National Sr. Director, Science & Medicine, Stroke & Brain Health Guidelines

Overview

Since our founding in 1924, we've cut cardiovascular disease deaths in half, but there is still so much more to do. To overcome today’s biggest health challenges and accelerate this progress, we need passionate individuals like you. Join our movement, be part of the progress, and help ensure a healthier future for all. You matter, and so does the impact you can make with us.

 

The American Heart Association has an excellent opportunity for a Senior Director, Science and Medicine, Stroke and Brain Health Guidelines.

 

The Senior Director, Science and Medicine, Stroke and Brain Health Guidelines is responsible for the strategic direction, operational management and oversight, and methodological excellence of the organization's Stroke and Brain Health clinical guidelines portfolio. This role oversees the American Heart Association Stroke and Brain Health guidelines development, maintenance, and modernization efforts that influence patient care and clinical decision-making. The Senior Director will lead a multidisciplinary team and oversee a complex portfolio of guideline projects.

 

Serving as a key member of the Stroke and Brain Health clinical guideline leadership team, the Senior Director oversees the full guideline lifecycle and serves as a trusted advisor to volunteer leaders, writing committees, and science leadership. The position drives innovation in guideline development, evidence surveillance, digital delivery, and emerging technologies while ensuring adherence to the highest standards of scientific rigor, transparency, and governance.

 

The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

 

#TheAHALife is more than a company culture; it is our way of life. It embodies our commitment to work-life harmonization and is guided by our core values where our employees can thrive both personally and professionally. Discover why you will Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Valued at the American Heart Association by following us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, and at heart.jobs.

Responsibilities

Strategic and Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the strategic planning, prioritization, and execution of the Stroke and Brain Health Guidelines portfolio.
• Provide guidance to science leadership on emerging scientific, clinical, and methodological trends.
• Oversee the full guideline lifecycle, including topic selection, scope development, evidence review, guideline production, publication, maintenance and support dissemination.
• Monitor portfolio performance, risks, timelines, and resource requirements, providing regular updates to science leadership.

Scientific and Methodological Leadership

• Ensure the scientific integrity, quality, and methodological rigor of all guideline products.
• Provide oversight of evidence synthesis, evidence grading, and recommendation development processes.
• Ensure adherence to organizational policies, conflict-of-interest requirements, governance standards, and best practices in evidence-based medicine.
• Champion continuous improvement and modernization of guideline development methodologies.

Volunteer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary staff liaison to volunteer committees, guideline writing groups, oversight committees, and internal and external stakeholders.
• Build productive partnerships with physician leaders, researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate consensus-building and effective decision-making among multidisciplinary expert groups.

Operational Excellence and Innovation

• Establish scalable processes that support efficient, high-quality guideline development and publication.
• Manage budgets, contracts, vendors, and operational resources supporting guideline activities.
• Advance innovation in living guidelines, evidence surveillance, computable guidelines, digital dissemination, clinical decision support, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Collaborate with publications, communications, implementation science, quality improvement, education, and digital product teams to maximize guideline reach and impact.

• Travel to American Heart Association annual meetings, oversight committee meetings, guideline writing committee meetings, and other meetings throughout the year nationally and/or internationally, as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience 
• Minimum 5 years of experience in evidence-based medicine and guideline development, and scientific leadership.
• Minimum 5 years of supervisory experience managing professional staff, complex programs, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading clinical practice guidelines, consensus statements, evidence reviews, or similar scientific initiatives.
• Strong expertise in evidence-based medicine, evidence synthesis, systematic reviews, and scientific publication processes.
• Experience managing complex portfolios, budgets, timelines, and stakeholder relationships.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders, volunteer experts, and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7 years of experience in evidence-based medicine and guideline development, and scientific leadership.Advanced degree (MD, DO, PhD, PharmD, DNP, DrPH, MPH, or equivalent).
• Expertise in stroke, cerebrovascular disease, vascular neurology, brain health, cognitive health, rehabilitation, prevention, or related disciplines.
• Direct experience developing national or international clinical practice guidelines.
• Advanced knowledge of guideline methodology, and evidence grading frameworks
• Experience working within medical societies, professional associations, healthcare nonprofits, academic institutions, or government agencies.
• Experience supporting physician-led volunteer committees and nationally recognized expert panels.

Compensation & Benefits

The American Heart Association invests in its people. Here are the main components of our total rewards package.  Visit Rewards & Benefits to see more details.

 

• Compensation – Our goal is to ensure you have a competitive base salary.  That’s why we regularly review the market value of jobs and make adjustments, as needed.
• Performance and Recognition – You are rewarded for achieving success through annual salary planning and incentive programs; based on the type of position
• Benefits – We offer a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program that includes an employer match and automatic contribution.  As a mark of our commitment to employee well-being, we also offer an employee assistance program, employee wellness program and telemedicine, and medical consultation.
• Professional Development – You can join one of our many Employee Resource Groups (ERG) or be a mentor/mentee in our professional mentoring program.  Heart U is the Association’s national online university, with more than 100,000 resources designed to meet your needs and busy schedule.
• Work-Life Harmonization – The Association offers Paid Time Off (PTO) at a minimum of 16 days per year for new employees.  The number of days will increase based on seniority level.  You will also have a total of 12 paid holidays off each year, which includes several days off at the end of the year.
• Tuition Assistance - We support the career development of all employees.  This program provides financial assistance to employees who wish to further their education and career in relation to their current duties and responsibilities, or for potential future positions in the organization.

 

The American Heart Association’s 2028 Goal: Building on over 100 years of trusted leadership in cardiovascular and brain health, by 2028 the Association will drive breakthroughs and implement proven solutions in science, policy, and care for healthier people and communities. The greatest discoveries in health must reach everyone where they are.

At American Heart Association | American Stroke Association, our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, age, language, sexual orientation, national origin and physical or cognitive abilities.This position not a match with your skills?  Click here to see other opportunities.

In accordance with local and state laws where applicable, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment.

 

EOE/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities

 

 

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