Program Manager, Director - Cancer Research exp

DLH delivers improved health and national security readiness solutions for federal programs through science research and development, systems engineering and integration, and digital transformation. Our experts in public health, performance evaluation, and health operations solve the complex problems faced by civilian and military customers alike by leveraging advanced tools – including digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud enablement, modeling, and simulation, and more.

With over 2,400 employees dedicated to the idea that “Your Mission is Our Passion,” DLH brings a unique combination of government sector experience, proven methodology, and unwavering commitment to innovation to improve the lives of millions.

DLH seeks a dynamic and visionary Project Director (PD) to serve as the scientific and operational lead for a major, long‑standing federally funded cohort study investigating environmental and genetic risk factors for cancer and other chronic diseases. The Project Director is responsible for end‑to‑end contract execution: leading multidisciplinary teams, collaborating directly with government Principal Investigators, and ensuring delivery of complex, protocol‑driven research activities, including participant engagement, biospecimen management, data operations, and outcome validation.

The PD operates at the intersection of executive project management and epidemiologic subject matter expertise, guiding study strategy, operational excellence, and scientific contribution throughout all phases of this nationally recognized research program. Beyond operational leadership, the PD is expected to bring an established professional network and the strategic acumen to identify, shape, and capture new contract opportunities that expand the organization’s public health research portfolio.

• Provide direction to internal and external teams.
• Maintain mature, collaborative relationships with federal stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively and authoritatively with senior agency executives, scientific partners, and internal leadership to align project execution with evolving research objectives and organizational goals.
• Drive operational excellence, ensuring complex study deliverables are met and resolving challenges to achieve high performance, data integrity, and participant retention.
• Serve as a visible, well‑connected presence across the federal public health research landscape, actively cultivating agency relationships and competitive intelligence to drive growth for DLH.

• Oversee all aspects of daily contract operations, acting as the executive liaison and primary representative to federal clients and agency leadership.
• Proactively communicate project status, risks, issues, and mitigation strategies to ensure transparency and accountability across all contract activities.
• Provide expert scientific and epidemiological guidance across all phases of cohort study operations, including study design, protocol development, and field execution.
• Direct the design, implementation, and analysis of detailed follow‑up protocols, multi‑mode survey data collection, biospecimen operations, and preparation of analytic datasets.
• Lead and supervise multidisciplinary teams comprising survey operations, data management, laboratory, quality assurance, and participant engagement professionals.
• Recruit, mentor, and guide staff, fostering a culture of professional growth, operational excellence, and adherence to the highest ethical standards.
• Develop and implement culturally competent participant retention and engagement strategies to sustain high response rates and maximize longitudinal follow‑up.
• Oversee integration, cleaning, quality assurance, and management of multiple concurrent data streams—including questionnaire, biospecimen, administrative, and medical record data.
• Oversee biospecimen collection, processing, tracking, and repository operations in partnership with laboratory leadership, ensuring compliance with all safety and quality regulations.
• Coordinate and support health outcome validation activities, including medical record and pathology report…