Senior Director, Implementation Science

The Senior Director, Implementation Science will ensure that JED’s school and community-based programs are evidence-based, data-driven, measurable, and have an impact on improving systems and reducing poor mental health and suicide among young people. This role is responsible for overseeing and advising the co-design of JED’s technical assistance programs (in collaboration with program leads), ensuring that program implementation measurement tools and actions reflect JED’s Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide prevention and the best available evidence. The Senior Director, Implementation Science leads JED’s program evaluation framework development, survey design, data translation and interpretation, continuous quality improvement initiatives, research studies aimed at understanding JED’s impact, and investigations into what JED’s data can tell us about the broader youth mental health landscape. With deep expertise in implementation science and a research and evaluation background in JED-aligned topic areas, the ideal candidate will contribute to leading JED’s scientific core. The Senior Director will lead a team dedicated to maintaining high standards of translational research quality, with a commitment to building research-data-practice frameworks. This role will collaborate with various departments and partners to support JED’s mission. The staff member in this position will display a strong commitment to and experience using data to inform equitable implementation of prevention and intervention strategies to improve youth well-being. Key Responsibilities Research and Evaluation-Informed Program Co-Design and Implementation: Co-lead (with program partners) JED’s efforts to develop and update technical assistance programs for schools and communities based on the best available evidence and evaluation frameworks. These efforts are collaborative with programmatic partners; this role guides and oversees efforts to ensure that programs are evidence-based, measurable, and positioned to generate impact. Develop protocols and resources to support development and updates to JED’s core programs, including identifying mechanisms and cycles for routine and major updates. Collaborate with the Senior Director, Knowledge & Review and other staff to stay informed of the best available evidence to promote mental health and prevent suicide. Support, advise, and oversee staff within this vertical in developing or updating program design elements, evaluation frameworks (such as a theory of change), and program survey and measurement tools to align with best practices and the evolving research. Develop, implement, and oversee continuous quality feedback loops to support program implementation fidelity in collaboration with program, data, and technology partners. Identify opportunities to use data to support equitable implementation of JED’s programs, including identifying which strategies may work for whom and in what context. Develop processes and lead efforts to improve data literacy at JED, leading with the perspective that all staff should be equipped to use data to drive decision-making. Survey and Measurement Design: Oversee and advise efforts to develop survey and assessment tools that ensure measurability of JED’s technical assistance programs. These data also provide opportunities for conducting basic and rigorous evaluation research, as well as research on emerging trends, risk and protective factors, and outcomes in youth mental health and suicide. Collaborate with JED’s partners at the Healthy Minds Study to leverage these data for programmatic impact and to advance research on college student mental health. Advise the teams’ scientists on best practices in survey and measurement design, including ensuring that questions align with JED’s broader research and evaluation goals, are developmentally appropriate, and benchmark with national and field standards. Develop and oversee processes to support routine survey updates, balancing the need to maintain data consistency over time with flexibility as trends and priorities evolve. Oversee day-to-day elements of JED’s Institutional Review Board approvals, including identifying when IRB approvals and updates are needed and how to interpret approvals. Collaborate with the Senior Director, Data Management and Analysis as well as JED’s product and technology teams to ensure survey measures are translated accurately and securely into Qualtrics. Collaborate with the Senior Director, Data Management and Analysis and their team to ensure that data are managed and coded in alignment with the scientific literature. Conducting and Disseminating Research and Evaluation Studies : Conduct and advise the development and design of research studies on the impact of JED’s programs, trends in youth mental health and suicide prevention, and youth mental health and suicide prevention risk and protective factors. Disseminate research and data across a variety of outlets, including academic journal articles, JED-generated reports, data briefs, presentations, and other mediums. Collaborate across the Research and Evaluation team to advise staff on how to execute analyses using appropriate statistical methods for the research question. The Senior Director may also engage in data analysis if needed or of interest. Produce and present detailed reports or presentations on data, research, or evaluation findings to internal and external stakeholders. Collaborate within the Research and Evaluation team and other teams across JED to ensure data dashboards, reports, and other visualizations meet programmatic needs, align with best practices in data literacy, and answer appropriate research, evaluation, or CQI questions. Team Leadership and Development: Lead and mentor a team of scientists. Foster a culture of research-informed practice, data-driven decision-making, data literacy, and continuous improvement. Provide training and support to staff on research-based program design, survey design and measurement, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, data translation, and gold-standard research, data, and evaluation dissemination across a variety of outlets. Compliance and Ethical Standards: Support day-to-day oversight and decision-making related to Institutional Review Board protocols and procedures, including drafting, updating, and interpreting IRB approvals. Collaborate with colleagues within the Research and Evaluation team to ensure compliance with all relevant data protection regulations and ethical standards. Enforce policies to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. Skills, Knowledge & Expertise Ph.D. in the behavioral sciences (such as psychology, sociology, human development, or a related field), education, public health, or equivalent degree is required. 7+ years of experience conducting research and/or designing and evaluating programs related to JED-aligned interests, such as mental health, suicide, adversity, or injury prevention; positive youth development; or help-seeking. Proven experiencing synthesizing and using research to inform program design, measurement, implementation, and evaluation, including developing research-data-practice feedback loops for continuous program quality improvement. Strong understanding of rigorous research evaluation methodologies, as well as basic program evaluation framework development and execution, in the behavioral sciences. Experience developing and selecting survey content and measurement tools based on the available scientific literature, including assessing developmental appropriateness. Excellent quantitative research skills, including experience designing research studies, selecting the correct analytic method to answer a research question, and analyzing data. This includes experience with statistical software, such as R, SAS, SPSS, or Python. Track record of publishing scientific findings and disseminating and translating data in varied outlets, including academic journal articles, written and oral communications, policy briefings, toolkits or tip sheets for professionals, and lay audiences. Strong understanding of data protection regulations and ethical standards, including experience developing, updating, and interpreting Institutional Review Board protocols. Ability to translate data into programmatic impact and data-driven programmatic recommendations, including for scientific, programmatic, funder, and other audiences. This includes experience using data to improve equity in outcomes. Experience in a leadership role, including staff mentorship and supervision or in leading a team of diverse, multi-disciplinary scientists. Experience overseeing and supporting research partnerships, such as with academic institutions or research organizations, to advance scientific agendas. Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex data in a clear and concise manner. Ability to work collaboratively with program staff, funders, partners, and other stakeholders. Salary Range (by Location): New York (Geo A): $135,000 - $190,000 San Francisco (Geo SF): $142,000 - $200,000 Remote/Other Metros (Geo B,C,D): $115,000 - $181,000