RWD Data Analyst

Description

Why Norstella? Norstella unites market-leading companies that all have a shared goal of improving patient access. Each organization (Citeline, Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo, and The Dedham Group) delivers must-have answers for critical strategic and commercial decision-making. Together, we help our clients:

• Assess the market need and competitive landscape
• Know precisely which drugs to prioritize in their portfolio
• Find out where the launch difficulties will be—before they’re difficulties
• Track and improve market access post-launch

By combining the efforts of each organization under Norstella, we can offer an even wider breadth of expertise, cutting-edge data solutions and expert advisory services alongside advanced technologies such as real-world data, machine learning and predictive analytics. At Norstella, we don’t just deliver information and insights. We deliver answers you can act on.

About the Role

Norstella’s Real-World Data (RWD) team is seeking a mid-level Data Analyst with demonstrated expertise in real-world healthcare data. This role is designed for an analytically rigorous professional who applies critical thinking to each data engagement — evaluating source suitability, informing methodological decisions, and delivering outputs that reflect both technical precision and clinical reasoning. The successful candidate will possess a thorough understanding of RWD source types and their respective limitations, and will be expected to make substantive, well-supported recommendations on data selection, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and analytical approach. This individual will serve as a trusted technical resource for internal teams and client-facing stakeholders, translating complex requirements into sound data strategies while proactively identifying risks and driving issues to resolution. While the role requires strong technical proficiency, candidates are expected to bring a consultative orientation to their work — engaging with client needs, contributing to product decisions, and consistently seeking to improve outcomes rather than simply executing against defined specifications.

Key Responsibilities

RWD Expertise & Data Advisory

• Serve as a subject matter expert across real-world data source types, including claims, EHR/EMR, laboratory, and NLP-derived data, with a thorough understanding of the strengths, limitations, and appropriate applications of each
• Evaluate client and project requirements to formulate clear, well-reasoned recommendations regarding data source selection, variable construction, and inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Advise on vendor data structures and delivery formats, translating source-specific characteristics into actionable guidance for project and delivery teams
• Contribute domain expertise to internal product development discussions, identifying opportunities to enhance data offerings in response to evolving industry and client needs

Critical Problem Solving & Analytical Decision Making

• Apply structured analytical reasoning to each data engagement, critically evaluating requirements, challenging assumptions where appropriate, and recommending the most defensible analytical path forward
• Investigate complex and unstructured data sources — including raw EMR data — to assess fitness for purpose and identify viable analytical signal
• Anticipate downstream data quality and delivery risks, proactively surfacing issues and proposing solutions prior to escalation
• Leverage AI-powered tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) to enhance development efficiency, support artifact generation, and address non-standard analytical challenges

Data Extract Development & Implementation

• Design and develop client-specific data extracts that reflect both the stated specification and a sound, defensible understanding of the underlying data
• Translate real-world data requirements into production-quality SQL logic, with attention to accuracy, reproducibility, and long-term maintainability
• Develop and maintain database queries and procedures used to extract and structure RWD across multiple data sources

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with client-facing teams to develop a thorough understanding of client intent, engaging constructively when data limitations require an alternative approach
• Communicate data decisions, methodological trade-offs, and analytical assumptions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Manage multiple concurrent project workstreams, maintaining quality and responsiveness across competing priorities

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Collaborate with analytics, engineering, and delivery teams to ensure shared understanding of data logic, source assumptions, and extract methodology
• Contribute to shared documentation, standard operating procedures, and team knowledge resources
• Participate in team discussions related to data quality, process improvement, and product direction
• All other duties as assigned

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Public Health, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, or a related field
• 2–5 years of hands-on experience with real-world healthcare data, with demonstrated ability to assess source suitability and formulate data-driven recommendations
• Comprehensive knowledge of RWD source types — including claims, EHR/EMR, laboratory, and unstructured data — and the ability to articulate appropriate use cases for each
• Prior experience investigating unstructured or semi-structured EMR data, including identification of analytically viable variables within complex source formats
• Strong proficiency in SQL, including complex multi-table query development; ability to produce and review production-quality extract logic
• Demonstrated capacity to formulate and defend analytical decisions — including data selection, exclusion criteria, and edge case handling — grounded in both technical and clinical reasoning
• Proficiency with AI-powered development tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude), with demonstrated ability to apply these tools to accelerate delivery and address complex analytical challenges
• Familiarity with the life sciences industry and the drug development lifecycle
• Experience with version control systems in a collaborative development environment
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with a demonstrated track record of proactive issue identification and resolution
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects while sustaining high standards of quality, accuracy, and stakeholder responsiveness

Preferred Skills

• Experience working with vendor-delivered data products, including familiarity with delivery formats, data dictionaries, and source-specific quality considerations
• Exposure to RWD product development, including participation in decisions regarding data asset design or feature prioritization
• Experience translating clinical or scientific documentation into executable database logic
• Proficiency with data analysis and pipeline tools such as Python, R, Airflow, or equivalent
• Comfort operating within governed, production-oriented data environments
• Experience supporting client-facing or downstream data delivery workflows

Benefits:

• Medical and Prescription Drug Benefits
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Dental & Vision Benefits
• Basic Life and AD&D Benefits
• 401k Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Company Paid Short & Long-Term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Time Off & Company Holidays

Please Note - All candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We do not provide visa sponsorship or transfers. We are not currently accepting candidates who are on an OPT visa. Norstella is an equal opportunity employer. All job applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability or handicap, medical condition, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), marital or domestic partner status, military or veteran status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, reproductive health decision making, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal, state, or local law. Sometimes the best opportunities are hidden by self-doubt. We disqualify ourselves before we have the opportunity to be considered. Regardless of where you came from, how you identify, or the path that led you here- you are welcome. If you read this job description and feel passion and excitement, we’re just as excited about you. All legitimate roles with Norstella will be posted on Norstella’s job board which is located at norstella.com/careers. If a role is not posted on this job board, a candidate should assume the role is not a legitimate role with Norstella. Norstella is not responsible for an application that may be submitted by or through a third-party and candidates should proceed with extreme caution if a third-party approaches them about an open role with Norstella. Norstella will never ask for anything of value or any type of payment during or as part of any recruitment, interview, or pre-hire onboarding process. If you are aware of or have reason to believe a job posting purportedly for a role with Norstella is fraudulent or otherwise not authorized by Norstella, please contact the Company using the following email address: View email address on click.appcast.io.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.