Chief Data Officer (CDO)

United Hospital Fund•New York, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

United Hospital Fund (UHF), an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an effective and equitable health care system for all New Yorkers, is seeking a Chief Data Officer to strengthen the organization’s use of data, evidence, and insight. This new senior leadership role will oversee data and analytics strategy, priorities, partnerships, infrastructure and access, visualization and dashboards, and data governance across UHF’s Policy & Program work. The CDO will combine quantitative analysis with policy research, stakeholder and community perspectives, and programmatic expertise to identify emerging needs and opportunities, inform organizational priorities, and advance approaches that improve population health outcomes. The Chief Data Officer will provide strategic and technical leadership for UHF’s data and analytics function, lead and develop its team, and ensure that data capabilities, methods, standards, and investments align with the organization’s mission and evolving needs. Working closely with the Senior Vice President of Policy & Program, the Managing Directors responsible for Medicaid and Practice Transformation, and colleagues across UHF, the CDO will synthesize evidence into actionable insight, assess opportunities for impact, and help develop, test, refine, and advance promising approaches. The CDO will also support UHF’s thought leadership by helping produce reports, briefs, presentations, policy recommendations, convenings, and other work that translates data and evidence for diverse audiences. The role builds and maintains external partnerships, represents UHF in forums and working groups, fosters collaboration across disciplines, and manages resources associated with the data and analytics function. The position is based in New York, NY, with a hybrid work arrangement, and reports to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Program.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in health care data and analytics, health services research, health informatics, public health, health policy, or a related field.
Significant leadership experience and demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary data and analytics teams.
Strong technical foundation in managing and analyzing large, complex health care datasets, such as claims and encounter, clinical, quality and performance, population health, health-related social needs, or other administrative data.
Demonstrated proficiency with SQL and familiarity with additional analytic languages and tools such as Python, R, or comparable technologies; sufficient technical depth to direct technical staff and evaluate analytic approaches, methods, and outputs.
Experience with data aggregation, integration, modern data platforms, data access, quality, governance, privacy, and security.
Experience translating complex analyses into accessible visualizations and decision-support tools and overseeing relevant business intelligence capabilities.
Ability to integrate quantitative analysis with policy analysis, stakeholder and community perspectives, and programmatic findings, and translate evidence into actionable insights.
Strong understanding of the health care policy and delivery environment, including relationships among policy, payment, quality, delivery-system performance, population health, and health equity.
Proven ability to lead and develop teams, work independently with initiative and ownership, adapt to evolving policy, funding, and health care environments, and use evidence to inform strategic, policy, and programmatic decisions.
Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical information to diverse audiences and build productive internal and external relationships.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex initiatives, set priorities, manage resources, and deliver high-quality work on time and within budget.
Demonstrated commitment to UHF’s mission and to advancing an effective and equitable health care system for all New Yorkers.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of New York State health care and public health.
Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field; substantial relevant professional experience may substitute for an advanced degree.
Experience leading a data and analytics function in a health care, public health, research, policy, nonprofit, government, or similarly mission-driven organization.
Experience working with state government agencies or other public sector partners.
Understanding of evolving data and analytics technologies, including responsible and equitable application of AI and other emerging tools.
Experience with Medicaid data.
Familiarity with New York State’s Medicaid program, health care delivery system, and health policy environment.

Responsibilities

Set and lead the strategic direction for data and analytics across UHF’s Policy & Program work in collaboration with the SVP, aligning priorities and investments with UHF’s mission and policy and programmatic needs.
Lead and develop the data and analytics team by establishing priorities, roles, standards, and expectations, and building technical and analytic capabilities.
Provide strategic and technical leadership for analytic methods and tools, data quality, governance, privacy, and security.
Assess current and future data and analytics needs and ensure appropriate data access, infrastructure, tools, talent, partnerships, and capabilities; develop external data and analytics partnerships as needed.
Establish consistent analytic frameworks, measures, visualization standards, and approaches for prioritizing analytic work based on strategic relevance, potential impact, feasibility, and organizational need.
Integrate and interpret quantitative and qualitative evidence, including health care data, policy research, stakeholder and community perspectives, and programmatic experience, to identify trends and gaps and produce actionable insights.
Partner with Policy & Program leadership to identify, evaluate, and prioritize emerging needs and opportunities, and develop evidence-informed approaches that can be tested, refined, and advanced.
Help develop evidence-based perspectives and translate data and evidence into reports, briefs, presentations, policy recommendations, convenings, and other thought leadership.
Build and maintain relationships with government, health plans, health systems, providers, community-based organizations, funders, researchers, and other partners; engage stakeholders to inform UHF’s work and identify collaboration opportunities.
Represent UHF in external forums, partnerships, working groups, and discussions, advancing its role as a trusted, independent source of evidence, insight, and practical approaches.
Contribute to Policy & Program planning, prioritization, and decision-making, partnering with the Managing Directors of Medicaid and Practice Transformation and other UHF leaders.
Bridge technical, policy, programmatic, clinical quality, research, communications, development, technology, financial, operational, and external perspectives, fostering collaboration and helping teams move from evidence to action.
Operate with initiative and ownership, proactively identifying needs, opportunities, risks, and practical solutions.
Recruit and retain data and analytics talent and foster rigor, curiosity, collaboration, initiative, innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
Manage relevant budgets, consultants, vendors, partnerships, and resources associated with UHF’s data and analytics function.
Lead multiple complex initiatives, establish priorities, manage internal and external resources, and deliver high-quality work on time and within budget.