Sr. Researcher/Analyst

Company Overview

Index Analytics, LLC, is a rapidly growing, Baltimore-based small business providing health-related consulting services to the federal government. At the center of our company culture is a commitment to instilling a dynamic and employee-friendly place to work. We place a priority on promoting a supportive and collegial team environment and enhancing staff experience through career development and educational opportunities.

Position Overview

The incumbent will leverage domain expertise, advanced analytics, and research methodologies to transform complex healthcare data into actionable insights. The Senior Researcher/Analyst plays a key role in shaping high‑impact solutions related to the program using statistical analysis, data mining, programming, and qualitative research to inform policy, optimize operations, and improve health outcomes.

Responsibilities

· Conduct research on best practices and analyze diverse Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) data sources including claims, TAF, program oversight metrics, scorecards, and performance data to identify patterns, clusters, and insights that inform policy, operational improvements, and feature development for CMS business needs.

· Perform routine and exploratory data analysis using statistical methods, predictive modeling, and state-of-the-art data mining techniques to build predictive models, uncover trends, and generate actionable insights.

· Develop and deliver high-quality reports, ad hoc analyses, and data visualizations grounded in HCD and UX best practices to help clients interpret complex information and support decision-making.

· Work collaboratively in an agile environment with data analysts, data scientists, and internal/external clients to define analytical requirements, develop value-added solutions, and enhance business operations.

· Lead development of analytic products using Medicaid and CHIP data to meet a variety of use cases from pilot studies to operational and reporting dashboards that will require extensive research, data discovery, analysis, and validation.

· Manage development and release of assigned research projects and analytic use cases independently or working together with a team providing guidance and direction to technical and non-technical staff.

· Prepare technical deliverables including presentation decks, reports, and draft manuscripts communicating findings to clients and scientific audiences through clear, compelling presentations that translate complex concepts for diverse stakeholders.

· Integrate qualitative design research with exploratory data analysis to provide insights that support improved health policy and better outcomes for Medicaid and CHIP populations.

· Use analytics and data expertise to provide input to and review of documentation, reference, and training materials related to analytic approaches, data structures and content, and data quality observations.

Qualifications

· U.S. citizen or otherwise authorized to work in the United States and able to demonstrate physical residency in the U.S. for at least 3 of the past 5 years.

· Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience) with at least 4 years of experience designing and conducting research studies, implementing analytic use cases, and building ad hoc or planned work products. Four years of specialized experience may substitute for a bachelor’s degree.

· Experience applying statistical methods including distributions, hypothesis testing, regression and conducting complex data analyses with visualization techniques to support data-driven decision-making for program administration, policymaking, and oversight.

· Direct experience performing data analytics using SQL or PySpark is required.

· Hands-on experience with TAF data, CMS-416T reports, and processes for generating state health outcome metrics is required. Experience with DQ Atlas or Scorecard is a plus.

· Subject matter expertise in text analytics is preferred and experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques using Python or similar technologies is a plus.

· Proficiency in Python and R is a plus.

· Prior experience with Center for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) or other Gov’t agencies is a plus.

· Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present complex information clearly to diverse audiences.