Supervisory Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS) Expert, Office of Data Science and Technology, Office of the Director
Description
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is seeking applications from exceptional candidates to serve as the inaugural Director for the Office of Data Science and Technology (ODST). The ODST Director provides enterprise-wide scientific and technical leadership for data science, biomedical informatics, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), research computing, scientific data platforms, laboratory automation, and emerging AI, knowledge graphs, and other computational technologies including quantum computing, to determine their potential to address computationally challenging problems in translational science across NCATS. The Director establishes Center-wide standards, architecture, strategic roadmaps, research-platform principles, and investment priorities that enable secure, collaborative, data-intensive biomedical research that support FAIR principles. This position reports directly to the NCATS Director and works closely with the NCATS Chief Information Officer (CIO), Information Technology Resources Branch, intramural and extramural scientific divisions, and administrative leadership, the Director ensures that scientific infrastructure, data acquisition and analytics, computational environments, laboratory technologies, and collaborative platforms are aligned with NCATS research priorities. The role serves as a senior advisor on the application in silico technologies across preclinical, translational, clinical, and rare disease research and leads the development and implementation of an ambitious, ethical, and responsible AI strategy aligned with NIH and NCATS missions.
The Director also leads the development, implementation, and coordination of NCATS biomedical research technology assets and provides scientific and technical direction for a diverse portfolio of major contracts, cloud and high-performance computing environments, scientific software platforms, data resources, and research technology investments supporting Center-wide and multi-agency programs. The position champions the integration of physical laboratory instrumentation, automation, data platforms, and digital research environments into a unified scientific ecosystem that accelerates discovery and collaboration. In addition, the Director develops strategies to recruit, develop, organize, and retain expertise in data science, biomedical informatics, AI/ML, research software engineering, computational science, and emerging technologies, while promoting the adoption of these capabilities throughout NCATS. Through this leadership, the ODST Director advances a secure, scalable, innovative, and scientifically rigorous technology ecosystem that enables NCATS to fulfill its mission of accelerating the development of new treatments and interventions for rare and other diseases.
This position is under the Silvio O. Conte Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS) Title 42 U.S. Code § 237 Authority and will serve as the Director of The Office of Data Science and Technology (ODST), Office of the Director, NCATS. Under this authority, the official title is Supervisory SBRBPAS Expert. This specific position fills an indefinite excepted service position; SBRBPAS employees serve at the will of the agency and do not serve trial or probationary periods.
Core Responsibilities
The ODST Director will provide authoritative leadership for the development, implementation, and evolution of common data science and technology architecture supporting the diverse research and operational requirements of NCATS. Core duties include planning, designing, developing, implementing, and overseeing state-of-the-art data science platforms, technologies, computational environments, and guiding principles for data use, integration, analysis, governance, and stewardship. The Director ensures that these capabilities support the full spectrum of NCATS activities, including preclinical drug development, translational and clinical research, business and operational systems, and large-scale collaborative data initiatives. The position leads the design, development, operation, maintenance, and expansion of complex virtual research organizations (VROs), integrating data, computational resources, scientific software, AI/ML capabilities, knowledge graphs and other semantic technologies that enable the integration, contextualization, discovery, and computational use of heterogeneous biomedical information, emerging computational approaches, including quantum and hybrid-quantum-classical computing, and secure collaborative environments to enable innovative, reproducible, and data-intensive research across NCATS.
The Director also serves as a senior scientific and technical leader for NIH-wide, interagency, and public-private data science initiatives, representing NCATS in senior governance and strategic planning forums and providing expert advice to NCATS and NIH leadership. The Director is responsible for leading or contributing to the architecture, governance, interoperability, data standards, quality and harmonization, provenance, privacy-preserving data access and linkage, and advanced analytic capabilities of national-scale biomedical data platforms, including the NIH Real-World Data Network. The Director establishes partnerships and strategies that enable NCATS-developed resources, methods, technologies, and expertise to function as enterprise assets across NIH and HHS, while identifying opportunities to reduce duplicative infrastructure and maximize investments. Through these responsibilities, the Director advances scalable, secure, interoperable, semantically enabled, and AI- and quantum-ready research infrastructure, evaluates emerging computational paradigms for their potential application to translational science, and positions NCATS as a leader, incubator, demonstrator, and implementation partner for emerging data science and computational capabilities.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate for the ODST Director position is an accomplished scientific and technical leader with demonstrated experience conceiving, developing, and implementing large-scale data science, automation, AI/ML, and/or biomedical informatics programs within complex biomedical research environments. The successful candidate will possess exceptional supervisory and organizational leadership skills, a strong record of building and leading high-performing multidisciplinary teams, and the technical expertise required to develop, integrate, and oversee sophisticated scientific, clinical, and translational research technology platforms. Candidates should have a proven ability to establish and sustain strategic partnerships with stakeholders across government, academia, national and international clinical research organizations, and industry, including electronic health record (EHR) providers and software and technology companies. Experience working with federal acquisition and contracting organizations, contractors, and technology vendors is highly desirable, including the ability to translate scientific and technical requirements into acquisition strategies and technical requirements, contribute to the evaluation of proposed solutions, and provide effective technical oversight of contractor-supported activities. The position requires a leader who can effectively translate complex scientific and technical requirements into scalable solutions, navigate the challenges of large collaborative technology initiatives, and build consensus across diverse organizations and disciplines. Experience leading enterprise-scale or national research infrastructure, integrating internal and external systems, contracts, and advancing collaborative platforms in support of real-world data, AI/ML, and biomedical research is highly desirable.
To be eligible for an appointment to the Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS), candidates must possess a high- level advanced degree tailored to their specific scientific field. Doctoral level degree in biomedicine or a related biological field; OR Doctoral or master's level degree in engineering, bioinformatics, or a related or emerging field.
Salary/Benefits
The Supervisory SBRBPAS Expert will be appointed at a salary commensurate with his/her qualifications and experience. Full federal benefits will be provided, including retirement, leave, health and life insurance, long-term care insurance, and savings plan (401K equivalent).
Equal Employment Opportunity
SBRBPAS positions are filled based on merit. The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants.
Standards of Conduct/Financial Disclosure
If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency.
Foreign Education
Foreign education must be evaluated by an accredited organization (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE)) to ensure that it is comparable to education received in the United States. In-lieu of an evaluation, possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field.
Reasonable Accommodation
You can request reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply
Interested individuals should submit applications from September 21, 2026 to September 30, 2026 (submission deadline may be extended if needed). Applicants should submit a cover letter describing their interest in the position, a curriculum vitae with a complete bibliography, and transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.
Send your application package to NCATSSBRBPASPosition@nih.gov. Include your name and Supervisory Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS) Expert Position – ODST Director in the subject line. Please submit questions about this position to Rebekah Geiger, at rebekah.geiger@nih.gov. Review of applications will begin October 1,2026 and will continue until the position is filled. Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR BIRTHDATE OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON APPLICATION MATERIALS. HHS AND NIH ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.