Senior Scientist, Real-world Data Analytics and Innovation

Job Description

Our Company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our Company has codified its legacy for over a century. Our Company’s success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

Our Company is on a quest for cures and is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. Today, we’re doubling down on this goal. Our Company's Research and Development is a true scientific research facility of tomorrow and will take our Company’s leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that radically changes the way we approach serious diseases.

Who you are:

You are a seasoned data scientist with interest and experience in real-world evidence (RWE) generation through the execution of advanced and innovative analytics using SAS, R, SQL, etc., on administrative claims, EHR/EMR, patient registry, and public-use databases. You have expansive knowledge and experience in developing and communicating the contents of programming requirements and specification (PRS) documents based on study protocol objectives and research designs and statistical analysis plans (SAP) to RWE stakeholders. You have robust analytics validation and quality control skills, and a strong capacity to learn and understand new database contents and structures, and flexibility to seamlessly integrate into new RWE projects. You have experience performing and delivering ad-hoc analytics requests as needed and in a timely fashion.

Where you fit in:

You will collaborate, primarily, with real-world data analytics and innovation (RDAI) colleagues and other scientists within the Center for Observational and Real-world Evidence (CORE) to provide analytics support on outcomes research studies including RWE studies, generation of input parameters for use in health economic models, and exploratory RWD/RWE requests from cross-functional stakeholders. You will plan, perform, and communicate the following outcomes research support activities: (i) help explore suitability of datasets for outcomes research questions, (ii) help develop SAPs and/or table shells as part of study protocol development, (iii) develop/modify PRS documents to reflect the objectives of specific study protocols and/or SAPs, (iv) assist in other RWE analytics activities including the writing (with detailed logical comments), reviewing, running, and validation of analysis produced in SAS, R, SQL, (v) contribute to the use of PRS documents as a basis for producing required tables, listings, and figures (TLFs) for RWE stakeholders, and (vi) generate other documents related to the provision of RWE analytics support and contribute to activities relevant to maintaining high RWE analytics standards. You will perform these activities independently and under a supervisor in a vibrant research environment with a strong innovative culture within the RDAI group. You will have access to a wealth of resources and growth opportunities that a large pharmaceutical company can offer.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with colleagues to provide analytics support for assigned real-world evidence projects with a focus on real world data such as administrative claims, EHR/EMR, patient registry, and public-use databases.

• Effectively collaborate with your colleagues in the development and review of programming requirements and specification documents – based on approved study protocol objectives, research design and SAPs as part of Value Evidence generation.

• Assist in the efficient and effective development and implementation of reusable analytics documents in SAS, R, SQL, etc., to manipulate large databases, derive complex variables via algorithms, create analytic files according to study protocol objectives and research design, and produce required TLFs for RWE stakeholders.

• Assist in the development and implementation of rigorous programming quality and validation activities for RWE studies to ensure high quality and timely deliverables for all assigned RWE studies and exploratory projects.

• Assist in driving innovation in analytics and contribute to knowledge sharing and ideas that can accelerate and improve real-world evidence deliverables.

Qualifications:

Education Requirement:

• An advanced degree (MA/MS, PhD, ScD etc.) in a quantitative field such as statistics, biostatistics, econometrics, data science, biomedical informatics, health informatics, clinical informatics, epidemiology, health economics, biometrics, operations research, engineering, computer science or similar fields with at least 2 years of relevant data science and programming experience is required.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Two or more years of hands-on professional data science experience in real-world evidence analytics including writing, reviewing, running, and validating conventional and advanced programs, generating analytic files and producing research-grade TLFs in SAS, R, or SQL is required; experience and or knowledge of Python programming will be a plus.

• Broad and in-depth hands-on professional experience and knowledge of RWD such as administrative claims, EHR/EMR, patient registry, and public-use databases, to generate RWE is required.

• Ability to understand the contents of statistical analysis plans which may describe observational research objectives and their translation into programming requirements and specifications (PRS) documents is required.

• Experience identifying research cohort of interest using disease, procedure, therapeutic classification codes such as ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, SNOMED, LOINC, NDC, HCPCS, CPT, etc., is required.

• Good interpersonal communication and organizational skills with strong attention to detail, clarity, accuracy, and conciseness is required.

• Ability to plan, organize, and work on multiple analytics tasks simultaneously in different but interrelated therapeutic areas is required.

• Motivation, proactiveness, inquisitiveness and flexibility in RWE deliverables is required.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Foundational understanding of statistical terminology, concepts and techniques used in descriptive analysis and multivariable analysis is preferred.

• Experience with outcomes research, including RWE studies, throughout the product life cycle within biomedical research and/or healthcare organization is preferred.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with programmers, statisticians, economists, epidemiologists, outcomes researchers, and IT in a matrix and cross-functional environment is preferred.

• Exposure/familiarity with machine learning algorithms (supervised, unsupervised learning, deep neural network, transfer learning) and ‘Big Data’ technology (such as AWS Redshift) is preferred.

Your role at our Company is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement. At our Company, we’re inventing for life.

Please note: This is a hybrid role. The selected candidate will work both remotely as well as onsite and will need to reside in a location that is within a commutable distance to a company location.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully:

Our Company is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our Company via email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our Company. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by our Company as a result of the referral or through other means.

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we “follow the science” that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. We believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

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Employees working in roles that the Company determines require routine collaboration with external stakeholders, such as customer-facing commercial, or research-based roles, will be expected to comply not only with Company policy but also with policies established by such external stakeholders (for example, a requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access a facility or meet with stakeholders). Please understand that, as permitted by applicable law, if you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and an essential function of your job is to call on external stakeholders who require vaccination to enter their premises or engage in face-to-face meetings, then your employment may pose an undue burden to business operations, in which case you may not be offered employment, or your employment could be terminated. Please also note that, where permitted by applicable law, the Company reserves the right to require COVID-19 vaccinations for positions, such as in Global Employee Health, where the Company determines in its discretion that the nature of the role presents an increased risk of disease transmission.

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Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

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Requisition ID:R220939