Researcher, Medication and Pharmaceutical Policy

About the position AIR Health is seeking a confident, self-motivated, and creative Medication and Pharmaceutical Policy Researcher to join our Healthcare Transformation team to contribute to work that impacts the health care of millions of Americans. The candidate should have a strong working knowledge of medications, drug policy, and the requirements and operations of current health care policy priorities, including value-based care models and health care quality initiatives. Ideally, the candidate will have experience with pharmaceutical care in a clinical or retail setting. The policy analyst will lead tasks related to AIR Health’s work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In addition, the candidate will be expected to participate in business development opportunities at the federal and state levels. Candidates hired for the position may work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. About AIR: Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. Mission-focused and evidence-driven, AIR applies rigorous research and technical expertise to close gaps in opportunity and access, improving lives across communities and systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Task Lead or activity lead; manage tasks or activities, including associated teams and budgets (in collaboration with a Project Manager or Project Director).
• Review and interpret regulatory and sub-regulatory guidance. May include, interpreting policy and regulation.
• Conduct prescription drug reviews and lead the annual drug list update.
• Provide clinical expertise with evidence-based best practices to provide technical direction and oversight to the policy and operational approach to Marketplace prescription drug reviews
• Leverage policy knowledge to provide input into program operations.
• Mentor and train junior analysts and technical assistance support staff to develop their subject matter expertise and skills in policy analysis, interpretation, and implementation.
• Manage and contribute to the development and writing of technical reports, dashboards and/or public-facing content, tailored to the client and customer needs.
• Clearly communicate with clients, contractor staff, and other stakeholder orally and in writing and represent AIR in a professional manner.
• Collaborate with other CMS contractors and CMS staff to obtain necessary data to answer policy questions and/or investigate outlier results.
• Proactively identify ideas for innovation and strategies to implement innovations.
• Participate in business development activities, including writing technical responses and supporting federal and state capture planning activities.

Requirements

• Master’s degree with a minimum of 4 years of related experience or Pharm.D. Degree.
• Extensive familiarity with CMS, the ACA, Medicare Part D, and Medicare-specific value-based care policy and programs is preferred.
• Knowledge of medications, clinical guidelines and standards of care.
• Experience managing client relationships and managing projects.
• Experience collaborating with and mentoring a team of policy analysts and technical assistance support staff.
• Experience effectively managing competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• Experience with consulting or working with client-based projects.
• Experience working on multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to assess prescription drug formularies and plan designs.
• Self-motivated achiever who identifies opportunities to drive value and takes the initiative to lead solutions.
• Ability to exercise strong attention to detail, problem solving, and organizational skills. Includes the ability to produce consistent, high-quality deliverables while meeting tight deadlines.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical material succinctly and accurately using plain language, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize findings to develop valuable insights and strategic recommendations for the client.
• Excellent people skills with a customer service oriented approach, and a focus on building relationships with the client, project team, and other contractors.
• Ability to work independently as well as with a team in a fast-paced environment. Includes the ability to be flexible to meet project priorities.
• Ability to think creatively and work on teams to develop innovative ideas for new and existing clients.
• Ability to apply project management principles to assist the team through each phase of the project.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis.
• Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

Nice-to-haves

• Active pharmacist license preferred, but not required.
• Extensive familiarity with CMS, the ACA, Medicare Part D, and Medicare-specific value-based care policy and programs is preferred.

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