Indigenous Evaluation SME

PCI Professional Services; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

PCI Federal Services seeks an Indigenous Evaluation SME – CDC to provide senior leadership for culturally grounded evaluation and engagement with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. The role requires honoring Tribal sovereignty, CPPR principles, and data-governance rights within the Healthy Tribes portfolio and related tasks.

Engagement, reporting, and dissemination will be framed by community-based, culturally grounded methods.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required.
• At least 8 years of directly relevant experience with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.
• Knowledge of Tribal sovereignty, community-based participatory approaches, and respectful dissemination.
• Ability to produce accurate, timely, high-quality work in a multidisciplinary setting.

Responsibilities

• Guide culturally grounded evaluation planning, methods, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.
• Advise on Tribal sovereignty, informed consent, governance approvals, data ownership, permitted use, and sharing.
• Apply community-based participatory principles and engage Tribal communities throughout the work.
• Develop or review culturally appropriate frameworks, indicators, instruments, protocols, and reports.
• Facilitate recipient advisory groups, interviews, discussions, communities of practice, and site visits.
• Mentor staff and support Tribal recipients in generating and communicating practice-based evidence.

Skills

Tribal engagement

Cultural competency

Data governance

Community engagement

Education

Master's degree

Job description

Indigenous Evaluation SME – CDC

Position Status: Contingent upon contract award.

Position Summary

Provide senior leadership for culturally grounded evaluation and engagement involving Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, with full recognition of Tribal sovereignty and data-governance rights. This role is central to DNPAO’s Healthy Tribes portfolio and Tasks 6, 7, and 15. The SME will ensure that evaluation and engagement activities recognize Tribal sovereignty and data-governance rights, follow applicable Tribal approval processes, apply community-based participatory principles, and use culturally grounded methods for rural and urban Tribal contexts. The role will support trusted relationships, recipient evaluation advisory groups, culturally appropriate instruments, interpretation, dissemination, and practice-based evidence.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide culturally grounded evaluation planning, methods, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.
• Advise on Tribal sovereignty, informed consent, governance approvals, data ownership, permitted use, and sharing.
• Apply community-based participatory principles and engage Tribal communities throughout the work.
• Develop or review culturally appropriate frameworks, indicators, instruments, protocols, and reports.
• Facilitate recipient advisory groups, interviews, discussions, communities of practice, and site visits.
• Mentor staff and support Tribal recipients in generating and communicating practice-based evidence.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree.
• Experience: At least 8 years of directly relevant experience working with Tribal Nations, Alaska Native villages, Tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, Tribal Epidemiology Centers, or Indigenous communities, including substantial responsibility for culturally grounded evaluation, community engagement, or data governance. Demonstrated knowledge of Tribal sovereignty, community-based participatory approaches, Tribal review processes, and respectful dissemination is required.
• Demonstrated ability to produce accurate, timely, and high-quality work in a multidisciplinary, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication, collaboration, organization, judgment, and client-service skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting CDC, HHS, another federal health agency, a public health recipient network, or a comparable mission-focused organization.

Core Competencies

Public service orientation; technical credibility; cultural responsiveness; collaboration; clear communication; accountability; adaptability; quality focus; sound judgment; and the ability to work effectively with CDC staff, recipients, partners, subcontractors, and subject matter experts.

PCI Federal Services (PCIFS) and its subsidiaries is an equal-opportunity employer. PCIFS does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or identity, Veterans or Disability status.

Preference may be extended to qualified Native American Indian candidates in accordance with applicable federal law.