User Experience and Systems Improvement Officer

The School of Public Health division of Health Policy and Management is seeking applications for a full-time (100% appointment, annually renewable) User Experience and Systems Improvement Officer (8353PV - Research Professional 3 - Program Evaluation) to join the Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) team. This position is responsible for conducting evaluative research on the user experience for accessing ResDAC Assistance services and system/process improvement to better understand and improve the needs and experience of researchers accessing Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative data for health care research. This position reports to the ResDAC Director, will work closely with the ResDAC leadership team, and will have regular contact with our Contract Officer at CMS, ResDAC staff, researchers accessing ResDAC services and support, and other CMS contractors.

The School of Public Health (SPH) is committed to antiracism and anti-oppression and welcomes you to join us in our pursuit of building equity and driving justice.  We particularly encourage applications from those who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented in our School, including those who are American Indian, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, those with disabilities, veterans, and those from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Work Arrangements

The University of Minnesota endorses “Work. With Flexibility.” We offer a flexible work environment that meets the needs of our students, faculty, staff, and partners we serve. This position will have a hybrid, fully remote, or fully in-person work option. The incumbent may be asked to attend certain in-person work events or in-person meetings regardless of remote status. You will have some flexibility to choose your working hours during ResDAC’s hours of operation 6:00am-6:00pm M-F, depending on project task activities and deliverables at a given time. Work arrangements will be discussed during the interview. Onsite location: Mayo Building, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455.

Center Description

The Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) is housed within the vibrant research community in the School of Public Health’s Division of Health Policy and Management. Among other functions, ResDAC primarily serves as an assistance desk for researchers interested in using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative data for research.

ResDAC is the initial point of contact for any researcher in the public, private, and government sectors who is seeking information about accessing and using CMS administrative data to study a broad range of topics such as health outcomes, health-related policy, and health economics.

ResDAC offers an opportunity to work independently and as part of a team in a supportive work environment. Staff have the ability to use and continue to develop research and data management skills working with complex data. Professional development and career growth opportunities are available to staff.

Position Summary

As a User Experience and Systems Improvement Officer, you will join our team of epidemiologists, public health specialists, health services researchers, biostatisticians, and health informatics specialists who have primary responsibility for providing advice and assistance to researchers across the country accessing CMS administrative data. You will receive training to learn about CMS programs, the use of CMS administrative data for research, and the process to request data for research purposes. Importantly, this position is oriented toward improving the process and experience for researchers (as well as ResDAC and CMS staff) in navigating the data request process and obtaining and using data.

Responsibilities include

• Conduct user research, in consultation with the ResDAC Director, by means that may include surveys, focus groups, and/or individual interviews, to better understand the needs of researchers; this includes but is not limited to leading the collection, collation/management, and analysis of evaluation data (40%)
• Analyze current processes, identify areas for improvement, and recommend process changes designed to increase efficiency and productivity of the research data request process (25%)
• Develop recommendations for improvement of the complete data request process and have primary responsibility for the development of a comprehensive formal report to be presented to CMS as a contract deliverable (30%)
• Other duties may include creating educational materials to assist external researchers, ResDAC staff, CMS, and/or other CMS contractors with understanding the data request process (5%)