Senior Research Associate - Strategic Engagement and Solutions Management

Sr. Research Associate, Strategic Engagement & Solutions Management

Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.

Position Summary:

Strategic Engagement & Solutions Management is the driving force behind streamlining and optimizing complex processes. Our mission is to identify gaps and opportunities for product, service, and process improvements, ensuring efficient operations, and exceptional customer service.  

As a Sr. Research Associate in Strategic Engagements at athenahealth, your role is pivotal in identifying, analyzing, and resolving complex issues that impact our customer’s experience and our organizational success. You will be responsible for extracting and analyzing data through custom SQL query development, transforming raw data into meaningful insights that inform engagement strategy and operational improvements. Your analytical expertise, technical data skills, attention to detail, problem-solving abilities will be critical in driving meaningful improvements in our engagements and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Essential Functions (Duties and Responsibilities):

70% Data Extraction, In-Depth Analysis, and Insight Generation

• Conduct in-depth analysis on business problems, root causes, and customer pain points identified through reporting and manual reviews
• Design, build, and maintain custom SQL queries to extract, transform, and analyze data from multiple data sources
• Partner with stakeholders to define data requirements and translate business questions into structured data queries
• Create insightful trending reports and analytical outputs based on data analytics
• Validate data accuracy and ensure consistency across reporting and analytical outputs
• Identify and communicate actionable insights to drive issue resolution
• Define measurable outcomes and Key Performance Indicators for engagement success
• Actively seek solutions to identified issues and collaborate with stakeholders for resolution
• Document query logic, methodologies, and analytical approaches to support repeatability and scalability of analysis

15% Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Customer Success Managers, Technology Enabled Services, and Product teams
• Share insights and findings with colleagues to contribute to a collective knowledge base
• Communicate methodologies, insights, and lessons learned through detailed documentation
• Act as a liaison between different teams to ensure effective problem-solving and issue prioritization

15% Continuous improvement and Learning

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on analysis and findings
• Maintain a culture of continuous learning and stay updated on current trends, initiatives, and best practices
• Contribute to Program and Project plans with your analysis to enhance operational efficiency
• Act as a proactive problem-solver and actively seek opportunities for process optimization

Education & Experience Required:

• An ideal candidate will have relevant experience in research or analytics role, preferably within a related industry or function, demonstrating a track record of conducting in-depth analysis and generating actionable insights
• Strong expertise in writing and optimizing custom SQL queries for data extraction and analysis
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and techniques
• Experience in conducting root cause analysis to identify underlying issues and trends
• Strong skills in creating insightful reports and maintaining detailed documentation of analysis, methodologies, and findings
• Proven problem-solving skills, with the ability to proactively identify and resolve complex issues
• Experience in contributing to Program and Project plans, including defining measurable outcomes and KPIs for tracking progress and success
• All candidates must possess strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively convey insights and findings to diverse stakeholders
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proficiency in SQL and relational data concepts, including the ability to write complex queries for data extraction and analysis
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to translate business questions into data-driven solutions
• Excellent communication skills and effective networking with a broad base of internal and external constituents
• Ability to manage numerous detail-intensive, interdependent, and time-sensitive tasks and ensure the accurate completion of the same
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to lead and influence others to achieve desired results

About athenahealth

Our vision: In an industry that becomes more complex by the day, we stand for simplicity. We offer IT solutions and expert services that eliminate the daily hurdles preventing healthcare providers from focusing entirely on their patients — powered by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.

Our company culture: Our talented  employees — or athenistas, as we call ourselves — spark the innovation and passion needed to accomplish our vision. We are a diverse group of dreamers and do-ers with unique knowledge, expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives. We unite as mission-driven problem-solvers with a deep desire to achieve our vision and make our time here count. Our award-winning culture is built around shared values of inclusiveness, accountability, and support.

Our DEI commitment: Our vision of accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all requires addressing the inequities that stand in the way. That's one reason we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our business, from attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce to maintaining an inclusive environment for athenistas, our partners, customers and the communities where we work and serve.

What we can do for you:

Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative  workspaces  — some offices even welcome dogs.

We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility. While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time. With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation.

In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons. We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued. 

Learn more about our culture and benefits here: athenahealth.com/careers  

https://www.athenahealth.com/careers/equal-opportunity

Experience Level

Senior Level