Senior Director, Long-Range Research Initiative & Applied Science Strategies

About HV Talent Group

At HV Talent Group, we help talented professionals connect with top employers nationwide. As a trusted recruiting partner to industry-leading organizations, we focus on direct-hire opportunities that align with candidates’ career goals, values, and long-term growth.

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Director, Long-Range Research Initiative & Applied Science Strategies opportunity in Washington, DC. This is a full-time senior leadership position offering a highly competitive salary.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished scientific research leader to shape long-range research strategy, oversee major scientific initiatives, collaborate with industry, academia, government, and international research organizations, and translate complex scientific research into actionable insights that support policy and strategic decision-making.

The Senior Director, Long-Range Research Initiative & Applied Science Strategies provides strategic and scientific leadership for a long-range research program focused on advancing scientific understanding and applying research to organizational strategy, policy development, and informed decision-making.

This senior-level role oversees the full lifecycle of research initiatives, from identifying emerging scientific priorities and research gaps to developing strategies, managing budgets and contracts, overseeing competitive research proposals, and cultivating external scientific partnerships.

The Senior Director serves as a senior scientific advisor and works closely with internal teams, industry stakeholders, academic institutions, government agencies, and international scientific organizations. The role requires the ability to evaluate complex scientific research and data and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations that support policy positions, regulatory decision-making, and broader organizational priorities.

• Provide strategic leadership and overall direction for the Long-Range Research Initiative and related applied science strategies.
• Identify emerging scientific issues, research gaps, and priorities relevant to chemical safety, science, and policy.
• Develop research strategies, objectives, priorities, and methodologies aligned with organizational goals.
• Lead the development, evaluation, and implementation of approved research projects and scientific proposals.
• Oversee competitive research solicitation and bidding processes, consultant selection, contracts, and project deliverables.
• Evaluate research outcomes and identify opportunities to apply findings to organizational strategy and policy development.
• Coordinate with international research initiatives and scientific organizations to promote collaboration and alignment on global research priorities.

• Oversee all aspects of the research program, including contracts, consultants, budgets, resource allocation, timelines, and expenditure tracking.
• Develop and monitor program budgets to ensure effective resource allocation and successful execution of research initiatives.
• Manage project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and stakeholder expectations.
• Identify opportunities to improve program efficiency, research impact, and resource utilization.
• Ensure research activities are executed effectively and in accordance with approved objectives, budgets, and timelines.

• Serve as a senior scientific resource and provide expert consultation to internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Analyze and interpret complex scientific studies and data relevant to chemical safety, risk, and policy.
• Translate scientific findings and research outcomes into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Apply scientific evidence and research to inform regulatory, policy, and strategic initiatives.
• Evaluate emerging scientific methodologies, approaches, and research to strengthen organizational understanding of complex scientific issues.
• Provide objective, science-based perspectives to support informed decision-making.

• Lead and manage the LRI Topic Committee, including meeting planning, agendas, research priorities, and scientific discussions.
• Facilitate collaboration among scientists and science leaders from industry, academia, government, and other relevant institutions.
• Present research strategies, scientific findings, recommendations, and program updates to senior executives, board members, and other key stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with senior scientists, research institutions, government agencies, and domestic and international scientific organizations.
• Represent the organization in relevant scientific forums, research collaborations, industry initiatives, and professional settings.
• Build consensus and foster productive relationships across diverse scientific, industry, government, and policy stakeholders.