[Hiring] Associate Director, Implementation Scientist @Research Triangle Institute

Role Description

RTI Health Solutions is seeking an experienced, strategic, and highly collaborative Associate Director, Implementation Scientist to support the continued growth and execution of our Implementation Science Program. This role is ideal for an implementation scientist or research leader who combines strong methodological expertise with an understanding of pharmaceutical development, evidence generation, and the practical factors that influence the adoption of therapies and healthcare solutions.

In this role, you will lead implementation science projects from initial scoping and research design through execution, interpretation, and delivery. You will assume ownership of project scope, scientific quality, timelines, budgets, risks, team coordination, and client communication while remaining actively engaged in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. You will also provide technical guidance to project teams and collaborate with scientific experts across RTI-HS and RTI International.

You will partner with pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients to apply implementation science proactively across the development lifecycle. Your work will help identify potential adoption roadblocks early in the clinical development pipeline and integrate practical, evidence-based solutions into research and evidence-generation strategies. As needed, you will contribute to business development, proposals, capability presentations, client cultivation, and growth of the Implementation Science practice.

Qualifications

• A PhD in implementation science, translational health science, public health, health services research, behavioral or social science, epidemiology, or a related field plus at least 2 years of directly relevant experience; or a relevant master’s degree plus at least 4 years of directly relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying implementation science theories, models, frameworks, strategies, and outcomes to real-world healthcare or life sciences questions.
• Strong understanding of the pharmaceutical development process and the role of evidence generation in clinical development, regulatory planning, market access, launch, and post-launch decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to design scientifically rigorous and operationally feasible health research studies.

Requirements

• Experience designing, conducting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative and quantitative research, including meaningful experience integrating methods within mixed-methods studies.
• Demonstrated success leading research or consulting projects and assuming ownership of scope, timelines, budgets, quality, risks, team coordination, and client communication.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to translate ambiguous client questions into structured research and evidence-generation approaches.
• Experience working directly with clients or external research partners and communicating scientific concepts, study options, tradeoffs, and recommendations.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across scientific disciplines and organizational functions and to influence outcomes without relying solely on formal authority.
• Experience contributing to proposals, scopes of work, budgets, capability presentations, or other business-development activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing and reviewing client deliverables, research reports, proposals, and scientific presentations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, make timely decisions, and maintain high standards of scientific integrity, research ethics, and quality.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.
• Comprehensive health insurance plans.
• Retirement savings plan with company match.
• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule.
• Professional development opportunities.