Lead Technical SETA (Mental Health, Resilience, and Suicide Prevention)

Valiant Harbor International is a CVE Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that specializes in technical, programmatic, acquisition, compliance, and financial services for Government science and technology, research and development, and technological programs. At Valiant Harbor International, we emphasize our intense focus on helping federal government agencies identify and address organizational challenges to tailor and integrate specific solutions to solve their most difficult problems. Success is defined by our ability to meet our customers’ needs quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Valiant Harbor International is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Technical SETA (Mental Health, Resilience, & Suicide Prevention) to serve as a senior scientific and strategic advisor to Program Managers and Office Leadership within the Proactive Health Office (PHO) at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This role provides high-level expertise in mental health, suicide prevention, health psychology, and applied quantitative research to shape, execute, and oversee ARPA-style, high-risk/high-reward R&D programs. In addition to providing direct program support, this individual will lead and coordinate other SETAs within the program, ensuring analytical rigor, strategic alignment, and consistency in technical evaluation and milestone development. The role requires independent judgment, initiative, and the ability to translate cutting-edge science into actionable program strategy in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This is a full-time position with an opportunity for remote work possible. Approximately 25% travel anticipated.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advise the Program Manager and leadership on program strategy, technical direction, and portfolio execution in mental health and suicide prevention.
• Support program development from concept through execution, including development of technical theses, milestones, and evaluation frameworks.
• Identify emerging scientific opportunities, technology inflection points, implementation barriers, and policy considerations and translate into actionable programmatic strategies.
• Lead development of clear technical problem statements and program constructs suitable for ARPA-H Requests for Solutions (RFS).
• Develop and pressure-test measurable technical milestones, quantitative evaluation frameworks, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Anticipate scientific, operational, and portfolio-level risks and proactively propose mitigation pathways.
• Provide independent recommendations and options to leadership, including trade-off analyses and scenario planning.
• Perform stakeholder engagement & support/lead multidisciplinary teams participating in technical discussion, working groups, and interagency engagements as needed.
• Oversee intake and technical evaluation of proposals, white papers, and submissions.
• Assess study design, statistical approaches, feasibility, scalability, and real-world impact; develop and monitor performance metrics and data-driven evaluation frameworks.
• Support site visits, technical demonstrations, and performer assessments.
• Prepare executive briefings, decision memos, and portfolio updates.
• Coordinate with business financial managers, public affairs, and contracting as required.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to obtain a Public Trust security clearance.
• PhD in social psychology, clinical psychology, health psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or related field.
• 8-10 years of experience in mental health research, including suicide prevention.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex research initiatives and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience with mental health clinical trials design and meta-analysis.
• Strong quantitative and statistical expertise.
• Experience advising government leadership or supporting federal programs.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to operate independently and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust (or equivalent HHS suitability determination).

Additional Preferred Experiences:

• Experience with ARPA-like organizations or high-risk R&D environments.
• Experience with federal funding, contracting, or program oversight.
• Experience supervising or leading technical staff.
• Record of funded research and publications.

Salary Range: Negotiable.