Research Program Specialist

This position is based at the University Park Campus in Los Angeles, CA, with an onsite requirement of 3 days per week.

About the role

The Research Program Specialist will work closely with Professor Genevieve Kanter to plan and manage research program goals, assist in program development, and ensure deadlines and milestones are met.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate administrative functions for the research program, including acting as a point of contact, responding to requests and inquiries, and managing program content.
• Assist program leadership and key stakeholders with analysis, research, and presentations.
• Manage program deadlines; coordinate and track grants, projects, and timelines to ensure deliverables and milestones are met.
• Support reporting and proposal development, including budget tracking, grant submissions, and compliance processes.
• Coordinate and contribute to research studies, proposals, and grant-related research activities.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners while supporting dissemination of findings and program updates.
• Contribute to written outputs such as reports, blogs, and publications.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.
• Combined experience and education may substitute for minimum requirements.
• Related experience with specialized research and/or programs (e.g., counseling, teaching).
• Ability to analyze and evaluate data, and present findings.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; ability to problem-solve and lead conflict resolutions.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies, analyses, and trends.

Pay

The hourly rate range for this position is $40.95 to $46.28.

About The Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics

Since its establishment in 2009, the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics has served as an intellectual hub for health policy and health economics research at USC. The Center’s mission is to measurably improve value in health through evidence-based policy solutions, research excellence, and private and public sector engagement. It ranks 4th in the world in health economics and is a trusted resource for Congress, federal agencies (including CMS, FDA, CBO, and NIH), and organizations such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Schaeffer Center is a collaboration between the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the USC Price School of Public Policy, and it is a flagship program of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service.

About The USC Schaeffer Institute

The USC Schaeffer Institute develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.

The Institute houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society. Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.

The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

About The Sol Price School of Public Policy

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. Its rigorous academic programs prepare students to navigate problems demanding multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The school’s research centers and institutes—including the Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public, the Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy, the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, the METRANS Transportation Consortium, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, and the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy—account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

About the Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Located on the USC Health Sciences Campus, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is ranked #1 among private pharmacy schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and #2 overall according to World Scholarship Forum. The school spans the entire spectrum of pharmaceutical development and clinical care—from drug discovery to regulatory approaches, from delivery of patient care services to evaluating their impact on outcomes and costs.

The school offers a wide-ranging curriculum, including undergraduate majors, multiple MS and PhD graduate programs, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree with dual degree options, and advanced clinical residency and fellowship training. The school recently received a $50 million endowment from the Alfred E. Mann Foundation to support student scholarships, faculty development, and integrated biomedical innovation.