Senior Advisor, Metascience

FAS•Washington, DC

8d•$180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

FAS is seeking a Senior Advisor for Metascience to refine and advance a strategy for reforming federal scientific institutions, funding and agenda-setting in ways that reflect evidence from the science of science. In particular, this role will focus on translating evidence about what actually works into policy and practice reforms across grantmaking, portfolio design, peer review, and research governance at a moment when such reforms have a significant window of opportunity. This role is suited for someone with deep expertise in metascience and experience working inside or closely with federal non-defense research agencies, particularly in translating ideas into policy action and implementation. The Senior Advisor will engage in scoping, strategy, evangelism, opportunity identification, and translating ideas into policy proposals, actionable and practical pilots, guidance, and reforms. In short, undertaking the essential and creative policy entrepreneurship activities that are often required for an insight to become reality.

Requirements

Extensive experience working in or with the federal government, particularly in science agencies, research offices, or related policy roles.
Demonstrated understanding of metascience and its application to real-world policy questions (e.g., funding, evaluation, incentives, research practice).
Experience working at or closely with a research funding agency (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOE, ARPA-style programs), or deploying policy ideas within such institutions.
Ability to translate evidence and analysis into practical, implementable policy solutions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially with senior policymakers.
Comfort operating in ambiguity and shaping new policy areas.

Nice To Haves

Senior-level experience (e.g., former program officer, agency staff, senior policy advisor).
Experience providing technical assistance to federal agencies or Congressional offices.
Direct familiarity with federal grantmaking, peer review, or research administration processes.
Experience working at the intersection of science policy, evidence, and government operations.
Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g. Science & Technology Studies, Cognitive Social Science, Science Policy, Economics, etc).

Responsibilities

Opportunity Identification and Policy Development (20%)
Map federal opportunity space for potential opportunity windows and audiences for metascience reforms across institutional innovation, burden reduction, grantmaking, and more.
Design policy proposals that apply metascience to evaluate and improve;
federal grantmaking structures
peer review and evaluation processes
portfolio-level funding decisions
administrative and compliance burdens on researchers
Government Engagement & Technical Assistance (20%)
Work directly with federal agency staff (e.g., NIH, NSF, OSTP, OMB) to:
scope reform opportunities
provide technical assistance
Serve as a trusted, nonpartisan resource to government partners navigating reforms to the research enterprise.
Implementation & Program Support (30%)
Translate policy ideas into operational plans that agencies can realistically adopt.
Support FAS-led initiatives (e.g., workshops, sprints, embedded support) that bridge policy design and execution.
Contribute to internal strategy development around FAS’s metascience and research enterprise reform portfolio.
Thought Leadership & Field-Building (30%)
Act as a writer-thinker-doer advancing applied metascience in policy contexts.
Develop memos, briefs, and public-facing pieces that make complex research-system issues legible to policymakers and advocates.
Engage with external experts, researchers, and institutions to stay current on metascience findings and best practices.