The National Association of Community Health Centers seeks a visionary, mission driven Chief Science Officer to lead the organization’s data-driven evidence, analytics, learning and science innovation agenda in support of Community Health Centers nationwide. This executive will strengthen NACHC’s role as a leading change agent by generating, translating and applying actionable evidence that demonstrates the value of Community Health Centers, informs policy and practice, accelerates responsible innovation and supports measurable improvements in health outcomes for the communities they serve.

This executive will ensure that NACHC’s advocacy, policy, practice transformation, quality improvement, technology and education efforts are grounded in evidence and

responsive to the rapidly changing health care environment. The Chief Science Officer will help position Community Health Centers to lead in an era defined by value-based care, artificial intelligence, digital health, data modernization and rising expectations for quality, safety, efficiency and accountability.

Community Health Centers now serve an estimated 52 million Americans, including 1 in 7 people nationwide and 1 in 3 people in rural areas, and operate as the nation’s largest primary care system. The Chief Science Officer will help ensure that the scale, value, innovation and community impact of this system are understood, measured, strengthened and communicated to policymakers, funders, health systems, researchers, technology partners and the public.

Description Of Primary Responsibilities And Duties

The Chief Science Officer will provide strategic, collaborative, leadership across three mutually reinforcing domains:

• Research, Data and Evidence
• Policy, Practice and Implementation Leadership
• Science Education, Learning, and Capacity Building

The role will serve as NACHC’s senior scientific voice, and evidence strategist, translating community health center experience into research priorities, policy insights, implementation models, educational resources, and practical tools that help health centers improve access, elevate patient care, and ensure immediate readiness for the future of health care.

The CSO is expected to leverage CHC knowledge and expertise to identify and assess opportunities to facilitate exchange of information among researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to foster a culture of collaborative research and innovation.

The CSO will report to the Chief Executive Officer and will lead the NACHC Data Analysis/Science Team to support NACHC's mission as the leading innovative change agent advancing CHCs and health of the communities they serve.

Description Of Primary Responsibilities And Duties

Science & Research Leadership

• Co-lead the development and implementation of NACHC’s National Data Strategy to ensure access to timely, comprehensive national data that demonstrates the value, impact, and performance of Community Health Centers.
• Lead analysis of HRSA Uniform Data System (UDS) data and oversee publication of NACHC’s most-cited annual publication, the CHC Chartbook.
• Design and oversee surveys, assessments, and original research initiatives that identify emerging issues affecting CHCs and address gaps in existing data sources.
• Build strategic partnerships that expand access to critical analytic resources, including cost and claims data, payer data, public health data, community-level and geospatial data, patient-reported outcomes, and emerging digital and AI-enabled data sources.
• Lead NACHC’s scientific publishing partnerships, including development of quarterly editorials and two annual journal supplements focused on Community Health Centers within peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved.
• Develop enterprise-wide standards for scientific rigor, research methodology, signature statistics, and centralized research services to ensure consistency, quality, and operational efficiency across NACHC.

Education & Knowledge Translation

• Publish high-impact, data-driven publications and evidence products that educate policymakers, payers, providers, patients, purchasers, producers, innovators, and other stakeholders on the value and impact of Community Health Centers.
• Translate complex scientific findings, policy issues, and emerging trends into accessible, actionable communications and educational resources for audiences with varying levels of technical expertise.
• Leverage research and data to support enterprise-wide evidence-based education initiatives, including NACHC-Ed, technical assistance, conference programming, consulting services, learning collaboratives, and workforce development activities.

Practice Transformation & Innovation

• Conduct surveys, environmental scans, literature reviews, and assessments to identify and elevate evidence-based and emerging best practices across the healthcare system.
• Partner with NACHC’s education, clinical, innovation, and practice teams to ensure practice enablement, training, technical assistance, and innovation initiatives are grounded in implementation science and the latest evidence.
• Design and implement research training and certification pathways for Community Health Centers at varying levels of research readiness, including observational research, quality improvement, community-based participatory research, clinical interventions, and clinical trials.
• Develop and facilitate partnerships connecting Community Health Centers with Contract Research Organizations (CROs), biopharmaceutical companies, Academic Medical Centers (AMCs), and other research and innovation partners.

Policy & Advocacy Leadership

• Co-lead policy strategy development by conducting research and analyses related to patient access, health disparities, workforce development, financing, affordability, technology and AI, value-based care, drug pricing, and emerging healthcare trends to ensure NACHC’s advocacy agenda is rooted in data-driven evidence.
• Identify, develop, and promote “signature statistics” that strengthen NACHC’s strategic communications, public positioning, and advocacy efforts on behalf of Community Health Centers and primary care.
• Translate research and scientific evidence into policy briefs, RFIs, regulatory comment letters, blogs, reports, advocacy materials, action alerts, and other communications that are evidence-based, accessible, and actionable.

Organizational & Partnership Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing research team that strengthens NACHC’s internal scientific and analytic capabilities and supports organizational excellence.
• Lead the Dr. John W. Hatch Center for Science by establishing a national research strategy and agenda, developing strategic partnerships, securing multi-year funding, and advancing the Center as a national hub for CHC-focused science, innovation, and evidence generation.
• Convene and lead a NACHC Research Council composed of Community Health Center leaders, movement partners, academic researchers, and external thought leaders to guide NACHC’s research priorities and strengthen collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem.

Professional/Technical Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Doctoral degree preferred, or equivalent senior-level experience, in public health, health services research, medicine, nursing, epidemiology, public policy, health economics, social sciences, or a related field.
• Deep expertise in Community Health Centers (CHCs), public health, primary care, health policy, quality measurement, healthcare financing, and payment models, including 15+ years of experience working with academic institutions, government agencies, Community Health Centers, associations, health systems, or mission-driven organizations advancing public health and primary care outcomes.
• Significant executive or senior leadership experience within healthcare, public health, health policy, research, philanthropy, academia, government, or other mission-driven health organizations.
• Demonstrated strategic leadership with a strong understanding of the evolving healthcare landscape, including emerging trends in artificial intelligence (AI), digital health, data governance, healthcare technology, responsible innovation, and digital transformation.
• Proven experience leading the development of grants, funding strategies, cooperative agreements, philanthropic initiatives, and strategic partnerships, including experience securing and managing federal, foundation, research, or philanthropic funding.
• Experience overseeing internally and externally funded initiatives, including implementation, evaluation, operational oversight, compliance management, and performance measurement.
• Demonstrated administrative and operational leadership skills, including supervision, team development, strategic planning, budgeting, financial management, priority setting, and operational oversight.
• Experience recruiting, mentoring, teaching, facilitating learning initiatives, and leading complex, multidisciplinary, team-based projects.
• Advanced expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, implementation science, program evaluation, research design, data analysis, interpretation, and evidence translation.
• Experience leading evaluations and research initiatives involving Community Health Centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Primary Care Associations (PCAs), Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs), safety-net providers, or related healthcare delivery systems.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, white papers, national presentations, journal articles, or nationally recognized thought leadership.
• Experience working with federal agencies and national organizations such as HRSA, HHS, CMS, CDC, AHRQ, NIH, State Medicaid agencies, foundations, or national healthcare associations.