Principal Programmer - RWD/EPI

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Principal Programmer - RWD/EPI based in Canada.

The Principal Programmer - RWD/EPI will play a key role in transforming real-world healthcare data into meaningful scientific evidence that supports critical decisions across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Working closely with epidemiologists, statisticians, and cross-functional stakeholders, you will lead and contribute to complex programming and statistical analysis activities using large real-world data (RWD) sources. Your work will support observational research, regulatory and safety documentation, medical affairs initiatives, and clinical development strategies. You will be responsible for preparing analytical datasets, developing algorithms, conducting statistical analyses, and translating findings into clear reports and visualizations. This position combines advanced technical expertise with scientific collaboration and project management in a dynamic, research-driven environment. It offers an opportunity to contribute to innovative real-world evidence (RWE) initiatives that ultimately support better healthcare decisions and patient outcomes.

Accountabilities:

• Support epidemiology teams by preparing and processing real-world data, advising on analytical strategies, and contributing to a wide range of epidemiological research activities.

• Contribute to the development of study protocols and statistical analysis plans using large real-world data sources, including healthcare claims databases and electronic health records (EHR).

• Collaborate with external data vendors to identify, request, and obtain relevant data extracts for research studies, ensuring alignment with established study protocols and analytical requirements.

• Design, develop, and maintain analytical databases from raw data extracts to facilitate accurate and efficient statistical analyses.

• Perform statistical programming and analyses under the guidance of epidemiologists and statisticians, including data coding, algorithm development, dataset linkage, and implementation of appropriate statistical methods.

• Conduct analyses in accordance with approved study protocols and statistical analysis plans, ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and scientific rigor.

• Develop and implement innovative approaches to data standardization, visualization, and reporting to improve the interpretation and presentation of observational research findings.

• Produce high-quality statistical tables, figures, and analytical outputs for discussions with investigators, clients, and other research stakeholders.

• Support Medical Affairs initiatives, including observational studies leveraging real-world data to generate meaningful clinical and scientific insights.

• Contribute to Global Patient Safety and Risk Management activities, including analyses designed to establish background rates and support the preparation of regulatory and safety documentation.

• Support Clinical Development initiatives through analyses of patient populations, feasibility assessments, and protocol development activities.

• Prepare study reports, technical documentation, presentations, and other project deliverables, ensuring that results are communicated clearly and effectively.

• Present analytical findings and key insights internally and directly to clients, translating complex statistical information into understandable recommendations.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal teams, epidemiologists, external stakeholders, and data providers to ensure successful project execution.

• Manage multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining high standards of accuracy, efficiency, and timely delivery.

• Troubleshoot technical challenges and provide expert programming solutions to support research objectives and project outcomes.

• Potentially take on future supervisory responsibilities, contributing to team development, technical guidance, and knowledge sharing.

Requirements:

• Master's degree or PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Bioinformatics, Economics, or another closely related quantitative discipline.

• At least five years of professional experience conducting real-world evidence (RWE) analytics within the pharmaceutical industry, a Contract Research Organization (CRO), or an academic research institution.

• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in SQL, which is essential for managing, querying, and analyzing large healthcare datasets.

• Strong programming proficiency in SAS or R, with the ability to develop and execute complex statistical programming workflows.

• Extensive experience analyzing real-world evidence data sources, particularly Optum (Clinformatics Datamart® and Market Clarity), Truveta, and UK Biobank.

• Familiarity with clinical trial data and/or patient registry data is considered an asset.

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