Research Associate

About Us: At Kooth, our mission is to create welcoming, accessible spaces for personalized digital mental health care that empowers young people to thrive. Grounded in an early-intervention model, we help youth aged 13-25 build resilience, access timely support, and lead fulfilling lives. We are more than a digital service — we are a movement for inclusive, evidence-informed mental health care. Our culture is rooted in our values: Alongside You, Flexible, Compassionate, Committed, and Safe. These guide everything we do - how we show up for young people, how we collaborate as a team, and how we build solutions that meet communities where they are. With Kooth, you'll be part of something bigger than yourself: meaningful work with measurable impact. We bring this mission to life through Soluna, California's first-in-the-nation digital behavioral health service for 13-25-year-olds. Soluna removes barriers to care by providing nearly immediate access to 1:1 coaching, Care Navigation, and self-guided tools helping young people find real support, build resilience, and discover hope when they need it most. Together with state and local partners, we're transforming access to mental health support for youth. Learn more at solunaapp.com/impact. What We're Looking For: We are looking for an accomplished Research Associate to support our Research & Evaluation team to help develop the evidence base for our services and ensure evaluation is at the heart of everything we do. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team of academically minded and policy-driven researchers supporting the transformation of mental health support and digital mental health interventions. Experience either academically or professionally in the field of mental health, digital health, public health, data science or healthcare is desirable. How You'll Make an Impact:Main responsibilities:

• Provide support to the Research and Evaluation Leads and/or co-lead ongoing research and evaluation projects
• Contribute to the ideation and design of research and evaluation initiatives, utilizing specialist knowledge of digital health, counseling, clinical, research methods, statistics, or similar psychology-related knowledge
• Independently analyze qualitative and quantitative data, determining when new methodologies are appropriate to implement and when specialist expertise is needed, with guidance from the Research and Evaluation Leads
• Support the Evaluation Lead with the service's quarterly user feedback survey, including its build, launch, ongoing monitoring and dissemination
• Co-lead the write-up of white paper reports, conference abstracts and peer-review publications
• Support in collating results and presenting information in an easy-to-read format utilizing a variety of software tools
• Ensure research and evaluation activities comply with ethical standards, data-governance policies, and contractual obligations

Cross-functional collaboration:

• Consult with cross-functional teams—such as Product, Service Delivery, and Clinical—to support their research-relevant questions and decision-making, including survey design, data interpretation, and literature reviews
• Translate findings into actionable recommendations for internal teams and service improvement
• Provide critical thinking and problem solving to innovation and product development efforts, where appropriate

Effective communication:

• Help develop agendas, materials and coordination for steering meetings with internal teams and external collaborators
• Represent the company in regional, national and international forums by presenting findings, attending events, and gaining knowledge and understanding of the wider system

Stakeholder management:

• Assist the Evaluation Lead with regulatory requirements, including preparing IRB protocols, coordinating amendments and liaising with IRB committees, as needed
• Effectively manage internal and external stakeholders, such as academics, partners or consultants
• Coordinate projects with other direct team members, championing team or company initiatives

RequirementsWhat You'll Bring:

• MA/MS graduate in a relevant field, such as Psychology, Public Health, Social/Behavioral Sciences or a related discipline
• PhD in a relevant subject is desirable
• Familiarity with digital mental health and/or youth mental health is desirable
• Proficiency in quantitative and/or qualitative advanced research methods
• Experience using quantitative statistical analysis software (required). Coding experience in R and/or Python for data analysis is desirable
• Program administration skills, including managing projects, documentation, and workflows
• Advanced IT proficiency, particularly in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (or Google Workspace equivalents), as well as Google Drive
• Experience conducting interviews with stakeholders or key informants, and competence in qualitative data analysis
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a dynamic environment
• Skilled in stakeholder management, building productive relationships with internal and external partners
• Self-starter who takes initiative and works autonomously with minimal direction
• Adaptable and solutions-focused, thriving in fast-paced and evolving environments

BenefitsWhat You'll Get: Compensation: The base salary for this role is $60,000 to $70,000 annually. We're committed to transparency and value our candidates time, which is why we share salary ranges in all states—regardless of local requirements. Final compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including your education, experience, skills, and overall alignment with the role. Kooth offers a competitive base salary, employee equity program, and comprehensive benefits including:

• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
• 401(K) Retirement Plan with company match
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Remote-first flexibility and work-from-home support
• Paid parental leave
• Learning & development opportunities
• 8 Paid Holidays, plus two half-day holidays (Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve)

Equal Employment Opportunity: Kooth is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. Reasonable Accommodations: Kooth is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other protected reasons under applicable law. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact our HR team. Ready to Join Us? If you're ready to make a meaningful impact and be part of a team that values purpose-driven work, apply today. Together, we're shaping the future of digital mental health care.