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Position Description: Health Resources in Action (HRiA) is a non-profit, public health consulting organization based in Boston, MA, with 260 plus staff working throughout the country. HRiAs mission is to help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy, and research. With an emphasis on community engagement and commitment to racial and health equity, HRiA has earned a national reputation as a leader in the fields of public health and social change. HRiA collaborates with diverse clients who share its vision of healthier communities, including private/corporate philanthropic entities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state and local health departments, community-based organizations, and hospitals.
Since its founding in 1957, HRiA has been at the forefront of public health, leading the way to promote healthier and more vibrant communities. Our work recognizes how structural racism and social and economic factors impact health outcomes. Our health equity framework centers on racial equity and guides our work with communities, partners, and clients as well as our internal policies and processes. HRiA is also an affiliate member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes with over forty affiliates located across the country.
Health Resources in Action offers exciting, engaging, and challenging employment opportunities for researchers, facilitators, analysts, trainers, policy specialists, and more. People come to HRiA because of our commitment to social justice, health, and racial equity, our wonderful clients and partners, and our dedicated and dynamic staff. People stay at HRiA because of our collaborative approach to problem solving, our friendly work environment, and our commitment to providing employees with challenging and exciting professional opportunities.
Equity and Inclusion are core values of our organization. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through varied backgrounds. As public health practitioners with a social and racial justice focus, we are committed to better understanding and learning from the institutional structures that create disparities among us and our work. We are actively seeking to build and maintain a diverse and experienced staff. We provide an energizing and supportive environment in which to work and to build a career. For more information about the organization visit hria.org. Position Description
Health Resources in Action is seeking a highly talented and experienced Chief Science Officer (CSO) for the Medical Foundation (TMF), a department within the broader Grantmaking Cluster at HRiA which facilitates biomedical sciences grantmaking services. TMF provides strategic advising of the design and administration investments in biomedical sciences to a range of clients and partners. With a team of nine staff members situated across the country, TMF works with private individuals, bank trusts, and family foundations to provide biomedical and life sciences consulting services, program evaluation, and customized grant programs designed to accelerate medical discoveries. In 2022, we facilitated biomedical research grant programs that awarded over $27 million to outstanding investigators across the United States.
The CSO will have a deep understanding and experience in navigating the biomedical research systems, structures, and landscape that influence the effective design of philanthropic investments needed to advance health equity and wellness. The CSO will lead and collaborate with the organizations grantmaking team to spearhead and maintain the organizations innovative biomedical research award program services, enhance program impact, and further diversify the organizations client funding base. They will also cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with current clients, grant applicants/awardees, scientific reviewers, biomedical research funders, and research and medical society leadership. The CSO should have strong skills in developing trusting relationships and the ability to bring stakeholders together in accomplishing a common goal.
The CSO will work with staff to lead life sciences consulting projects including: scans of specific research and funding landscapes, evaluation studies to assess award program impact, recommendations for future research investment, and executive coaching. In developing new grant programs, they will engage with clients to design the scientific focus, eligibility, and size of the awards to maximize the impact of philanthropic investments. The CSO will provide scientific oversight to long-standing grant programs and new investment strategies throughout the pre-award, application review, and post-award process. They also will work with staff to continually improve grants administration in alignment with the needs of the field and translate complex biomedical research reports into lay language for clients and other stakeholders. The CSO will facilitate review panel meetings for funding determinations, present to board members and Trustees from family foundations and bank trusts and serve as a senior leader representative of HRiA and its clients. Finally, the position will further the thought leadership of the organization in biomedical sciences grantmaking and bolster TMFs role as a leader in the field and across the country. This is a senior-level position reporting to the Vice President of Grantmaking.
Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership and Management
Contribute to shaping a vision for the biomedical research grantmaking services portfolio that aligns with the organization.
Serve as the technical lead on biomedical research grantmaking projects, including project planning, implementation, evaluation, and other related administrative responsibilities.
Identify and implement departmental goals and objectives in collaboration with the biomedical research grantmaking team.
Collaborate with staff to implement strategies to advance the organizations priorities related to health equity.
Serve as an advisor to identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration between biomedical research and community health grantmaking teams.
Implement best practices to ensure high-quality grantmaking services.
Establish new and maintain existing relationships with clients, key stakeholders, and other biomedical funders, ensuring that deliverables align with project activities.
Work with and advise grantmaking leadership team on internal and external opportunities and challenges.
Lead, manage, and/or contribute to projects, as needed and/or appropriate.
Supervise team members, including a Senior Scientific Advisor and the Director of the Charles H. Hood Foundation.
