Location: Any US Office including Boston, MA
In order to be considered for a position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the location specified without relocation support or visa sponsorship now or in the future, unless explicitly noted otherwise in the position overview. If a position does not specify a location, applicants whose primary residence is a location where JSI is registered to conduct business will be considered:
- U.S. Locations: AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IN, IL, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, PA, RI, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, DC, and WI.
- Global Locations: Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Laos, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, and U.S.
Position Category: Direct hire, paid in US
Posting Date: 04/20/2026
Deadline Date: Open until the position is filled.
Salary Range: $108,917 - $191,083 Commensurate with experience and location.
Organizational overview
JSI is dedicated to strengthening health and education systems to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities. We believe all people should have what they need to live their healthiest lives and reach their full potential. To accomplish this, JSI works hand-in-hand with government agencies, community organizations, and the private sector to design pragmatic strategies for complex problems. We drive measurable impact in public health, health care, and education to enhance the well-being of people in the United States and around the world.
As a global organization, JSI has designed, delivered, and scaled programs in more than 50 countries worldwide. In the U.S., JSI has worked in evaluation, training and technical assistance, policy, and strategy in all 50 states and has teams in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, DC, Georgia, Colorado, and California.
Position overview
The Service Area Director, Policy & Program Advisory, provides the strategic and technical leadership necessary to scale JSI’s policy and program advisory footprint within the U.S. health and education sectors. This role serves as a critical strategic advisor, bridging the gap between business development and high-quality program delivery in the government consulting sector. The Director is responsible for standardizing the HSD’s policy analysis toolkit, crafting innovative program models for new proposals, and ensuring the successful launch and execution of complex government advisory and program implementation engagements. By advising projects during startup and throughout their lifecycle, the Director ensures that the organization’s U.S.-focused policy and program solutions are mission-aligned and scalable.
The Service Area Director works collaboratively across the HSD Division with other division leadership to share knowledge and best practices, building JSI’s capacity in policy and program advisory services. This full-time position reports to the EVP, HSD.
Thought & Strategy
- Develop technical "win themes" and program solutions for high-stakes proposals, ensuring JSI’s policy and program advisory service offerings are competitive and mission-aligned.
-
Define and implement a standardization strategy for JSI’s policy analysis and impact measurement tools, creating a documented library of scalable solutions for federal and state clients.
-
Monitor U.S. policy and program health trends to proactively pivot JSI’s service offerings toward emerging needs like legislative/regulatory mandates and the practical operation of health systems.
-
Represent JSI as a thought leader in the policy and program solutions space across the health and education sectors.
-
Advising state and local agencies on complying with and leveraging federal mandates (e.g., the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid waivers, or HRSA requirements) and navigating the complexities of the American payer-provider landscape.
Results & Execution
- Lead the technical execution of policy and program consulting projects, ensuring deliverables are high-impact, secure, and meet all contractual requirements, working with Project Directors.
-
Serve as the primary technical advisor during project launch phases to establish rigorous data standards and measurement frameworks.
-
Establish and maintain cross-cutting quality standards for policy and program advisory products and consulting services, ensuring all tools and approaches are consistently documented and executed.
Financial & Resource Management
- Lead the development of accurate cost proposals for policy and program implementation in proposals and project work plans.
-
Ensure the fiscal sustainability of policy and program implementation work by advising on key staffing decisions.
People & Influence
- Partner with Account Leads and the Business Development team to ensure a seamless bridge between policy and program outcome realities.
-
Act as a senior technical liaison to federal and state agency leads, positioning JSI as a trusted partner for program implementation and engaging with key stakeholders.
-
Provide merit-based mentorship to foster professional growth in technical leadership and project management.
Expertise & Growth
- Serve as JSI’s domestic SME for health policy impact analysis and translating policy into implementation in line with JSI’s policies and practices.
-
Facilitate knowledge sharing and internal training sessions to raise policy and health program design literacy and promote standardization across the division.
Education, experience, skills, and competencies
- Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Health Informatics, a related field, or equivalent experience.
-
10+ years of relevant progressive experience leading policy development and implementation or program consulting projects in the U.S. public health, healthcare, or education sector, including experience in senior project leadership or technical advisory roles.
- Proven success of designing winning technical solutions for federal or state-level solicitations.
-
Deep understanding of federal health mandates (e.g., the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid waivers, or HRSA requirements).
- Advanced strategic planning, problem solving, organizational, project management skills with exceptional maturity of judgement.
-
Advanced interpersonal and diplomatic skills with a demonstrated ability to influence and mentor staff at all levels based on individual performance across different cultures.
- Strong ability to translate complex technical concepts into strategic narratives for non-technical stakeholders.
Language
- Fluent oral and written English communication skills.
Travel expectation
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically as necessary (up to 15-20%).
Work environment
- Frequently operates a computer.
-
Ability to maintain a comfortable and ergonomic posture while working.
Work authorization/visa requirements/sponsorship
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without visa sponsorship now or in the future.
Other duties
- Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Interested candidates should submit their resumes and cover letters online.
No phone calls please.
Principals only please.
