Director, Patient Centered Outcomes Assessment

RTI International; Few (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

RTI Health Solutions is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Patient-Centered Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) team. You will lead multidisciplinary projects, guide study design, and deliver high-impact client deliverables across the drug development lifecycle.

You will mentor staff, collaborate with pharmaceutical sponsors, and contribute to scientific publications while staying current with regulatory guidance and best practices in patient-centered research.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate master’s degree plus a minimum of 8 years of patient-centered research experience or a PhD plus a minimum of 5 years of patient-centered research.
• Experience leading complex patient-centered research projects and multidisciplinary teams in consulting, pharma, regulatory, CRO, or academic settings.
• Proven ability to manage client relationships and lead project teams.
• Experience developing and executing patient-centered evidence-generation strategies for pharma clients.
• Experience interacting with regulatory agencies (FDA/EMA) and supporting access stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex patient-centered outcomes research programs from study design through final delivery.
• Serve as project lead for multidisciplinary teams ensuring on-time, within-scope delivery and high scientific standards.
• Provide strategic oversight of study design, methodology, and evidence-generation plans.
• Mentor junior staff and foster a collaborative high-performing team culture.
• Support business development through proposal development and client meetings.

Skills

Project leadership

Client relationships

Regulatory engagement

Proposal development

Staff mentorship

Scientific publication

Education

Master’s degree (MS/MPhil)

PhD

Job description

About the Hiring Group

RTI Health Solutions (RTI‑HS), a wholly owned subsidiary of RTI International, is an independent and internationally recognized research organization. With offices in the US, UK, Spain, France, and Sweden, we provide healthcare consulting and research expertise to optimize decision making for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device products across the development and marketing lifecycle. Clients rely on our expertise, quality standards, and integrity to guide their product development and regulatory and market access strategies. Our various practice areas include Value, Access, and HEOR; Patient‑Centered and Outcomes Research; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Medical Communications; Global Business Operations; and Strategic Consulting and Growth.

RTI Health Solutions is seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Senior Scientist to join our Patient‑Centered Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) team. This role is ideal for a senior researcher who thrives at the intersection of hands‑on execution, scientific leadership, and collaboration.

As a senior member of the PCOA team, you will lead multidisciplinary project teams while remaining actively engaged in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of patient‑centered research. You will serve as both a scientific leader and a working manager—providing strategic direction, mentoring staff, and ensuring project success while directly contributing to high‑impact client deliverables.

You will partner with pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients to generate patient‑centered evidence throughout the drug development lifecycle, supporting regulatory, reimbursement, and market access objectives.

What You’ll Do

Key Responsibilities

Project and Scientific Leadership

• Lead complex patient‑centered outcomes research programs from study design through final delivery.
• Serve as project lead for multidisciplinary teams, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and to the highest scientific standards.
• Provide strategic oversight of study design, methodology, regulatory engagement, and evidence generation plans.
• Manage project risks, client expectations, resource allocation, and team performance.
• Serve as a trusted scientific advisor to clients and internal stakeholders.

Research Execution and Technical Contribution

• Personally contribute to the design, execution, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of qualitative and mixed‑methods research studies.
• Design and lead qualitative research conducted with patients, caregivers, patient advocates, and clinical key opinion leaders, including both stand‑alone and clinical trial‑based studies.
• Lead the development, adaptation, and evaluation of clinical outcome assessments (COAs), including patient‑reported outcomes (PROs), observer‑reported outcomes (ObsROs), clinician‑reported outcomes (ClinROs), and related measures.
• Review and critically appraise published literature, COA development programs, and psychometric evidence.
• Develop patient‑centered evidence strategies to support regulatory, access & reimbursement, and healthcare decision‑making needs.
• Contribute directly to study reports, client presentations, evidence dossiers, briefing books, and negotiations with key decision makers to support patient‑centered value messaging for medicines.

Client Leadership and Business Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective clients.
• Lead scientific discussions with pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors regarding patient‑focused drug development strategies.
• Support business development efforts through proposal development, client meetings, capability presentations, and identification of growth opportunities.
• Contribute to strategic planning and expansion of RTI‑HS PCOA capabilities.

Publications, Dissemination, and Thought Leadership

• Lead and contribute to scientific publications, conference abstracts, posters, presentations, and manuscripts.
• Represent RTI‑HS at scientific meetings, industry conferences, and client engagements.
• Stay current with evolving regulatory guidance, methodological advancements, and industry best practices in patient‑centered outcomes research.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Provide day‑to‑day leadership, mentorship, and coaching to junior and mid‑level researchers.
• Foster technical excellence, knowledge sharing, and professional development across project teams.
• Support staff development through project leadership opportunities, scientific review, and career mentoring.
• Contribute to building a collaborative, inclusive, and high‑performing team culture.

What You’ll Need

• A postgraduate master's level degree plus a minimum of 8 years of experience conducting patient‑centered research, or a PhD plus a minimum of 5 years of experience conducting patient‑centered research.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex patient‑centered research projects and multidisciplinary teams within a consulting, pharmaceutical, regulatory, CRO, or academic research environment supporting patient‑focused drug development.
• Demonstrated success managing client relationships, mentoring research staff, and leading project teams.
• Substantial experience developing and successfully executing patient‑centered evidence‑generation strategies for pharmaceutical clients.
• Proven experience interacting with regulatory agencies, including FDA, EMA, or other global health authorities as well as supporting evidence needs for access stakeholders (payers HTA, and prescribers).
• Experience leading proposal development and contributing to business growth initiatives.
• Strong publication record and experience presenting research at scientific conferences.

EEO & Pay Equity Statements

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short‑term and long‑term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work‑life balance.

Equal Pay Act Minimum/Range

$150,000.00-$250,000.00