluation and implementation work, including SAS, SQL, Python, and R. Direct experience leading data management aspects of CMS implementation and/or evaluation efforts, including leadership of teams performing these functions. Firsthand familiarity with CMS and CMS-adjacent data platforms such as the Chronic Conditions Warehouse (CCW), IDR, Model Space, and similar restricted environments. Experience transitioning health care data resources and analytic workflows to secure cloud-based environments. Experience designing, delivering, and leading training programs and best-practice development related to health care administrative data and analytics. Experience applying large language models (LLMs) or other AI-enabled tools to support coding, documentation, or data management tasks, paired with sound judgment related to validation, governance, and appropriate use in federal research settings. Demonstrated success in federal business development, including proposal leadership and technical strategy development on large, complex procurements. Please include a Resume and Cover Letter when applying. Candidates should be prepared to provide professional references and a writing sample upon request.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:	The pay range for this position is $180,000 - $205,000. This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC's comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment Dental and vision insurance A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate's placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs. This role is bonus eligible. Bonus payment is contingent upon program terms and individual performance.
WHAT WE DO:	NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research organization committed to producing high-quality, objective social science research in the public interest. NORC partners with federal, state, and local governments, foundations, and other organizations to inform critical decisions and improve programs that affect people and communities across the United States. NORC is widely recognized for methodological rigor, nonpartisanship, and its commitment to evidence-based analysis across policy domains including health, education, economics, labor, public safety, and social well-being.
WHO WE ARE:	For over 85 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we're known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.
EEO STATEMENT:	NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.