Every day, healthcare providers face crucial decisions about how to deliver and improve clinical care in practice, but they often lack the critical information needed to guide them. At the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), our Clinical CER Program focuses on comparing the effectiveness of different clinical interventions, treatments, and care strategies. Our goal is to support research that will provide reliable, useful information to help people make better-informed healthcare decisions.
We are seeking a Senior Program Officer with demonstrated expertise in clinical trial design, execution, and research methods. Under the direction of an Associate Director and the Program Director, you will lead the strategic decision-making and high-level program planning, management, and monitoring of a diverse portfolio of research awards that address PCORI’s National Priorities for Health. We welcome candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including extensive experience and/or scientific leadership in comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and CER methods, in a specific area of knowledge (which may include one or more topics from our 2025 research themes), in a research funding organization, or in a research program with staff management.
PCORI is the leading funder of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research in the US—we have invested more than $4 billion in patient-centered CER and related projects to date. You will work on the Clinical CER team, which includes 12 highly accomplished Program Officers, and engage with the nation’s leading investigators to support research that will have a direct impact on patient care and clinical guidelines, resulting in lasting improvement in patient outcomes.
How You’ll Make an Impact
Advancing our research agenda and the National Priorities for Health, key focus areas include:
- Supporting program development and providing scientific oversight for a diverse portfolio of funded research awards. Oversee 10 to 15 awards (generally more than $10M each over 5+ years), working with awardees, program associates, and other PCORI staff to manage processes while ensuring the scientific fidelity of awards is maintained.
- Developing funding announcements, working internally with departments across PCORI and externally with key stakeholders to identify and scope out research opportunities in Clinical CER-related areas.
- Evaluating and implementing program activities to further the CER unit’s strategic direction, for example, analyzing our portfolio to identify gaps in evidence that can drive future PCORI investments.
Work Environment, Salary, and Benefits
- You’ll enjoy a purpose-driven hybrid work environment with 2 collaborative days on-site weekly in our Washington, DC, office. Occasional travel for site visits and representing PCORI at external meetings may be required.
- The salary is competitive and based on your qualifications and experience, ranging from $155K – $180K. The benefits package includes generous PTO (up to 20-30 days of PTO based on job classification and/or years of service), medical, dental, and vision insurance, long-term and short-term disability, 401(a) plan with employer contribution up to 10%, life insurance, professional development reimbursement, employee engagement events, and more.
- You are joining a team of mission-driven professionals with deep experience in the field who are genuinely interested in helping each other succeed. We have a very intentional and supportive onboarding process and offer robust professional development.
- As a research funder, convener, and employer, PCORI is dedicated to advancing and accelerating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in our work. Internally, we know diversity and inclusion are about the experience and culture an organization builds for itself. Our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts stretch across our entire organization, from recruiting our workforce to cultivating business relationships.
Responsibilities
General Program Responsibilities
- Assist the Associate Director, Program Director, and CER leadership in identifying and implementing strategic objectives for the program.
- Identify and manage the development and implementation of program funding activities (e.g., funding opportunity announcements).
- Collaborate with staff from other PCORI Patient-Centered Research programs, as well as other PCORI staff, in implementing program activities.
- Work closely with a team of PCORI staff in managing research awards.
Portfolio Management
- Oversee and lead major programmatic functions and processes, both administrative and technical in nature.
- Identify and manage the design and implementation of activities related to developing program-specific PCORI funding announcements (e.g., leading topic-theme workgroups, advisory panel meetings, and working with external organizations, including government organizations).
- Develop, with assistance from PCORI staff and external organizations, program-specific PCORI funding announcements. Serve as the lead scientific point of contact for specific funding announcement-related questions and make decisions regarding approval of proposed changes to announcements or proposals.
- Actively engage in PCORI’s processes for reviewing and awarding applications received through the PCORI funding announcement process.
- Advise awardees on the execution of their contracts.
- Engage in active portfolio management by monitoring awardees’ attainment of contract milestones and overall study progress, conducting site visits, and implementing learning networks or conferences to facilitate shared learning opportunities for relevant stakeholders.
- Collaborate with contract management staff to assess the status of projects.
- Evaluate the program’s portfolio to ensure balance and to identify the need for modification of strategic funding directions and opportunities and independently lead the evaluation of the program’s portfolio in specific areas.
- Advise potential applicants regarding their applications and the application process.
Organizational Responsibilities and Contributions
- Represent PCORI publicly regarding program direction, program funding, and the application process and award results.
- Participate in conferences, seminars, and other professional development activities to maintain and enhance expertise and professional status.
- Lead, contribute to, and participate in internal groups and teams and cross-cutting initiatives. Carry out other responsibilities as assigned by PCORI management.
- Keep the Program Director and team appraised of developments and occurrences in the field that are likely to affect program decision-making, strategies, and/or award decision-making.
- Demonstrate leadership within the department and organization through a constructive approach to problem-solving and a willingness to collaborate with others within and outside the division.
- Oversee or mentor other Program Officers and Program Associates to respond to applicant questions and manage more complex scientific and technical aspects of research awards.
Qualifications
- Doctoral degree and 7+ years of experience in a research discipline relevant to patient-centered outcomes research (e.g., clinical epidemiology, health services research, sociology, psychology, health policy, biostatistics, economics, bioinformatics, data science, or health education).
- Proven leadership for a specific area of knowledge in one or more of PCORI’s program areas: Evidence for Existing Interventions and Emerging Innovations and/or Advance the Science of Dissemination, Implementation, and Health Communication.
- A combination of demonstrated experience and/or scientific leadership in one or more of the following:
- Clinical trial design, execution, and research methods, which may be reflected by prior success in publishing first-authored scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
- A specific area of knowledge. Preference for topical expertise in PCORI’s topic themes (addressing cancer, addressing COVID-19, addressing rare diseases, addressing sensory impairment and disability, addressing substance use, addressing violence and trauma, improving cardiovascular health, improving mental and behavioral health, improving metabolic and endocrine health, improving outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, managing pain, preventing maternal morbidity and mortality, promoting sleep health).
- In a funding research agency/organization.
- In a research program with staff management.
- Demonstrated professionalism and experience in developing productive relationships with individuals at all levels, internally and externally, including colleagues, awardees, consultants, external funders, and others who contribute to program development and management.
About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 and reauthorized in 2019. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI seeks input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.
Staffing Advisors is committed to reducing bias in every aspect of the hiring process. We have long recommended a competency-driven approach to hiring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences.
