Lead Quantitative Social Scientist

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Quantitative Social Scientist to oversee and conduct two comprehensive, independent assessments for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The successful candidate will lead data and methodology analysis for mental health care and suicide prevention programs, as mandated by the Clay Hunt Act and Hannon Act. The role will primarily focus on analyzing program effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and veteran satisfaction to ensure compliance with Congressional requirements and delivering impactful insights for VA to use in its mission to prevent veteran suicides through a comprehensive public health approach.

LMI is a new breed of digital solutions provider dedicated to accelerating government impact with innovation and speed. Investing in technology and prototypes ahead of need, LMI brings commercial-grade platforms and mission-ready AI to federal agencies at commercial speed.

Leveraging our mission-ready technology and solutions, proven expertise in federal deployment, and strategic relationships, we enhance outcomes for the government, efficiently and effectively. With a focus on agility and collaboration, LMI serves the defense, space, healthcare, and energy sectors-helping agencies navigate complexity and outpace change. Headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, LMI is committed to delivering impactful results that strengthen missions and drive lasting value.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead Data Analysis:

Utilize data provided by VA's Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) to answer program evaluation and assessment questions, including but not limited to:
• Veterans Outcome Assessment (VOA):Annual assessments on symptoms, functioning, well-being, and experience of care from veterans starting a new mental health outpatient program, reassessed after three months.
• Satisfaction Surveys:Data from veterans on their satisfaction with VA and non-VA mental health care and experiences of care.
• Clinical Templates:Data from national templates such as evidence-based psychotherapies, records of suicide and overdose events, intensity levels for community-based care, and services provided during treatment.
• Performance Measures:Facility-level data from Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning measures and other measures within the Mental Health Information System, a collection of over 100 measures characterizing mental health treatment in the VA.
• NEPEC Data:Data collected by the Northeastern Program Evaluation Center or other VA program evaluation centers for program monitoring and evaluation purposes.
• Examine and analyze data across differences in target conditions, care intensity, medical and mental health comorbidities, demographics, and sex differences.
• Identify and address gaps in data quality and integrity, cleanse and manipulate data as necessary to ensure valid, reliable analysis.
• Review and validate analytical data sets to ensure they meet statistical validity and quality standards.
• Communicate any identified data inaccuracies or deficiencies to the VA and assist in determining additional data collection needs to address gaps.

Program Evaluation:

• Independently evaluate mental health care and suicide prevention programs to measure effectiveness in achieving outcomes.
• Perform comparative analyses using internal (intra-Veteran) and external (inter-Veteran) data.
• Conduct sub-group analyses to determine relative effectiveness for specific veteran cohorts and identify service gaps.

• Develop predictive models to forecast program outcomes and identify key factors influencing success.

Methodology Development:

• Develop evaluation plans incorporating human-centered design principles to understand user needs.
• Employ the CDC's Program Evaluation Framework and propose innovative statistical methods as necessary.
• Reassess business rules, cost estimates, and outcome measures for program evaluations.

Reporting:

• Prepare annual evaluation reports, Congressionally Mandated Reports (CMR), and other supporting materials for the Clay Hunt Act and Staff Sergent Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grants Program (SSG Fox SPGP).
• Propose best practices for mental health care and suicide prevention and document key barriers and facilitators to implementation.
• Ensure timely submission of deliverables with accurate and comprehensive analysis.

• Create advanced visualizations and dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or custom scripts to communicate complex data effectively.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Coordinate with VA program leads, stakeholders, and external partners for data acquisition, methodology vetting, and program insights.
• Conduct interviews and transition meetings as part of the discovery phase.

Data Analyst Oversight:

• Supervise and provide direction to 1-2 Data Analysts, ensuring that analysis activities align with project requirements and objectives.
• Guide Data Analysts on appropriate methodologies to use for various analyses.
• Review and validate the work of Data Analysts to ensure accuracy and integrity.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to Data Analysts, fostering their professional growth and ensuring high-quality deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Political Science, Quantitative Methods, Public Policy, Psychology, or a related field.
  • At least 5 years of experience in applied data science, program evaluation, and analytics.
  • Proven track record in leading data science projects, especially in the federal space.
  • Extensive experience with statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, experiential design, data management, and evaluating large-scale programs.
  • Expertise in Python, R, SQL, and statistical analysis software (e.g., SAS, SPSS).
  • Proficiency in deep learning, Bayesian models, and data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or similar for creating reports and dashboards.
  • Strong background in quantitative deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch.
  • Experience in data cleansing and manipulation to ensure data usability and integrity.
  • Exceptional problem-solving skills with a focus on client needs and federal compliance.
  • Excellent communication and presentation abilities to effectively convey complex data insights to various audiences.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to identify data quality issues, communicate gaps, and recommend additional data collection requirements.
  • Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with various stakeholders and team members.
  • Demonstrated ability to generate actionable insights through in-depth analysis and translate findings into clear, concise, and impactful reports.
  • Ability to pass a government background investigation, including financial, criminal, residential, educational, foreign affiliation, prohibited substance abuse, and employment verifications. Please note that only U.S. citizens are eligible for a suitability determination.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Political Science, Quantitative Methods, Public Policy, Psychology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating Mental Health and Suicide Prevention programs.
• Understanding of VA evaluation frameworks and regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with federal contracts, especially within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Previous experience conducting independent assessments and drafting Congressionally Mandated Reports.

Target salary range: $114,000 - $190,045

Disclaimer:

The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is not a guarantee of compensation. Individual salaries are determined by various factors including, but not limited to location, internal equity, business considerations, client contract requirements, and candidate qualifications, such as education, experience, skills, and security clearances. Final compensation will be determined by a variety of factors including but not limited to your skills, experience, education, and/or certifications.