Yale University
Research Director, Health Policy Impact Lab
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, us, 06540
Overview
Research Director, Health Policy Impact Lab — Yale University Salary Range: $124,000.00 - $206,500.00 The Health Policy Impact Lab, led by Tobin’s Associate Faculty Director Prof. Zack Cooper, fuses empirical research, high-level policy engagement, and top-tier communications to shift public conversations about domestic health spending, support policymakers, and raise the productivity of the U.S. health system. The Lab has helped shape both state and federal healthcare legislation, and Prof. Cooper’s research has been cited by Congress and the White House, featured widely in national media, and directly informed major legislation, including the bipartisan No Surprises Act, which protected consumers from costly medical bills and lowered health spending on the privately insured. We are seeking a Research Director to lead and manage the Lab’s growing portfolio of health economics and health policy research. This senior leader will work closely with Professor Cooper and his co-authors to develop their research portfolio, oversee research personnel and project execution, and ensure delivery of timely, high-impact research. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced health economist who is motivated to shape policy through rigorous scholarship and research translation. A successful candidate will bring creativity, technical skill, and a strong capacity for mentorship to advance the Lab’s ambitious research agenda. They will be a self-starter, an excellent communicator, and someone who thrives in a mission-driven, fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is an expert programmer fluent in multiple languages (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, Python, SQL), with deep experience using complex healthcare datasets. They will also demonstrate strong leadership, analytical judgment, and a commitment to improving public policy through evidence and action. Responsibilities
Manage and mentor a multidisciplinary team composed of full-time economists, research fellows, and research assistants and part-time students; foster a collaborative, high-performance culture. Provide leadership and expertise in planning and implementation of major research projects and related activities. Identify, establish, and maintain critical data assets to the research agenda. Work with faculty and research partners to identify analytical approaches to solve specific, high-priority research questions. Apply advanced econometric, statistical, and machine learning methods to descriptive and causal inference design, including data visualization to evaluate health care markets and policy reforms. Train and support analytic team in programming and coding. Develop systematic and efficient approaches to projects to establish workflows that promote research quality, reproducibility, and on-time project delivery. Oversee the quality, integrity, and documentation of research coding and outputs. Contribute to or co-author published articles, policy briefs, and presentations and grant proposals. Required Skills And Abilities
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and with external partners. Experience working with large, complex administrative and healthcare datasets. Mastery of STATA and fluency in other analytical programming languages (e.g., Python, R, SAS, SQL). Deep understanding of applied social science research methods, including causal inference and machine learning. Exceptional organization skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously. PhD in economics, statistics, mathematics, data science, or a related field. At least 3 years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience). Demonstrated expertise in data management, large-scale health datasets, and complex analytical design. Proven ability to manage teams and deliver research projects of moderate to high complexity. Eagerness to adopt new methods, technologies, and strategies. Preferred Skills And Abilities
Experience in health policy research or working with state/federal policy partners. Familiarity with claims-based analytics and health care datasets. Demonstrated policy impact or publication record. Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in related field. Seven years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Job Details
Location: 87 Trumbull Street, New Haven, Connecticut Work Model: Hybrid Time Type: Full time Duration Type: Staff Fixed Duration (Fixed Term) Posting Date: 09/30/2025 Job Category: Manager Bargaining Unit: NON Compensation Grade: Administration & Operations Compensation Grade Profile: Leader (28) Notes: Yale University is a tobacco-free campus. Disclaimers
The posting disclaimer and background/health requirements apply as described in the job posting. The University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, or veteran status. For more information see the It’s Your Yale careers site.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Research Director, Health Policy Impact Lab — Yale University Salary Range: $124,000.00 - $206,500.00 The Health Policy Impact Lab, led by Tobin’s Associate Faculty Director Prof. Zack Cooper, fuses empirical research, high-level policy engagement, and top-tier communications to shift public conversations about domestic health spending, support policymakers, and raise the productivity of the U.S. health system. The Lab has helped shape both state and federal healthcare legislation, and Prof. Cooper’s research has been cited by Congress and the White House, featured widely in national media, and directly informed major legislation, including the bipartisan No Surprises Act, which protected consumers from costly medical bills and lowered health spending on the privately insured. We are seeking a Research Director to lead and manage the Lab’s growing portfolio of health economics and health policy research. This senior leader will work closely with Professor Cooper and his co-authors to develop their research portfolio, oversee research personnel and project execution, and ensure delivery of timely, high-impact research. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced health economist who is motivated to shape policy through rigorous scholarship and research translation. A successful candidate will bring creativity, technical skill, and a strong capacity for mentorship to advance the Lab’s ambitious research agenda. They will be a self-starter, an excellent communicator, and someone who thrives in a mission-driven, fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate is an expert programmer fluent in multiple languages (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, Python, SQL), with deep experience using complex healthcare datasets. They will also demonstrate strong leadership, analytical judgment, and a commitment to improving public policy through evidence and action. Responsibilities
Manage and mentor a multidisciplinary team composed of full-time economists, research fellows, and research assistants and part-time students; foster a collaborative, high-performance culture. Provide leadership and expertise in planning and implementation of major research projects and related activities. Identify, establish, and maintain critical data assets to the research agenda. Work with faculty and research partners to identify analytical approaches to solve specific, high-priority research questions. Apply advanced econometric, statistical, and machine learning methods to descriptive and causal inference design, including data visualization to evaluate health care markets and policy reforms. Train and support analytic team in programming and coding. Develop systematic and efficient approaches to projects to establish workflows that promote research quality, reproducibility, and on-time project delivery. Oversee the quality, integrity, and documentation of research coding and outputs. Contribute to or co-author published articles, policy briefs, and presentations and grant proposals. Required Skills And Abilities
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and with external partners. Experience working with large, complex administrative and healthcare datasets. Mastery of STATA and fluency in other analytical programming languages (e.g., Python, R, SAS, SQL). Deep understanding of applied social science research methods, including causal inference and machine learning. Exceptional organization skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously. PhD in economics, statistics, mathematics, data science, or a related field. At least 3 years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience). Demonstrated expertise in data management, large-scale health datasets, and complex analytical design. Proven ability to manage teams and deliver research projects of moderate to high complexity. Eagerness to adopt new methods, technologies, and strategies. Preferred Skills And Abilities
Experience in health policy research or working with state/federal policy partners. Familiarity with claims-based analytics and health care datasets. Demonstrated policy impact or publication record. Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in related field. Seven years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Job Details
Location: 87 Trumbull Street, New Haven, Connecticut Work Model: Hybrid Time Type: Full time Duration Type: Staff Fixed Duration (Fixed Term) Posting Date: 09/30/2025 Job Category: Manager Bargaining Unit: NON Compensation Grade: Administration & Operations Compensation Grade Profile: Leader (28) Notes: Yale University is a tobacco-free campus. Disclaimers
The posting disclaimer and background/health requirements apply as described in the job posting. The University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, or veteran status. For more information see the It’s Your Yale careers site.
#J-18808-Ljbffr