Project Director

CICONIX, LLC•Hyattsville, MD

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The BHDAP Project Director provides senior-level leadership, strategic oversight, and operational management for projects supporting the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), specifically within the Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP) and Health System Policy (HSP) offices. This role ensures high-quality execution of research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and program support activities aligned with federal priorities. The Project Director serves as the primary point of contact with federal leadership, oversees multidisciplinary teams, and ensures all deliverables meet ASPE’s standards for rigor, clarity, and policy relevance. The position requires deep experience in federal project management, behavioral health and disability policy, stakeholder engagement, and compliance with federal confidentiality, data-use, and reporting requirements.

Requirements

Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Behavioral Health, or related field.
8+ years of experience managing federal research or policy projects, including direct work with ASPE, HHS, SAMHSA, CMS, or related agencies.
Demonstrated expertise in behavioral health, disability, aging or human subjects policy.
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage complex, multi-task projects.
Strong communication skills, including experience presenting to senior federal leadership.
Experience with federal confidentiality, data-use agreements, and secure information-handling requirements.
U.S. Citizenship and a successful background investigation are required.
Ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.
Willingness to comply with the government vaccination requirements.
Strategic leadership and decision-making.
Strong analytical and policy-synthesis skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
High attention to detail and quality.
Ability to manage competing priorities.
Commitment to confidentiality, integrity, and federal compliance.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing projects under ASPE/BHDAP/HSP specifically.
Familiarity with federal contracting, EPLC, and performance-management frameworks.
Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Knowledge of federal data systems, administrative datasets, and policy evaluation methods.

Responsibilities

Provide overall direction, management, and coordination of all BHDAP and HSP project activities.
Serve as the primary liaison to ASPE/BHDAP/HSP leadership, ensuring clear communication, timely updates, and alignment with federal priorities.
Lead development of project plans, timelines, risk mitigation strategies, and quality-assurance processes.
Oversee the production of policy analyses, literature reviews, environmental scans, technical reports, and briefings.
Supervise multidisciplinary teams including analysts, researchers, developers, SMEs, and subcontractors.
Assign tasks, monitor progress, and ensure staff adhere to project schedules and quality expectations.
Provide mentorship, performance feedback, and professional development guidance.
Facilitate internal coordination across technical, analytical, and administrative workstreams.
Coordinate with federal partners, state agencies, research institutions, and community stakeholders.
Lead meetings, briefings, and working groups to gather input, present findings, and support decision-making.
Ensure stakeholder perspectives are integrated into project deliverables and recommendations.
Ensure all deliverables meet ASPE’s standards for methodological rigor, clarity, and policy relevance.
Oversee compliance with federal requirements including the Privacy Act, CIPSEA, HIPAA-aligned safeguards, and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) rules.
Maintain documentation consistent with federal project management frameworks and contract requirements.
Support internal and external reviews, audits, and performance evaluations.
Guide the development of research designs, data-collection strategies, and analytic approaches.
Review and synthesize complex behavioral health, disability, and aging policy information.
Provide subject-matter expertise to ensure findings are accurate, actionable, and aligned with federal policy goals.
Oversee preparation of monthly progress reports, technical memoranda, policy briefs, and final reports.
Ensure deliverables are submitted on time, meet contractual requirements, and incorporate federal feedback.
Present findings to ASPE leadership, federal partners, and external audiences as needed.