New

Research Informatics Specialist

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

$90,000 - $125,000

United States, North Carolina, Chapel Hill

104 Airport Dr (Show on map)

Mar 13, 2025

Posting Information

Department	TraCS Institute-429801
Career Area	Information Technology
Posting Open Date	03/13/2025
Application Deadline	03/27/2025
Open Until Filled	No
Position Type	Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title	Research Informatics Specialist
Appointment Type	EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number	20008379
Vacancy ID	NF0008991
Full Time/Part Time	Full-Time Permanent
FTE	1
Hours per week	40
Position Location	North Carolina, US
Hiring Range	$90,000 - $125,000
Proposed Start Date	04/14/2025

Position Information

Be a Tar Heel!	A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn. One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community. University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit	The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service. OUR VISION Our vision is to be the nation's leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding. OUR MISSION Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. Patient Care: We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond. Education: We will prepare tomorrow's health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce. Research: We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.
Position Summary	Flexible work arrangements, including virtual/hybrid work locations, are an integral part of the School of Medicine's Working Forward initiative. As such, this position's work location is designated as remote. Please note that the designated work location is subject to change based on the unit's business needs. The NC TraCS Informatics and Data Science (IDSci) service provides clinical informatics support to the School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and other health affairs schools. The Research Informatics Specialist will join a skilled and highly collaborative team of data analysts, software developers, and data scientists. The core purpose of this position is to support clinical data-driven research at UNC through services and tool development. Responsibilities include: Perform SQL-based programming against UNC's clinical data warehouse to identify patient cohorts and develop patient datasets. Consult with and collaborate with researchers to ensure programming work aligns with project needs. Develop ETL (extract, transform, and load) and data integration processes to support common data models (OMOP, PCORnet) using appropriate technologies (SQL, Python, or R). Carefully following UNC's regulatory and governance policy to ensure data integrity and security. In collaboration with IDSci team, identify potential enhancements in current workflows and data architecture. Implement quality assurance strategies, such as data validation and peer code review. Write and maintain up-to-date supporting documentation; ensure code is well-commented and use GitLab/GitHub to manage code changes and track data lineage. Provide technical leadership and direction for assigned projects and/or data requests.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements	Master's and 1-2 years' experience; or Bachelors and 2-4 years' experience; or will accept a combination of related education and experience in substitution.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience	This position requires two or more years of relevant work experience and: Expert-level knowledge of SQL programming, data modeling, and relational database systems such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, etc. Past experience working with health care data in an analytic capacity, particularly electronic health record and/or claims data. Demonstrable past experience in scoping technical projects in terms of length of time, competencies and cost. Individual will be expected to manage multiple projects at once while delivering high-quality work on time. Excellent written and oral business communication skills. Public speaking at meetings and conferences may be required. The ability to clearly convey technical concepts to non-technical clients is a must.
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience	Preferred qualifications include: Additional programming competencies outside of SQL, such as SAS, R, Python, or Java. Demonstrable understanding of regulations around clinical data used for research purposes, particularly HIPAA and Institutional Review Board rules. Experience working with faculty in an academic research environment. Experience working with Epic Clarity, OMOP, PCORnet Common Data Model, i2b2, or FHIR. Knowledge of health care vocabularies (ICD, CPT, RxNorm, etc.) Experience executing projects in alignment with software development/programming best practice: quality assurance testing, Git, SDLC (software development lifecycle). Experience working with non-EHR data sources like wearable device data or claims, etc.
Special Physical/Mental Requirements
Campus Security Authority Responsibilities	Not Applicable.
Special Instructions	This is a Remote position. Working hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm EST with flexibility available within that window.
Quick Link	https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/297872

Posting Contact Information

Department Contact Name and Title	Stephanie Fleming, HR Consultant
Department Contact Telephone or Email	stephanie_fleming@med.unc.edu
Office of Human Resources Contact Information	If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement	The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.