Job Title: Biostatistician I

Reports to: Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director

Initial Salary Range: $73,500 - $79,500 annually

Benefits: Health, Vision, & Dental Insurance, Retirement Contributions, PTO, and Paid Holidays

Funded Through: September 30th, 2026

Classification: Salaried, Exempt

Status: Full-Time (1.00 FTE), Regular w/ Benefits

Location: Portland, OR

JOB SUMMARY

About the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB)

The Northwest Tribes have long recognized the need to exercise control over the design and development of health care delivery systems in their local communities. To this end, they formed the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (also referred to as NPAIHB or "the Board") in 1972.

Guided by a vision of "Health and Wellness for the Seventh Generation," NPAIHB is a 501(c)3 designated (non-profit) organization and Tribal organization, P.L. 93-638, under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) serving the 43 federally recognized Tribes in the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (Northwest Tribes). Tribes become voting members of the Board through resolutions passed by their governing body. Each member Tribe designates a delegate to serve on the NPAIHB Board of Directors.

Led by our Board of Directors, NPAIHB's mission is to "eliminate health disparities and improve the quality of life of American Indians and Alaska Natives by supporting Northwest Tribes in their delivery of culturally appropriate, high-quality health programs and services." We have a staff of over 120 professionals dedicated to advancing Tribal health for the 7th generation in the Pacific Northwest.

The NPAIHB's Strategic Plan 2020-2025 can be found here.

Position Summary

The Biostatistician I (Biostatistician) is responsible for assisting with data management, analysis, reporting, communication, and coordination activities related to the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center's (NWTEC or "EpiCenter") epidemiology and surveillance activities. Social determinants of health are one special topic of interest. Additional topics include (but are not limited to) communicable diseases, substance use, mental health, cancer, chronic diseases, and commercial tobacco. Duties include conducting statistical analysis and interpretation of data, participating in the development of local-level health status reports, manuscripts, dashboards, and presentations, assisting with data access and quality improvement activities (such as record linkages), developing and providing trainings to Northwest Tribes on epidemiology and application of data for community health improvement, assisting with survey development and analysis, and providing technical assistance to Northwest Tribes and Tribal health programs on a variety of data and public health issues.

The Biostatistician must have experience in management and analysis of large and/or complex databases. They must have intermediate to advanced skills in statistical software such as SAS, SPSS, R or Stata. SAS and R programming experience are preferred. They must demonstrate a willingness and capability to learn new software applications, such as QuickSight, Match*Pro, and AWS.

The Biostatistician collaborates closely with the NPAIHB Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit, including the Project Director, content area epidemiologists, and other biostatisticians, who provides routine surveillance, data analysis, and reporting to Northwest Tribes.

The Biostatistician reports to the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director. This scope of work is housed within the EpiCenter Division.

This position is based at NPAIHB's offices in Portland, Oregon. Local travel and/or overnight travel outside of the area is required approximately 10% of the time.

Essential Functions

EpiCenter Excellence and Success

• Designs and conducts statistical analysis of survey data and health status data, including cancer registries, vital statistics, hospitalization, emergency department, and health services utilization data
• Understands and documents dataset limitations, and maintains and supports quality improvement and data management activities
• Assists with the preparation and maintenance of technical documentation, including data quality reports, data dictionaries, and linkage methods
• Supports EpiCenter work to correct racial misclassification in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health data and improve recording of racial data
• Conducts interpretation of statistical findings and translation of results for tribal health status reports and other publications
• Assists in preparation of reports, manuscripts, and presentations to disseminate project activities and results
• Assists with responding to data requests and providing technical assistance to Northwest Tribes and partners upon request, including development of surveys
• Supports epidemiology and surveillance by working with EpiCenter data modernization efforts
• Participates in state, regional, and national workgroups related to AI/AN health data and supports EpiCenter and Tribal data interests
• Assists in collecting and analyzing evaluation data to measure progress towards grant and organizational goals
• Assists with the development of trainings, capacity building tools, and products to respond to tribal needs
• Ensures that all project data is maintained with complete confidentiality in accordance with the Federal Privacy Act, IRB specifications, and EpiCenter policies for data management, analysis, and dissemination

Administrative and Reporting Functions

• Collaborates with internal and external partners in order to achieve tribal, organizational, and grant-related goals
• Ensures compliance with all human subjects requirements for confidential and/or limited data access
• Assists in preparing and submitting IRB protocols, data sharing and confidentiality agreements, and ensuring compliance with all human subjects requirements
• Assists the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director with outreach, planning, and implementation of project activities
• Participate sin workgroups, meetings, site visits, and conferences as required to achieve project objectives
• Submits a Monthly Activity Report (MAR) to the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director at the end of each month, and any additional reports required to track project activities as needed
• Maintains well-organized filing systems for documents and computer files

Other Duties

• Researches, and with supervisor approval, attends trainings as needed to improve skills that enhance overall capabilities related to job performance
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit Project Director and/or Executive Director or designee

