Data Analyst; Temporary

Overview

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research organization at the University of Washington (UW). Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors;
Future Health Scenarios;
Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency;
Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. IHME has an outstanding opportunity for a temporary Data Analyst to join our Health Systems team. The Health Systems Team positions IHME as the global resource for comprehensive health systems data and estimates by creating and expanding databases, producing country-specific assessments, and generating other novel research that improves understanding of the resources, functioning and performance of health systems.

This position will support research on reproductive and maternal healthcare coverage globally. The Data Analyst will support the generation of evidence on historical trends and future scenarios in family planning indicators, research aimed at informing global tracking processes and investment decisions. This position will also support analyses related to maternal healthcare, which include indicators capturing in-facility delivery or receipt of a c-section.

This research will focus on estimating trends in basic maternal care around the world and assessing the impact of policies and programs on receipt of maternal healthcare. While the main focus of the Data Analyst’s work will be on reproductive and maternal healthcare, the role will also be expected to support from time to time the wide array of other topics the Health Systems Team covers.

Research command

• Become familiar with family planning and maternal healthcare concepts and indicators to understand the dimensions and uses of health data and the analytic underpinnings of the assigned research projects.
• Work directly with researchers to identify the source of data used in models and results, understand the context of the data, and ensure that they are relevant to the analyses themselves.

Data management and analytics

• Create and document efficient, effective, and replicable methods for extracting data, developing code, organizing data sources, managing data quality, and explaining complex analytic processes.
• Use protocols to identify problems with datasets and routine computational processes, rectify issues, and systematize data for future analyses.
• Transform and format datasets for use in ongoing analyses. Perform quality checks.
• Transform and standardize datasets from a wide range of inputs such as surveys, vital registration systems, administrative records, and scientific literature.
• Problem-solve computational and analytic challenges by investigating the data, understanding the root questions, and coming up with alternative measurement strategies.
• Execute code solutions in order to answer analytic questions, perform diagnostics on results, and test and assess new methods.
• Maintain, update, and carry out routine but complex computational processes and statistical modeling that are central to generating estimates of key indicators.
• Resolve intricate questions in order to respond to the needs of senior researchers and external requests from collaborators, media, policymakers, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Use AI to optimize data workflows, enhance analysis and visualization, and implement diagnostic capabilities for anomaly detection, performance monitoring, and proactive issue resolution.

General

• Create tables, figures, and charts for concept notes, presentations, publications, and proposals.
• Provide referencing and other support for publications and presentations.
• Communicate clearly and effectively while contributing as a member of the Institute.
• Work closely with other team members to assist with relevant tasks, facilitate learning new skills, and help resolve emerging problems on different projects.
• Other duties as assigned that fall within reasonable scope of research team.

Minimum…