Senior Biostatistician

PicnicHealth is simplifying clinical research with AI, making it faster and cheaper to get new treatments to patients. We’re bringing a patient-centered, AI-first approach to a $100b market otherwise dominated by old-school, services-driven incumbents.  We’re creating a streamlined operating system for clinical research, built on top of our AI for medical record data in trials and a personal health assistant that keeps patients engaged (NPS 66). 

Founded in 2014, PicnicHealth has raised over $100 million from investors including YC, Amplify Partners, Felicis Ventures and B Capital Group. Our business running observational studies more than doubled last year and we expect to grow even faster this year.  We've gained real traction in a conservative industry: 12 of the top 20 pharma companies use PicnicHealth, we've got 60+ publications across 40 disease areas, and we just had our first FDA approval that included our data in the submission.

The Opportunity

Join PicnicHealth as a Senior Biostatistician/Data Scientist and drive impactful research by translating client needs into robust study designs and analyses. You'll lead multiple projects, providing expert guidance on study design, statistical methods, and results interpretation, ensuring high-quality outcomes for life sciences clients. With expertise in observational studies and methodologies, you'll leverage electronic health records, patient-reported outcomes, claims data, and other complex datasets to apply advanced analytical techniques effectively. Your work will span diverse use cases, including natural history studies, registries, safety and effectiveness studies, and regulatory submissions, all while contributing to transformative healthcare insights.

What we’re looking for in Senior Biostatistician/Data Scientist:

• Advanced experience with R and tidyverse 
• Extensive experience leading the development and execution of statistical analysis plans for observational and / or real-world data studies that involve both primary and secondary data 
• Extensive experience contributing to observational study design and methodology, protocol development, quality control initiatives, and publications 
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, especially in customer-facing, consultative interactions; you’re able to translate complex concepts and results to a variety of audiences  
• A collaborative approach, with experience working cross-functionally with diverse teams such as sales, epidemiology, quality / regulatory, data management, medical, patient enrollment, and clinical operations. 
• Intellectual curiosity and independence, strong organizational skills, and a flexible mindset with the ability to balance shifting priorities to meet or exceed expectations. 

Over the next 12 months, you will be focused on:

• Leading the development and execution of comprehensive statistical analysis plans (SAPs) for observational research studies that leverage primary (e.g., PROs, ClinROs) and secondary data (e.g., medical records, claims), ensuring alignment with our clients’ objectives and support publication and regulatory submissions 
• Transforming observational study data into actionable insights through advanced statistical methods, analytics, and compelling data visualizations in R
• Partnering with internal study teams and client stakeholders to develop robust study protocols, data and quality management plans, clinical study reports, and publications
• Ensuring the accuracy, quality, and integrity of statistical data and results, proactively assessing data quality, identifying gaps, and proposing solutions 
• Confidently presenting statistical findings, lead data trainings, and cultivate strong relationships to build trust and confidence, ensuring our clients can derive maximum value from study data and increasing opportunities for expanded analytics services 
• Becoming a subject matter expert on our data and its capabilities, and through that lens, lead technical initiatives that enhance our analytics capabilities, mentor junior team members, and drive team-wide process improvements

You’ll be successful if you have:

• An advanced degree in (bio)statistics, epidemiology, public health, health economics, or a related scientific discipline
• 5+ years experience in a quantitative position, including experience at a pharmaceutical or biotech company, contract research organization (CRO), or similar company within the life sciences 
• Have experience with command-line tools, Git, SQL, and/or building R packages (e.g., leveraging shiny, RMarkdown, Quarto, PositConnect)
• Experience with other statistical programming environments (e.g., SAS, Stata, Python) 
• Have familiarity with clinical ontologies (e.g. OMOP, ICD, RxNorm, SNOMED, LOINC) and standard data formats (e.g. SDTM, ADAM, CDISC)
• Experience managing data submissions to regulatory or other health authorities
• Have experience in the tech/start-up space, and past experience working with product or engineering teams 

We expect all team members to be motivated to be amazing in their roles and, ultimately, to move the PicnicHealth mission forward.

What is clinical research and why will PicnicHealth win?

Clinical research is the industry that runs studies to evaluate how drugs & treatments work. It's hugely impactful — better trials mean faster, cheaper drug development, which means more and better treatments reaching patients. Unfortunately, the process is very inefficient. Trials are one of the biggest bottlenecks in drug development, and all the exciting advances in biotech won't translate into real impact if clinical research doesn't work better.

The industry runs on outdated technology and manual processes. Research sites (hospitals, academic centers, doctors' offices) are a major bottleneck, and contract research organizations (CROs) spend most of their time wrangling sites and cobbling together vendor software. 

PicnicHealth has built technology that uniquely positions us to run faster, cheaper, and more flexible studies without requiring sites:

• PicnicAI (trained on 350M+ clinician annotations over 100k+ patient records) is the only system that can effectively access and structure all participant EMR data trials need
• Our AI health assistant (NPS of 66 in 2024) guides participants through study activities and enables most to be done at home
• We're an integrated solution — virtual site, CRO, and software platform — with AI built in from the ground up, initially focusing on observational research.  

The other perks & benefits you get when you work at PicnicHealth   

We pay competitive salaries. Everyone on the team is an owner: all full time employees get competitive equity.

Target Base Salary Range: $150K - $180K 

The base salary PicnicHealth offers may vary depending upon the scope, complexity, and autonomy of the position and on the candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. 

We’re a remote first company, with teammates spread across the US. We support in-person gatherings, including co-working spaces and multi-day onsites, to build connections and move forward strategic initiatives. Expect to travel 2-4 times a year.  For our team members in the Bay Area, who prefer to work in person we can offer a hybrid set up to work from the SF office on a flexible schedule.

You also get:

• Comprehensive benefits including above market Health, Dental, Vision
• Family friendly environment 
• Flexible time off
• 401k plan
• Free PicnicHealth account
• Equipment and internet funds for home office set up 
• Wellness Stipend

PicnicHealth is committed to promoting an inclusive work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We value a diverse and balanced team where everyone can belong.