Program Director - Substance Use, Gender, and Applied Research (SUGAR) Program

RTI’s Substance Use, Gender, and Applied Research (SUGAR) program within the Center for Health Behavior and Implementation Science has an opening for a Program Director. This individual will be responsible for advancing complex research to improve public health outcomes among marginalized populations including adolescents, pregnant people, and sexual minority groups. Specifically, they will engage in marketing and proposal writing to expand the program’s private and publicly funded research portfolio. They will have expertise to plan, win and manage highly complex health research projects of significant value; write impactful reports; present papers at professional meetings and conferences; and identify ways to enhance or expand existing studies. The Program Director will work with minimal supervision, but adequate support, from other experienced project managers and staff. They also will lead scientific stature activities (e.g., peer reviewed publications and presentations) and assist early- and mid-career staff with career development.

The SUGAR program develops and tests the efficacy, effectiveness, and impact of interventions for key populations of women, couples, and adolescents both locally and globally. The program has deep expertise in HIV and related health outcomes, with a focus on interventions for community-based and real-world settings to reduce substance misuse, sexual risk behaviors, health disparities, gender-based violence, and racial and gender inequality, as well as reducing stigma and discrimination. Using applied research that incorporates biobehavioral approaches to addresses social determinants, SUGAR partners with community agencies and community, peer, and youth collaborative boards comprised of community members and professionals to address social and biobehavioral issues through a gender lens.

The Program Director will report to the Center Director. This position can be based in one of the following regional offices: Research Triangle Park, NC, Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA or Oakland, CA. Teleworking also will be considered.

We encourage applications from people of color, individuals from groups historically under-represented in the health sciences, and people with lived experience that may be relevant to this position.

• Winning, leading, and managing highly complex and innovative health gender-focused research projects in substance misuse and HIV, including those collecting and using biobehavioral data.
• Participating in determining research policies and priorities, which have broad organizational implications.
• Participating in Division Leadership meetings, as well as development and implementation of the Division strategy.
• Fostering employee growth and development by meeting regularly with each staff member to discuss ongoing work, upcoming opportunities, project, proposal, scientific stature, and other workload/ level of effort.
• Performing administrative management duties, such as recruiting and orienting new employees and monitoring overhead investments.
• Contributing to Division-wide management activities.
• Assuring the workplace culture is aligned with RTI’s Lead Forward behaviors.
• Ensuring RTI's quality management programs and standards are applied throughout the Program.
• Meeting regularly with the Center Director and functioning as a liaison and thought partner between the leadership team and program staff to ensure staff are well informed.
• Maintaining transparent communication.
• Addressing conflicts or issues as they arise, escalating as necessary.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD, ScD, or other related doctoral degree with at least 10 years of experience; or a Master’s degree with at least 14 years of experience, or a Bachelor’s degree with at least 18 years of experience.
• Subject matter expertise in substance misuse, HIV, health disparities and social determinants of health.
• Strong track record of publications, winning proposals, and leading projects.
• Experience managing complex projects for a variety of clients, including federal agencies such as NIH and CDC.
• Experience managing groups of research staff who focus on issues around substance misuse and HIV.
• Experience collaborating with community, university, and/or research partners.
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status.

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States.

RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Salary : $184,000 - $227,000