Managing Director, Healthcare Innovations

American Institutes for Research•Chicago, IL

1d•Remote

About The Position

Join AIR as a Managing Director with our Healthcare Innovations team. Our team works collaboratively to unravel the intertwined challenges of health care quality, costs, and access. Our team of experts – nurses, physicians, psychologists, economists, sociologists, data scientists, and public health experts – advance evidence and save lives by leading rigorous research and evaluation; results-driven technical assistance and training; and leading-edge data science and technology tools. The Managing Director will lead complex implementation, monitoring, and technical assistance (TA) initiatives for federal health agencies. This position will manage multi‑year projects involving operational oversight, implementation planning, monitoring frameworks, stakeholder engagement, data collection, TA delivery, and performance reporting. This role is ideally suited for candidates who have successfully led major federal health projects and can serve as strong director on implementation and monitoring contracts. This position has the flexibility to work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories. About AIR: Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

Requirements

Ph.D. or masters degree in health economics, public health, public policy, or a related social science discipline.
10–15 years of leadership or management experience in health policy or federal health program work.
Successful experience serving as a Managing Director on complex contracts involving implementation, monitoring, TA, evaluation, or model testing.
Experience working with or for CMS or similar federal health agencies.
Demonstrated success leading federal proposal development and contributing to winning bids.
Working knowledge of CMS program structures, policy priorities, and expectations related to implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
Familiarity with monitoring frameworks, rapid‑cycle learning, and implementation science approaches used in federal health projects.
Strong communication skills for federal audiences and the ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder relationships.
Experience overseeing large budgets, managing risks, developing staffing plans, and implementing operational systems consistent with federal contracting standards.
Proven ability to lead large‑scale research or implementation projects, write reports, and present findings.
Demonstrated ability to lead mission‑driven teams, including staff, subcontractors, and consultants.
Strategic thinker with the ability to structure complex initiatives and maintain a long‑term view of project and portfolio needs.
Collaborative leadership style and commitment to mentorship and staff development.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with experience leading multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Oversight Lead large, complex federal health implementation and monitoring projects, ensuring high‑quality execution, timeliness, fiscal stewardship, and operational stability.
Oversee multidisciplinary workflows (e.g., implementation planning, analysis, stakeholder engagement, data collection, monitoring, reporting)
Engage directly with federal clients — particularly Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — to maintain productive communication, clarify requirements, and address emerging needs or risks.
Strategic Direction & Federal Business Growth Working with AIR’s program area leadership and functional leadership to create business development strategy for established areas and specific new areas of growth identify new opportunities, including:
Coordinating pursuit plans and pipelines for federal opportunities.
Supporting bid/no‑bid decisions and ensuring alignment with AIR capabilities and priorities.
Leading or contributing to proposal pursuits: conceptualizing bid strategies, developing research and monitoring approaches, drafting proposal content, and conducting technical reviews.
Cultivating and maintaining relationships with potential partners, funders, and federal clients.
Monitoring ongoing projects to understand client expectations, anticipate needs, and identify opportunities and challenges across the portfolio.
Assessing staff capacity and helping align resources to support both project delivery and new business pursuits.
Team Leadership, Staff Development & Collaboration Supervise and mentor task leads, analysts, researchers, TA specialists, and operational staff to build strong, high‑performing project teams.
Foster cross‑functional collaboration across analytics, communications, data management, TA, and operations teams to ensure integrated, high‑quality project delivery.
Provide coaching and support to rising project leaders in effective project management, quality assurance, client communication, and staff supervision.
Contribute to a collaborative environment that values and respects a wide range of perspectives, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Thought Leadership & External Engagement Represent AIR in federal stakeholder meetings, technical discussions, and conferences.
Collaborate with AIR’s communications teams to translate implementation and monitoring insights into publications, briefs, and presentations.
Contribute to AIR’s visibility and reputation in federal health program implementation, monitoring, and TA.