Director, Mental Health

Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH); North Bethesda (MD); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is seeking a Director, Mental Health for Translational Sciences to lead initiatives focused on neuropsychiatric disorders. The role involves scientific leadership, regulatory engagement, and managing large-scale partnerships.

Ideal candidates will have an MD or PhD, over 10 years of experience in translational research, and a strong background in biomarker development. This hybrid position is based in North Bethesda, MD.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in translational clinical research.
• Strong track record in preclinical translational research or cohort studies.
• Proven ability to lead large multidisciplinary collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Drive collaborative scientific strategy for MDD program.
• Establish governance structures and ensure stakeholder alignment.
• Manage program timelines and budgets.
• Represent the program in scientific and policy forums.

Skills

Leadership of complex multi-site studies

Interacting with regulatory agencies

Biomarker development

Neuropsychiatric research

Education

MD, PhD, or equivalent in psychiatry or neuroscience

Job description

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is looking for a Director, Mental Health for Translational Sciences to evaluate, establish, and manage large‑scale, multi‑sector public‑private partnerships focused on transforming the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and mental health.

The Director will operate at the intersection of clinical research, translational science, and regulatory engagement—working with academic investigators, biopharmaceutical partners, technology collaborators, patient organizations, and regulatory agencies to generate high‑quality, actionable evidence that advances precision psychiatry.

This role will oversee the protocol development and execution of an ambitious program integrating clinical data, multi‑omics, digital phenotyping, imaging, and patient‑reported outcomes to identify biologically and clinically meaningful subtypes of major depressive disorder (MDD) and predictive biomarkers of treatment response.

This position will report to the Senior Vice President of Translational Science within the Science Partnerships department (or their designated report) and is based at the FNIH offices located in North Bethesda, MD.

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific Leadership & Strategy
  • Convene and facilitate partners and cross‑sector experts to drive the collaborative scientific strategy for a longitudinal MDD program focused on deep phenotyping and biomarker discovery, overseeing partner governance, joint protocol development, coordinated site selection, and integrated operational execution.
  • Ensure integration of multimodal data (clinical, biological, imaging, behavioral, and digital) into a coherent scientific approach.
• Partnership Leadership & Governance
  • Establish governance structures, scientific steering committees, and working groups to drive alignment and accountability.
  • Serve as a trusted scientific leader and convener across diverse stakeholders with differing incentives.
• Regulatory Engagement
  • Work with partners to develop and lead regulatory strategies in collaboration with agencies (e.g., FDA, EMA).
  • Ensure study designs and biomarker approaches align with regulatory expectations for qualification and clinical use and contribute to regulatory submissions, qualification packages, and scientific advice interactions.
• Program Oversight & Delivery
  • Manage complex program timelines, budgets, deliverables, and ensure dissemination of results through publications, data platforms, and stakeholder communications.
  • Oversee data governance, data sharing frameworks, and compliance with ethical and privacy standards.
• Field Building & External Representation
  • Represent the program in scientific, clinical, and policy forums and engage funders and strategic partners to sustain and expand initiatives.
  • Contribute to shaping the emerging field of precision psychiatry and biomarker‑driven mental health research.

Qualifications

• MD, PhD, or equivalent in psychiatry, neuroscience, clinical research, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in translational clinical research, including leadership of complex, multi‑site studies or clinical trials.
• Strong track record in preclinical translational research, biomarker development, or longitudinal cohort studies.
• Proven ability to lead large, multidisciplinary, cross‑sector collaborations.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with regulatory agencies and contributing to regulatory strategy or submissions.

Preferred

• Training in neuropsychiatric research and/or practice experience in psychiatry or related mental health field.
• Experience in major depressive disorder or other neuropsychiatric disorders.
• Expertise in one or more relevant domains (e.g., neuroimaging, genomics, digital health, computational psychiatry).
• Experience with public‑private partnerships or precompetitive consortia.
• Track record of high‑impact publications and scientific leadership.

This is a hybrid position and requires regular visits to FNIH headquarters in Bethesda, MD. This position may also require occasional travel for meetings, conferences and any other relevant engagements.