Senior Director of Research & Innovation

The Senior Director of Research & Innovation will lead the design, development, and scaling of evidence-based, community-centered health innovations within Community Clinic's federally qualified health center (FQHC) network. This role bridges research, clinical practice, and community systems to improve health outcomes for underserved populations locally and to advance scalable models for broader adoption.

This position will build and lead a translational research and innovation portfolio focused on advancing models such as Food is Health (Food is Medicine), maternal and family health, and other social drivers of health. The Senior Director will secure and manage grant funding, design evaluation frameworks, generate actionable insights, and translate findings into models that can be implemented and replicated across health systems.

Unlike traditional academic roles, success in this position is defined by real-world impact, implementation, and the ability to scale effective models. This role offers significant opportunity to identify, develop, and pursue high-impact initiatives aligned with Community Clinic's mission and strategic priorities.

Position Details

Employment Status: Full-Time

Department: Center for Research & Health Innovation (CRHI)

Reports to: SVP of Research & Innovation

Classification: Exempt (Salary)

Essential job functions

• Develop and lead a portfolio of applied research and innovation initiatives aligned with Community Clinic priorities (e.g., Food is Health, maternal health, integrated care models).
• Identify opportunities to embed research within clinical operations across 30+ clinic sites, ensuring direct connection to patient care and outcomes.
• Translate community needs, clinical insights, and system-level challenges into fundable and actionable initiatives.
• Design and incubate new programmatic and service models with potential for replication, sustainability, and broader adoption.
• Contribute to a long-term research and innovation strategy that positions Community Clinic as a leader in FQHC-based innovation.
• Serve as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on federal, philanthropic, and foundation grants.
• Lead development of competitive funding proposals, from small awards to multi-million-dollar proposals aligned with organizational priorities and community needs.
• Identify and pursue diverse funding and partnership opportunities, including philanthropic, public, and mission-aligned private sector collaborations.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with funding agencies (e.g., HRSA, NIH, USDA, foundations).
• Oversee grant portfolios, including budgets, deliverables, compliance, and reporting.
• Design and implement evaluation frameworks, key performance indicators (KPIs), and impact metrics for clinical and community-based programs.
• Lead data-driven learning agendas to assess program effectiveness and inform continuous improvement.
• Translate data into actionable insights for clinicians, administrators, funders, and community partners.
• Support development of data infrastructure to track patient, program, and population-level outcomes.
• Partner closely with clinical leadership, providers, and care teams to co-design and implement research-informed interventions.
• Ensure research is embedded in care delivery workflows and responsive to patient populations, particularly low-income and underserved communities.
• Pilot and refine new models, supporting their expansion across clinic sites as appropriate.
• Facilitate feedback loops between clinicians, patients, and research teams.
• Develop and execute strategies to expand successful models across Community Clinic sites and into external settings (e.g., other FQHCs, health systems, or policy environments).
• Explore pathways for long-term sustainability, including reimbursement models, partnerships, and ongoing funding streams.
• Produce high-quality reports, toolkits, and playbooks to support replication and adoption.
• Share insights through practitioner-oriented channels, policy briefs, and national networks, and selectively pursue publication to support broader dissemination and adoption of proven strategies.
• Represent Community Clinic in regional and national conversations on community health innovation.
• Build and manage cross-sector partnerships with nonprofits, universities, funders, public agencies, and community organizations.
• Serve as a connector between Community Clinic and broader health, food systems, and maternal health ecosystems.
• Collaborate with partners to pilot innovative approaches, including technology-enabled solutions where appropriate.
• Align stakeholders around shared goals, resources, and data to support implementation and scale.
• Build and supervise a research and evaluation team as funding and initiatives expand.
• Mentor staff and collaborators in applied research, evaluation, and grant development.
• Foster a collaborative, mission-driven, and inclusive team culture.
• Adhere to applicable regulatory guidelines and laws, including but not limited to HIPAA/HITECH, HRSA, NCQA PCMH, and OSHA.
• Ensure Community Clinic's practices are lawful, ethical, and consistent with its mission and policies; that community members and patients are treated fairly, safely, and with dignity and appropriate confidentiality; and that its IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status is protected at all times.
• Champion Community Clinic's mission & values with the team, partners, and the community.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Measures of Success (KPIs)

• Amount and diversity of grant funding secured
• Successful implementation and expansion of innovative care models
• Measurable improvements in patient and community health outcomes
• Strength and reach of partnerships and collaborations
• Adoption of Community Clinic models by other health systems
• Contribution to Community Clinic's reputation as a leader in health innovation

Community Clinic Essential Competencies

• Service: Treats every patient and coworker with empathy, respect, and a genuine desire to help.
• Ownership: Takes responsibility for their actions, follows through on commitments, and upholds high standards even when no one is watching.
• Adaptability: Remains flexible, open to change, and willing to learn in order to meet the evolving needs of our patients, teams, and organization.
• Collaboration: Works together with openness and respect, shares information freely, and supports co-workers to provide seamless, high-quality care.
• Problem Solving: Approaches challenges with curiosity, finds practical solutions, and takes initiative to improve processes and patient experiences.

Role Specific Essential Skills/Competencies

• Systems thinking and strategic problem-solving
• Translational research and applied analytics
• Grant writing and funding strategy
• Cross-sector collaboration and partnership development
• Implementation and operational integration
• Communication and knowledge translation

Required qualifications

• Ph.D. in public policy, public health, community development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success securing and managing grant funding (federal and/or philanthropic).
• Experience designing and implementing evaluation frameworks and impact measurement systems.
• Strong ability to translate research, data, and community insight into strategy and action.
• Experience working across sectors (healthcare, nonprofit, government, philanthropy).

Preferred qualifications

• Experience working with or within healthcare systems, FQHCs, or community health settings.
• Background in food systems, maternal health, or social drivers of health.
• Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Track record of scaling programs or translating pilots into broader implementation.

Physical demands

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend and stretch to retrieve supplies and operate office equipment.
• Ability to lift, hold and carry objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to communicate and respond to inquiries both in person and over the phone.
• Ability to operate a PC / laptop and other office equipment.
• ADA: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Accountability for Results

• An annual performance evaluation will be conducted based on the essential job functions as listed in this description