Program Manager, Director (Job 1325)

DLH delivers improved health and national security readiness solutions for federal programs through science research and development, systems engineering and integration, and digital transformation. Our experts in public health, performance evaluation, and health operations solve the complex problems faced by civilian and military customers alike by leveraging advanced tools – including digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud enablement, modeling, and simulation, and more. With over 2,400 employees dedicated to the idea that “Your Mission is Our Passion,” DLH brings a unique combination of government sector experience, proven methodology, and unwavering commitment to innovation to improve the lives of millions.

Overview

DLH seeks a dynamic and visionary Project Director (PD) to serve as the scientific and operational lead for a major, long-standing federally funded cohort study investigating environmental and genetic risk factors for cancer and other chronic diseases. The Project Director is responsible for end-to-end contract execution: leading multidisciplinary teams, collaborating directly with government Principal Investigators, and ensuring delivery of complex, protocol-driven research activities across participant engagement, biospecimen management, data operations, and outcome validation. The PD operates at the intersection of executive project management and epidemiologic subject matter expertise, guiding study strategy, operational excellence, and scientific contribution throughout all phases of this nationally recognized research program.

Leadership Expectations

The Project Director exemplifies executive leadership and strategic vision by:

• Providing direction to internal and external teams
• Maintaining mature, collaborative relationships with federal stakeholders
• Communicating effectively and authoritatively with senior agency executives, scientific partners, and internal leadership to align project execution with evolving research objectives and organizational goals
• Driving operational excellence, ensuring complex study deliverables are met, and resolving challenges to achieve high performance, data integrity, and participant retention

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of daily contract operations, acting as the executive liaison and primary representative to federal clients and agency leadership
• Proactively communicate project status, risks, issues, and mitigation strategies to ensure transparency and accountability across all contract activities
• Provide expert scientific and epidemiological guidance across all phases of cohort study operations, including study design, protocol development, and field execution
• Direct the design, implementation, and analysis of detailed follow-up protocols, multi-mode survey data collection, biospecimen operations, and preparation of analytic datasets
• Lead and supervise multidisciplinary teams comprising survey operations, data management, laboratory, quality assurance, and participant engagement professionals
• Recruit, mentor, and guide staff, fostering a culture of professional growth, operational excellence, and adherence to the highest ethical standards
• Develop and implement culturally competent participant retention and engagement strategies to sustain high response rates and maximize longitudinal follow-up
• Oversee integration, cleaning, quality assurance, and management of multiple concurrent data streams—including questionnaire, biospecimen, administrative, and medical record data
• Superintend biospecimen collection, processing, tracking, and repository operations in partnership with laboratory leadership, ensuring compliance with all safety and quality regulations
• Coordinate and support health outcome validation activities, including medical record abstraction and procurement of pathology reports
• Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with government scientists, academic partners, external investigators, and multi-cohort consortia
• Ensure compliance with all federal research regulations (IRB, HIPAA, Certificates of Confidentiality), as well as rigorous adherence to confidentiality, data privacy, and ethical standards
• Lead strategic planning and process improvement initiatives to drive continuous operational innovation and contract performance
• Manage project budgets, staffing plans, schedules, and resource allocation for optimization and sustainability of contract deliverables
• Support business development by identifying new contracts and grant opportunities, contributing to proposal development, and positioning DLH as a leader in cohort-based public health research
• Represent DLH at scientific conferences, on committees, and through authorship of manuscripts and presentations to enhance organizational visibility and scientific reputation
• Maintain situational awareness of advancements in epidemiology, biomedical research, and data science to ensure the program remains at the forefront of the field

Qualifications

• Doctorate (PhD, DrPH, ScD) in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, or a closely related discipline
• 10–15 years’ progressively responsible experience leading complex epidemiologic or public health research programs, with demonstrated success in longitudinal study design, execution, and operations
• Experience as Principal Investigator, Project Director, or equivalent leadership of multi-year, cohort-based public health studies
• Subject matter expertise in cancer required; additional subject matter expertise desired in environmental health, chronic disease epidemiology, genetics, or public health surveillance
• Direct experience in federal research contract management and client interaction at the senior level
• Demonstrated ability to mentor, supervise, and inspire multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Exceptional strategic planning, executive communication, and scientific writing skills
• Robust portfolio of peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and involvement in scientific societies or national associations
• Record of innovation and leadership in advancing large-scale research initiatives and process improvement
• Project management certification (PMP or equivalent) and experience with government contracting strongly preferred
• United States citizenship is required per federal contract terms
• Location: Research Triangle area preferred but not required. Willingness to travel required if outside the preferred geographic location.

Benefits

DLH Corp offers our employees an excellent benefits package, including Personal Time Off (PTO), medical, dental, vision, supplemental life with AD&D, short and long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, parental leave, legal services, and more. We want our employees to save for their future; therefore, we offer a 401(k) Retirement Plan, which includes a matching component. DLH is dedicated to your career development, providing training to help drive success, with access to our best-in-class e-learning suite for formal and informal learning, professional and technical certification preparation, and education assistance at accredited institutions.