Program and Project Work
Contribute subject matter and/or technical expertise to projects and teams, including designing investment strategies that advance innovation areas of research and align with current trends in the field, and translating research reports into lay language for board reports and presentations.
Serve as the lead contact for current and potential clients.
Manage technical content of multiple grants programs including updating the eligibility sections, application requirements, and review criteria in the application guidelines, identifying new members for the Scientific Review Committees, ensuring funded projects alight with programmatic research goals.
Collaborate with staff to plan and implement scientific symposia for client grant programs.
Develop project management timelines and set priorities to meet project goals and deadlines, while ensuring completion of high-quality work and deliverables.
Work with the staff in preparing in-depth life sciences consulting reports about the current state of specific fields of research, grant program evaluations, and other reports commissioned by clients.
Business Development
Maintain strong relationships with existing clients including foundations and bank trust departments.
Identify and secure new clients from the nonprofit sector, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, law firms, and bank trust departments, among others.
Write proposals and lead proposal development processes for relevant opportunities and contribute to other writing teams where appropriate.
Develop and negotiate scopes of work and contracting with external consultants.
Work with senior grantmaking staff to develop, manage, and track project budgets. Thought Leadership
Bring a high-level understanding of the biomedical research landscape, the systems and structures that contribute to research progress.
Work with grantmaking senior leadership to identify and implement a strategic vision for the biomedical grantmaking portfolio.
Be a trusted, informed resource for staff, clients, and broader community.
Be an active member of relevant biomedical research grantmaking networks such as Health Research Alliance, PEAK Grantmaking, and Philanthropy Massachusetts, and attend relevant scientific and medical society meetings as needed for projects and programs.
Submit and/or contribute to publications (e.g., journal manuscripts, practice beliefs, etc.) and/or conference abstracts, presentations, and workshops.
Document and share knowledge and best practices to replicate success.
Develop and provide content for website, newsletter, and/or other methods of marketing HRiAs work and impact.
This is a full-time, exempt position at 40+ hours per week. The salary range for this position is $170,000 to $220,000 and is commensurate with experience and credentials. Health Resources in Action offers an attractive benefits package including employer-funded medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, and employer contributions to a tax-deferred annuity. Additionally, employees enjoy flexible work schedules and other policies that promote work/life balance, vacation starting at four weeks, paid family and medical leave, 13 paid holidays, plus office closure time for the last week of December. HRiA seeks candidates nationally. The CSO will be required to travel for various programmatic activities, including regular Massachusetts-based events.Candidate Qualifications
This role requires a strong commitment to client service and satisfaction. It also requires the ability to work and collaborate with a broad range of staff and stakeholders. The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
M.D. or Ph.D. in the life sciences with prior research experience and a solid understanding of the fields of basic, clinical, and translational research.
A minimum of 15-20 years of relevant work experience in positions of senior leadership in health-related fields and/or research.
Excellent verbal and written skills, including strong presentation skills and the ability to translate complex technical language to the lay public.
Experience in developing, managing, and evaluating biomedical grant programs and grantmaking practices and/or philanthropy a plus.
Demonstrated success in developing, leading, and supervising complex projects and high performing teams.
Knowledge of emerging trends, challenges, and best practices in biomedical research, knowledge of health equity, philanthropy, and public health a plus.
Demonstrated experience writing, reviewing, and editing grants, journal manuscripts, practice briefs, and/or conference abstracts and presentations.
Experience working with and managing diverse clients and meeting or exceeding their expectations in quality and performance.
Successful experience in donor cultivation, funder/client relations, and securing large grants/contracts from a diverse portfolio of funders.
Ability to develop and manage budgets and timelines.
Fluency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Dedication to social justice and a passion for achieving health equity.
A commitment to valuing diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives.
Commitment to the advancement of biomedical research through maximizing the impact of philanthropic support.
Creative thinking and willingness to consider and explore various options for achieving an objective or understanding and resolving a challenge.
Strong entrepreneurial skills and the ability to work and think strategically and creatively to cultivate current relationships and to identify and pursue new opportunities to increase impact.
Skills to manage, mentor, inspire, and supervise staff.
Ability to troubleshoot and exhibit resourceful and pragmatic problem solving.
Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people representing various backgrounds, levels of training, and career stages.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties that will be required in this position. It is not intended to limit, or in any way modify, the ability of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under their supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.
How to Apply
HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. The organization encourages multiple perspectives and experiences, supports a multicultural environment, and strives to hire and retain a diverse work force that reflects the populations we work with and the communities where we work. Diversity is a core value of HRiA resulting in culturally competent services, materials, resources, and programs. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through different backgrounds.
HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.
To apply, submit your cover letter and resume online by Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis and as they are submitted until the position is filled.
$170,000.00 - $220,000.00 Annually
Since its founding in 1957, HRiA has been at the forefront of public health, leading the way to promote healthier and more vibrant communities. Our work recognizes how structural racism and social and economic factors impact health outcomes. Our health equity framework centers on racial equity and guides our work with communities, partners, and clients as well as our internal policies and processes. HRiA is also an affiliate member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes with over forty affiliates located across the country.
Health Resources in Action offers exciting, engaging, and challenging employment opportunities for researchers, facilitators, analysts, trainers, policy specialists, and more. People come to HRiA because of our commitment to social justice, health, and racial equity, our wonderful clients and partners, and our dedicated and dynamic staff. People stay at HRiA because of our collaborative approach to problem solving, our friendly work environment, and our commitment to providing employees with challenging and exciting professional opportunities.
Equity and Inclusion are core values of our organization. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through varied backgrounds. As public health practitioners with a social and racial justice focus, we are committed to better understanding and learning from the institutional structures that create disparities among us and our work. We are actively seeking to build and maintain a diverse and experienced staff. We provide an energizing and supportive environment in which to work and to build a career. For more information about the organization visit hria.org. Position Description
Health Resources in Action is seeking a highly talented and experienced Chief Science Officer (CSO) for the Medical Foundation (TMF), a department within the broader Grantmaking Cluster at HRiA which facilitates biomedical sciences grantmaking services. TMF provides strategic advising of the design and administration investments in biomedical sciences to a range of clients and partners. With a team of nine staff members situated across the country, TMF works with private individuals, bank trusts, and family foundations to provide biomedical and life sciences consulting services, program evaluation, and customized grant programs designed to accelerate medical discoveries. In 2022, we facilitated biomedical research grant programs that awarded over $27 million to outstanding investigators across the United States.
The CSO will have a deep understanding and experience in navigating the biomedical research systems, structures, and landscape that influence the effective design of philanthropic investments needed to advance health equity and wellness. The CSO will lead and collaborate with the organizations grantmaking team to spearhead and maintain the organizations innovative biomedical research award program services, enhance program impact, and further diversify the organizations client funding base. They will also cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with current clients, grant applicants/awardees, scientific reviewers, biomedical research funders, and research and medical society leadership. The CSO should have strong skills in developing trusting relationships and the ability to bring stakeholders together in accomplishing a common goal.
The CSO will work with staff to lead life sciences consulting projects including: scans of specific research and funding landscapes, evaluation studies to assess award program impact, recommendations for future research investment, and executive coaching. In developing new grant programs, they will engage with clients to design the scientific focus, eligibility, and size of the awards to maximize the impact of philanthropic investments. The CSO will provide scientific oversight to long-standing grant programs and new investment strategies throughout the pre-award, application review, and post-award process. They also will work with staff to continually improve grants administration in alignment with the needs of the field and translate complex biomedical research reports into lay language for clients and other stakeholders. The CSO will facilitate review panel meetings for funding determinations, present to board members and Trustees from family foundations and bank trusts and serve as a senior leader representative of HRiA and its clients. Finally, the position will further the thought leadership of the organization in biomedical sciences grantmaking and bolster TMFs role as a leader in the field and across the country. This is a senior-level position reporting to the Vice President of Grantmaking.
Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership and Management
Contribute to shaping a vision for the biomedical research grantmaking services portfolio that aligns with the organization.
Serve as the technical lead on biomedical research grantmaking projects, including project planning, implementation, evaluation, and other related administrative responsibilities.
Identify and implement departmental goals and objectives in collaboration with the biomedical research grantmaking team.
Collaborate with staff to implement strategies to advance the organizations priorities related to health equity.
Serve as an advisor to identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration between biomedical research and community health grantmaking teams.
Implement best practices to ensure high-quality grantmaking services.
Establish new and maintain existing relationships with clients, key stakeholders, and other biomedical funders, ensuring that deliverables align with project activities.
Work with and advise grantmaking leadership team on internal and external opportunities and challenges.
Lead, manage, and/or contribute to projects, as needed and/or appropriate.
Supervise team members, including a Senior Scientific Advisor and the Director of the Charles H. Hood Foundation.
Program and Project Work
Contribute subject matter and/or technical expertise to projects and teams, including designing investment strategies that advance innovation areas of research and align with current trends in the field, and translating research reports into lay language for board reports and presentations.
Serve as the lead contact for current and potential clients.
