Research Scientist

Research Scientist

This fully remote role sits within a Research and Evaluation function focused on applied research, evaluation, and evidence synthesis. You will support research initiatives connected to national crisis-service programs and other organizational priorities. The position combines quantitative and qualitative analysis, study design, measurement, literature review, and research dissemination. You'll work closely with research, data, governance, and operational teams to translate evidence into practical improvements. The role offers meaningful ownership of research projects while providing collaboration and guidance from senior research leadership. It is well suited to an experienced researcher who can navigate complex datasets, methodological questions, and real-world implementation environments. The schedule is full-time, Monday through Friday, with core working hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.

Accountabilities

• Design and conduct independent and collaborative research and evaluation studies, supporting strategic priorities and continuous service improvement.
• Perform quantitative and qualitative analyses using operational, survey, pilot, and other relevant datasets.
• Assess service practices, outcomes, data quality, measurement approaches, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop, refine, and evaluate surveys, measurement instruments, data-collection tools, and research methodologies.
• Support departments and operational teams with evaluation design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and implementation.
• Maintain and update biannual literature reviews, including evidence searches, study summaries, citation tracking, and synthesis.
• Prepare research outputs such as analytical summaries, reports, manuscripts, conference abstracts, presentations, briefs, and other dissemination materials.
• Apply appropriate research frameworks and implementation approaches to evaluate practices, interventions, pilots, and emerging programs.
• Interpret findings within their operational and methodological context, clearly documenting assumptions, limitations, analytic decisions, and implications.
• Identify methodological, data-quality, implementation, or interpretation risks and recommend appropriate adjustments or escalation.
• Coordinate project timelines, analysis plans, documentation, literature reviews, and dissemination deliverables across multiple concurrent assignments.
• Collaborate with research, analytics, data governance, and operational stakeholders to clarify research questions, data requirements, and implementation considerations.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral-level research qualifications in Psychology, Sociology, Public Health, Health Services Research, or a related field; ABD status or, in exceptional cases, a relevant master's degree with substantial independent research experience may be considered.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience designing, conducting, analyzing, interpreting, or disseminating research or evaluation studies; extensive experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative analysis and clearly documenting methodologies, findings, limitations, and conclusions.
• Strong knowledge of applied research, evaluation design, research frameworks, measurement approaches, evidence synthesis, and mixed-methods research.
• Proficiency with statistical software such as RStudio or comparable tools for quantitative analysis and data visualization.
• Experience with qualitative data collection, coding, thematic analysis, and interpretation is valuable.
• Ability to select appropriate statistical methods or modeling techniques for complex datasets, including datasets containing missing information.
• Experience assessing data quality, measurement reliability and validity, methodological limitations, and alternative explanations.
• Experience preparing literature reviews, evidence summaries, analytical reports, manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, or related research products.
• Background in behavioral health, crisis services, suicide prevention, overdose prevention, public health, human services, or similar sensitive-data environments is preferred.
• Experience with implementation studies, pilot studies, applied evaluation, public health research, behavioral health research, or crisis-services research is preferred.
• Five or more years applying implementation science frameworks, translating research into practice, or evaluating emerging practices in complex real-world settings is preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex findings to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities, with the capacity to manage multiple projects, datasets, timelines, and stakeholder needs independently.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and familiarity with research ethics, transparent documentation, and reproducible research practices.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a fully remote environment using asynchronous communication and digital collaboration tools.

Benefits

• Salary: $69,000–$105,000 annual salary range, with final compensation based on skills, experience, education, certifications, geographic location, and other relevant factors.
• Remote work: Fully remote position within the United States.
• Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ET.
• Healthcare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Financial protection: Employer-paid disability and life insurance, plus supplemental income insurance.
• Retirement: 401(k) plan available to eligible full-time employees.
• Pre-tax benefits: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for medical and dependent-care expenses.
• Inclusive workplace: Equal-opportunity employment environment with consideration for diverse professional and educational backgrounds.
• Accessibility: Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the application and employment process.