CDC Readiness Impact and Evaluation

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

CDC, located in Atlanta, offers a Readiness Impact and Evaluation Fellow opportunity within the Office of Readiness and Response. The role focuses on developing and piloting a SCIP Readiness Impact Evaluation Framework to assess readiness improvements and program impact across CDC CIOs.

The appointment is full-time, for one year with possible renewal, with a stipend and U.S. citizenship required. Mentorship is provided by Jana Austin; program administered by ORISE.

Qualifications

• The candidate must be pursuing or have completed an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree in data science, program evaluation, data analysis, statistics or related fields, with graduation within the last five years or anticipated by 1/1/2027.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on piloting a SCIP Readiness Impact Evaluation Framework to measure readiness improvements.
• Design a repeatable methodology across cycles to evaluate outcomes and inform decisions.
• Support development of a sustainable evaluation framework for a federal investment portfolio.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Data visualization

Survey design

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Education

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0078

Application Deadline

11/6/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location

A research opportunity is available in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC protects America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts important science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

This opportunity is located within the Office of Readiness and Response [Office of Readiness and Response: Who We Are] which is a central hub for the agency - providing oversight for preparedness, readiness, and response operations.

Research Project

The Office of Readiness and Response would like to welcome a Readiness Impact and Evaluation Fellow to our Strategic Capacity Building and Innovation Program (SCIP). SCIP supports investments designed to strengthen organizational readiness, preparedness capabilities, and response capacity across CDC Centers, Institutes, and Offices (CIOs). While SCIP routinely monitors project implementation, strategic utilization, and performance reporting, an opportunity exists to establish a more systematic approach for measuring and demonstrating the program's impact on readiness outcomes.

Expected Activities

• Collaborate on the development and planning to pilot a SCIP Readiness Impact Evaluation Framework to assess the extent to which SCIP activities contribute to measurable improvements in organizational readiness, preparedness capabilities, and operational effectiveness. You will be trained to conduct a mixed-methods evaluation of projects and activities, leveraging documentation, performance data, and stakeholder engagement to identify evidence of readiness improvements and programmatic impact.
• Gain experience designing a repeatable methodology that can be applied across future cycles to evaluate outcomes, assess the contribution of SCIP’s support to readiness goals, and bolstering of data-driven decision-making. Findings and recommendations will help strengthen SCIP's ability to demonstrate value, inform strategic decisions, and communicate program impact to leadership and stakeholders.
• Collaborate on the development of a sustainable evaluation framework for a federal investment portfolio while gaining experience in program evaluation, public health preparedness, strategic planning, and performance measurement.

Learning Objectives

• Build skills in designing readiness impact evaluation frameworks and scoring rubrics for SCIP-funded activities
• Gain practical experience identifying and assessing readiness gaps addressing through SCIP investments
• Learn techniques for conducting comprehensive portfolio reviews and synthesizing findings from multiple data sources
• Strengthen the ability to measure and document readiness improvements resulting from funded activities
• Develop stakeholder interviewing and qualitative analysis skills to validate findings and demonstrate program impact
• Apply evaluation best practices to generate recommendations that enhance future impact measurement efforts

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Jana Austin ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

October 12, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation

The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend

Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Data Science, Program Evaluation, Data Analysis, Statistics, Applied Mathematics). Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 1/1/2027.

Preferred Skills

• Analytical thinking, Data visualization, Survey design, Microsoft Excel, Power BI

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 1/1/2027 12:00:00 AM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences
    • Analytical Chemistry
    • Bio-inorganic Chemistry
    • Bio-organic Chemistry
    • Biophysical Chemistry
    • Chemistry (General)
    • Environmental Chemistry
    • Inorganic Chemistry
    • Materials Sciences
    • Organic Chemistry
    • Physical Chemistry
    • Polymer Chemistry
    • Theoretical Chemistry
  • Communications and Graphics Design (2 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (17 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
  • Engineering (29 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (51 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
  • Physics (16 )
  • Science & Engineering-related (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (29 )
• Affirmation I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC. I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)