[Hiring] Head of Research @LifeStance Health

Role Description

The Head of Research is responsible for advancing LifeStance’s enterprise research, outcomes, and external publication strategy by building scalable research infrastructure, translating real-world clinical data into evidence, and partnering across Clinical, Quality, Data Analytics, Operations, and external collaborators. Success looks like a clinically governed, methodologically rigorous research portfolio that differentiates LifeStance through measurable outcomes, high-quality publications, strategic partnerships, and actionable insights that improve care for patients and support clinicians.

Consistent with LifeStance’s values, every member of the LifeStance team is expected to support each other and the mission, which may mean participating in projects and initiatives and performing functions and responsibilities not specifically outlined in this job description. Leaders at LifeStance are expected to foster a commitment to the organization values.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree such as PhD, PsyD, MD, DrPH, ScD, or equivalent terminal degree in psychology, psychiatry, behavioral health, public health, health services research, statistics, data science, epidemiology, or a related field. Master’s degree with significant equivalent research leadership experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in clinical research, behavioral health research, health services research, outcomes research, quality improvement, data analytics, or a related healthcare research function.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing research teams, cross-functional research programs, external collaborators, or complex multi-stakeholder research initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating clinical or healthcare outcomes research using real-world data, EHR-derived data, claims data, survey data, or measurement-based care data.
• Experience developing manuscripts, conference submissions, white papers, executive research summaries, or external publications.

Requirements

• No specific license is required unless the candidate’s professional discipline requires active licensure for the work performed.
• Human subjects research training, IRB familiarity, or equivalent research compliance training required or completed upon hire.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, AD&D, short and long-term disability, and life insurance.
• 401k retirement savings with employer match.
• Paid parental leave.
• Paid time off.
• Holiday pay.
• Employee Assistance Program.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the enterprise research strategy, including annual research priorities, publication roadmap, governance processes, and standards for ethical, compliant research execution.
• Oversee analyses of LifeStance clinical, operational, and measurement-based care data ensuring priorities and strategies are guided by Clinical Excellence to produce actionable insights regarding access, engagement, quality, safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient outcomes.
• Establish publication standards and oversee development of manuscripts, white papers, conference abstracts, annual outcomes reporting, and external-facing research narratives that strengthen LifeStance’s thought leadership.
• Build scalable research operations, including project intake, prioritization, study design support, documentation, data request workflows, IRB and regulatory coordination, and reporting cadence.
• Partner with Clinical Excellence, Quality, Legal/Compliance, Privacy, Data Insights, Informatics, Practice Operations, Strategy, and Finance to ensure research initiatives are strategically aligned, operationally feasible, and clinically meaningful.
• Develop and manage research collaborations with academic institutions, health systems, professional organizations, vendors, and external experts to advance evidence generation and dissemination.
• Collaborate with Clinical Excellence to translate research insights into clinical quality improvement priorities, measurement frameworks, and evidence-based recommendations that support clinicians and improve patient care.
• Lead and develop research staff, consultants, and matrixed contributors by setting priorities, establishing clear expectations, providing coaching, and maintaining accountability for high-quality deliverables.
• Ensure research activities align with applicable laws, regulations, privacy requirements, ethical standards, IRB expectations, and LifeStance policies governing data use, patient confidentiality, and external dissemination.
• Prepare executive-ready updates, dashboards, recommendations, and presentations for senior leadership, governance committees, and other internal stakeholders.

Additional Job-Related Information

• This role is expected to supervise research staff and/or contractors as the research function scales.
• This role owns cross-functional and enterprise-level research initiatives, including publication timelines, outcomes reporting, external collaborations, research governance, and implementation of scalable research processes.
• This role has significant autonomy in setting research priorities, determining study design recommendations, shaping publication strategy, and translating data into research deliverables.
• Research decisions may affect privacy, data use, external reporting, regulatory readiness, scientific integrity, and organizational reputation.
• This role does not typically carry direct revenue accountability but indirectly supports growth, payer and partnership credibility, clinician engagement, and brand differentiation through rigorous evidence generation, outcomes reporting, and thought leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a large, multi-site, multi-state behavioral health, outpatient mental health, or healthcare delivery organization.
• Peer-reviewed publication record, grant experience, academic partnership experience, or national conference presentation experience.
• Experience with measurement-based care, patient-reported outcomes, real-world evidence, health equity research, value-based care, or predictive analytics.
• Experience managing external research partnerships, vendors, consultants, or data collaboration agreements.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Regularly required to sit, stand, bend, talk and hear.
• Frequently required to walk.
• Must be able to lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• This role is primarily performed in a remote office or similar indoor environment, requiring reliable internet access and a quiet, distraction-free, dedicated HIPAA-compliant workspace.
• Travel may be required periodically for enterprise meetings, research collaborations, conferences, leadership discussions, or operational engagement.

Compensation

$210,000 - $225,000/annually in addition to a competitive bonus plan and equity potential. LifeStance provides the compensation range and benefits that it in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position. LifeStance reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, or federal law.