Standards of Conduct

• Act in service to the Tribes and Tribal communities we serve
• Uphold the Mission, Values, and Vision of the NPAIHB
• Maintain the highest level of confidentiality with all NPAIHB information and documentation
• Consistently exhibit professional behavior and a high degree of personal and professional integrity and impartiality appropriate to the responsible and confidential nature of the position
• Exercise good judgment and initiative in performance of duties and responsibilities
• Demonstrate high emotional intelligence in the performance of all duties and responsibilities
• Orientation toward learning, innovation, service, and the building of second-line leadership
• Commitment to building an organizational culture which centers NPAIHB's service to Tribes, promotes professional excellence, and builds an environment where employees grow and thrive
• Commitment to build an inclusive workplace across a range of identities and experiences, including (but not limited to) geography, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, language, disability, religion, spiritual practices, and immigration status
• Sees diversity as a strength, and equity as a baseline
• Work in a cooperative manner with all levels of management and with all NPAIHB staff
• Effectively plan, organize workload, and schedule time to meet workload demands
• Use reasonable judgment to consistently display professional work attire during normal business hours, and/or dress appropriately for the workday, space, or event in lieu of a formal dress code
• Be present, available, and responsive for meetings and calls during regular working hours
• Commit to sharing knowledge and building expertise by participating in all virtual spaces in our workplace with cameras on
• Show consideration by communicating effectively and building collective understanding
• Recognize that relationships are the cornerstone of NPAIHB's work by treating all NPAIHB delegates/alternates, partners, staff, and American Indian/Alaska Native people with dignity and respect
• Participate willingly in NPAIHB activities

Qualifications

Education

Minimum education required:

• Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or related field

Additional education preferred:

• Master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or related field

Experience

Minimum experience required:

• At least one (1) year of work experience managing, analyzing, and/or interpreting public health data
• At least one (1) year's work experience in a health or public health field, preferably as an epidemiologist or biostatistician

Additional experience preferred:

• At least one (1) year of professional experience working with Tribes, Tribal organizations, Tribal communities, or Tribal health clinics
• Direct experience working with Northwest Tribes

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge, discretion, tact, judgment, and overall ability in working effectively with federal, Tribal, and other professionals, and facilitating participation and partnership in the activities of the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit
• Proficiency with computer applications (specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft Office Suite programs)
• Strong technical writing skills, including good spelling and grammatical skills, and the ability to produce polished writing under a deadline
• Excellent research and analysis skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Must be sensitive to cross-cultural differences, and able to work effectively within their context
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, exercise initiative, and make independent decisions and recommendations
• Ability to make professional oral presentations in settings at the national, regional, and community levels, as well as in Tribal settings
• Ability to complete tasks in a timely and accurate manner
• Ability to travel occasionally (approximately 10% of the time)

Additional knowledge preferred:

• Proficiency with Geographic Information System (GIS) software

Probationary Period

External applicants must agree to serve a minimum six-month probationary period during which time their employment can be terminated at will. For the purpose of evaluating job performance, internal applicants must agree to serve a minimum six-month probationary period when job duties change significantly.

Work Conditions

Physical Demands

This position:

• Frequently involves sedentary work (exerting up to 10 pounds of force and/or a negligible amount of force to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body)
• Occasionally involves light work (exerting up to 20 pounds of force and/or up to 10 pounds of force and/or a negligible amount of force to move objects)

Physical Requirements

This position:

• Consistently requires the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and expressing or exchanging ideas or important instructions accurately, loudly, or quickly
• Constantly requires working with fingers, rather than the whole hand or arm
• Constantly requires repetitive movement of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers
• Often requires walking or moving about to accomplish tasks
• Occasionally requires standing and/or sitting for sustained periods of time
• Occasionally requires ascending or descending stairs or ramps using feet and legs and/or hands and arms
• Occasionally requires raising objects from a lower to a higher position, or moving objects horizontally
• Occasionally requires stooping, which entails the use of the lower extremities and back muscles
• Infrequently requires crouching

Typical Environmental Conditions

The worker is frequently subject to inside environmental conditions, which provide protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from temperature changes, and is occasionally subject to outside environmental conditions.

Travel Requirements

Local travel and/or overnight travel outside of the area is required approximately 10% of the time. Attendance at quarterly NPAIHB Board Meetings may occasionally be required. These meetings are held both locally and hosted by our member tribes on a rotating basis, and take place during the third or fourth weeks of January, April, July, and October, and typically require a minimum stay of two overnights per meeting.

Disclaimer

The individual must perform the essential duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation efficiently and accurately without causing a significant safety threat to self or others describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required of all personnel so classified.

Except as provided by Title 25, U.S.C. § 450e(b), which allows for Indian preference in hiring, the NPAIHB does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, politics, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, veteran or military status, genetic information, ancestry or any other characteristic protected by law.

Salary : $73,500 - $79,500