Public Health Evaluation Scientist (Chronic Disease)

General Information 

• Job Code: SHR-PE-03
• Location:Ripple Effect Headquarters – Rockville, MD
• Employee Type: Exempt, Full-Time Regular
• Telework: Full-Time (this role is fully remote)
• Clearance: Public Trust
• Salary Range: $85,344.18 - $98,145.81 per year (how we pay and promote)  

Position Overview 

Are you passionate about assessing programs to ensure they deliver measurable impact?

As a Public Health Evaluation Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in shaping our success! You will lead technical components of evaluation projects, provide methodological guidance and independently execute complex research and analysis tasks. You will oversee quality control, documentation, and adherence to timelines and budgets for assigned workstreams. As a strong communicator, you will ensure findings are relayed to senior stakeholders and play an active role in supporting proposal development. This role works with minimal supervision, resolving most issues independently while mentoring junior staff and escalating only the most complex challenges.

While not an exhaustive list, the key duties for the position include:

• Technical Execution: Provides technical oversight of assigned segments of larger evaluations, offering methodological guidance (e.g., on research design and analytical techniques) and independently executing complex data collection and analysis tasks to ensure rigorous, reliable results. 
• Communication: Communicates complex evaluation methodologies and findings clearly, briefing senior program leaders on study approaches and outcomes and contributing to proposal development to ensure stakeholders fully understand and buy into project recommendations. 
• Schedule and Timelines: Manages timelines for assigned portions of projects, coordinating with team members and adjusting plans as needed to keep evaluation tasks on schedule and aligned with the overall project timeline. 
• Quality Management: Oversees data collection, quality control, analysis, and reporting activities, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and methodological rigor in all project deliverables. 
• Data Analysis: Designs effective data collection methods (such as surveys or sampling plans) and applies advanced statistical techniques to analyze and interpret data, yielding clear conclusions and actionable insights. 
• Financial Management: Ensures efficient use of project resources to complete tasks within allocated budgets, proactively identifying potential overruns and suggesting adjustments when necessary. 
• Regulatory and Contractual Compliance: Ensures project activities adhere to all relevant regulatory, ethical, and contractual requirements by applying thorough knowledge of policies, guiding teammates on compliance issues, and confirming that all evaluation procedures meet required standards. 
• Documentation: Produces and reviews high-quality technical documentation (e.g., methodologies, reports, and briefs) with minimal oversight, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and completeness, and guides junior team members in proper documentation practices. 
• Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement: Independently resolves complex research challenges using innovative problem-solving approaches, contributes to improving team processes and methodologies for greater efficiency, and only escalates the most challenging issues to management. 
• Business Relations: Engages with clients and senior stakeholders professionally, building trust by providing expert guidance on evaluation methods and delivering results that meet their needs and expectations. 
• Supervision: Works under minimal supervision, handling complex issues independently, consulting the manager only on the most challenging situations, and providing guidance and mentorship to junior team members as needed. 
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications  

• Master's degree in public health, epidemiology, social science, evaluation research, or a closely related field
• At least 5 years of relevant, professional experience

Basic Requirements  

• Experience conducting a national assessment of a program or project’s inputs, activities, and outputs to determine its value or worth and to improve the program.
• Experience developing an evaluation plan, identifying evaluation questions and indicators, collecting, and analyzing quantitative and qualitative program data, interpreting the data in the context of the program, and reporting findings.
• Experience developing a large-scale program logic model, identifying appropriate program outcomes, facilitating internal and external partner meetings, and providing assistance or training on evaluation, methods, concepts, and tools.
• Knowledge of the rules, procedures and principles that govern intramural and extramural program development, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to execute instructions.
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office productivity software and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. 
• Previous experience working with government procedures and guidelines.

Skills That Set You Apart 

• Proven ability to use and manage CDC Administrative Systems (HUMAN SUBJECTS, OMB AND IRB, and E-Clearance) - or similar systems - efficiently and effectively.
• Foundational knowledge of research and analysis methods in areas such as literature reviews, policy analysis, qualitative research techniques and data synthesis. 

• Intermediate experience with AI tools, including their limitations and risks, and how they can be applied to support project management tasks.    

About Ripple Effect 

Ripple Effect is a woman-owned, 200-person company of communicators, scientists, researchers, and analysts. Established in 2003, and named as one of the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” in 2024 and 2025 by the NABR, Ripple Effect has earned acclaim for delivering unparalleled consulting services and top-tier talent across federal, private, and non-profit sectors. 

Benefits

At Ripple Effect, we reward our employees for their contributions to our mission. Our comprehensive total rewards package includes competitive pay, exceptional benefits, and a range of programs that support your work/life balance and personalized preferences.  

Learn more about our benefits and culture here.