Manage technical content of multiple grants programs including updating the eligibility sections, application requirements, and review criteria in the application guidelines, identifying new members for the Scientific Review Committees, ensuring funded projects alight with programmatic research goals.
Collaborate with staff to plan and implement scientific symposia for client grant programs.
Develop project management timelines and set priorities to meet project goals and deadlines, while ensuring completion of high-quality work and deliverables.
Work with the staff in preparing in-depth life sciences consulting reports about the current state of specific fields of research, grant program evaluations, and other reports commissioned by clients.
Business Development
Maintain strong relationships with existing clients including foundations and bank trust departments.
Identify and secure new clients from the nonprofit sector, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, law firms, and bank trust departments, among others.
Write proposals and lead proposal development processes for relevant opportunities and contribute to other writing teams where appropriate.
Develop and negotiate scopes of work and contracting with external consultants.
Work with senior grantmaking staff to develop, manage, and track project budgets. Thought Leadership
Bring a high-level understanding of the biomedical research landscape, the systems and structures that contribute to research progress.
Work with grantmaking senior leadership to identify and implement a strategic vision for the biomedical grantmaking portfolio.
Be a trusted, informed resource for staff, clients, and broader community.
Be an active member of relevant biomedical research grantmaking networks such as Health Research Alliance, PEAK Grantmaking, and Philanthropy Massachusetts, and attend relevant scientific and medical society meetings as needed for projects and programs.
Submit and/or contribute to publications (e.g., journal manuscripts, practice beliefs, etc.) and/or conference abstracts, presentations, and workshops.
Document and share knowledge and best practices to replicate success.
Develop and provide content for website, newsletter, and/or other methods of marketing HRiAs work and impact.
This is a full-time, exempt position at 40+ hours per week. The salary range for this position is $170,000 to $220,000 and is commensurate with experience and credentials. Health Resources in Action offers an attractive benefits package including employer-funded medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, and employer contributions to a tax-deferred annuity. Additionally, employees enjoy flexible work schedules and other policies that promote work/life balance, vacation starting at four weeks, paid family and medical leave, 13 paid holidays, plus office closure time for the last week of December. HRiA seeks candidates nationally. The CSO will be required to travel for various programmatic activities, including regular Massachusetts-based events.Candidate Qualifications
This role requires a strong commitment to client service and satisfaction. It also requires the ability to work and collaborate with a broad range of staff and stakeholders. The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:
M.D. or Ph.D. in the life sciences with prior research experience and a solid understanding of the fields of basic, clinical, and translational research.
A minimum of 15-20 years of relevant work experience in positions of senior leadership in health-related fields and/or research.
Excellent verbal and written skills, including strong presentation skills and the ability to translate complex technical language to the lay public.
Experience in developing, managing, and evaluating biomedical grant programs and grantmaking practices and/or philanthropy a plus.
Demonstrated success in developing, leading, and supervising complex projects and high performing teams.
Knowledge of emerging trends, challenges, and best practices in biomedical research, knowledge of health equity, philanthropy, and public health a plus.
Demonstrated experience writing, reviewing, and editing grants, journal manuscripts, practice briefs, and/or conference abstracts and presentations.
Experience working with and managing diverse clients and meeting or exceeding their expectations in quality and performance.
Successful experience in donor cultivation, funder/client relations, and securing large grants/contracts from a diverse portfolio of funders.
Ability to develop and manage budgets and timelines.
Fluency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Dedication to social justice and a passion for achieving health equity.
A commitment to valuing diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives.
Commitment to the advancement of biomedical research through maximizing the impact of philanthropic support.
Creative thinking and willingness to consider and explore various options for achieving an objective or understanding and resolving a challenge.
Strong entrepreneurial skills and the ability to work and think strategically and creatively to cultivate current relationships and to identify and pursue new opportunities to increase impact.
Skills to manage, mentor, inspire, and supervise staff.
Ability to troubleshoot and exhibit resourceful and pragmatic problem solving.
Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of people representing various backgrounds, levels of training, and career stages.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple responsibilities, and meet deadlines.
This description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties that will be required in this position. It is not intended to limit, or in any way modify, the ability of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under their supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.
How to Apply
HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff. The organization encourages multiple perspectives and experiences, supports a multicultural environment, and strives to hire and retain a diverse work force that reflects the populations we work with and the communities where we work. Diversity is a core value of HRiA resulting in culturally competent services, materials, resources, and programs. Our hiring and business practices appreciate the strengths offered through different backgrounds.
HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.
To apply, submit your cover letter and resume online by Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis and as they are submitted until the position is filled.
$170,000.00 - $220,000.00 Annually
