Executive Public Health Career Opportunity: Deputy Office Director (Supervisory Statistician) at the FDA

The healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by breakthrough clinical research and cutting-edge medical technologies. At the heart of this transformation is the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is seeking a highly qualified leader to serve as the Deputy Office Director (Supervisory Statistician). Operating under a streamlined hiring authority, this executive position represents an extraordinary opportunity for experienced biostatisticians, clinical researchers, and healthcare policy leaders to guide regulatory science at a national level.

This role is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and offers a competitive salary range of $194,932 to $308,053 per year. As an executive in this position, you will direct the scientific processes that ensure medical devices marketed in the United States are safe, reliable, and highly effective.

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About the Agency: The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the principal federal agency dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of all Americans. Within HHS, the FDA plays a vital regulatory role. This specific vacancy resides in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), specifically within the Office of Product Evaluation and Quality (OPEQ) and the Office of Clinical Evidence and Analysis (OCEA).

CDRH is committed to facilitating medical innovation and assuring consumer confidence in the marketplace. The Center ensures that clinical trial participants, medical professionals, and consumers have access to safe, science-based advancements in medical devices and radiation-emitting products. By establishing predictable, transparent, and consistent regulatory pathways, CDRH bridges the gap between scientific innovation and public availability.

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Job Responsibilities and Core Mission

As the Deputy Office Director, you will serve as a premier scientific and technical authority in professional healthcare, medical analysis, and biostatistics. This role is highly collaborative and carries substantial administrative, technical, and strategic weight.

Your core duties will include:

• Scientific Leadership: Serving as an internationally recognized technical authority. You will provide scientific and clinical oversight for regulatory submissions, real-world evidence (RWE), and clinical trial evaluations.
• Regulatory Guidance: Advising senior leadership within the FDA, HHS, and other public health agencies on regulations, statutory policies, and federal laws, such as the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
• Strategic Oversight: Formulating, establishing, and executing OCEA’s long-term programmatic goals, ensuring they align with OPEQ's public health mission.
• Executive Supervision: Directing a highly specialized, multidisciplinary scientific workforce through first- and second-level supervisors. This includes managing administrative duties, evaluating performance, and driving professional development.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Representing the agency in discussions with national and international regulatory bodies, industry partners, and patient advocacy groups.

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Minimum Qualifications and Experience Requirements

Candidates must satisfy specific educational standards in statistics as well as progressive, leadership-level professional experience in clinical data or regulatory science.

Educational Requirements

To qualify under the 1530 Occupational Series (Statistics), applicants must possess a degree that includes:

1. At least 15 semester hours in statistics (or combined mathematics and statistics, provided a minimum of 6 semester hours are in statistics).
2. At least 9 additional semester hours in medicine, biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering, social welfare, economics, sociology, public administration, or related disciplines.

Alternatively, a combination of specialized professional experience and academic coursework may be accepted.

Experience Breakdown by Academic Degree

Experience requirements vary depending on the level of higher education completed. Below is a comparison table outlining the credentials necessary to qualify:

Highest Degree Held	Required Years of Comparable Experience	Key Areas of Proven Competency
Bachelor's Degree	7 Years	Clinical evidence programs, medical device regulation, regulatory science, scientific reviews of clinical data, and real-world evidence (RWE).
Master's Degree	6 Years	Leadership in scientific clinical analysis, device safety evaluations, policy-setting environments, and regulatory program management.
Doctorate (Ph.D. / J.D.)	4 Years	Advanced academic research combined with technical leadership in clinical programs, biostatistics, and regulatory policy implementation.
Medical Degree (M.D., D.O., D.V.M., etc.)	4 Years	Direct clinical evidence analysis, medical science evaluation, trial design, and high-level consulting for device safety and effectiveness.
No Degree (Equivalency path)	11 Years	Comprehensive, long-term mastery of statistical analysis, organizational leadership, and medical device compliance programs.

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Salary and Compensation Structure

This position is being recruited under Title 21 of the United States Code (21 U.S.C. 379d-3a), which was amended by the 21st Century Cures Act. This enables the FDA to utilize streamlined hiring processes to bring highly qualified scientific talent into federal service quickly.

• Salary Range: $194,932 to $308,053 per year.
• Pay Table: Title 21 Pay Table 2, Band F.
• Appointment Type: Career or career-conditional federal civil service appointment.
• Hiring Path: Open to the general public. Traditional federal hiring rankings, rating systems, and veterans' preference calculations do not apply to this vacancy.

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Comprehensive Benefits and Perks

In addition to the highly competitive executive salary, the FDA offers a premier benefits package designed to support career development and personal well-being:

• Retirement Security: Coverage under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and access to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with generous agency matching contributions.
• Health and Wellness: A wide array of premium healthcare options, dental and vision insurance, long-term care programs, and federal life insurance policies.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous annual leave and sick leave accruals, plus 12 paid federal holidays each year.
• Telework Eligibility: Telework opportunities may be available, subject to supervisor approval and agency directives.
• Financial Incentives: Depending on budget availability and service agreements, selectees may be eligible for student loan repayment, relocation, or recruitment incentives.

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Strategic Application Tips

Applying for a high-level executive position within the federal government requires careful preparation. Use these tips to ensure your application package stands out:

1. Tailor Your Resume: Limit your federal resume to exactly two pages. Clearly document your start and end dates (month/day/year) and the hours worked per week for each role. Focus on concrete leadership successes and analytical achievements.
2. Verify Coursework on Transcripts: Submit legible, complete academic transcripts. If you completed degrees abroad, obtain a credential evaluation from an organization recognized by NACES or AICE.
3. Address the Essay Prompts Honestly: The application questionnaire features four short-response essay questions. While optional, filling them out gives hiring managers excellent insight. Write these yourself; using generative AI or consultants is strictly prohibited.
4. Check File Formatting: Security protections on digital transcripts can interfere with automated USAJobs readers. Scan physical copies or save transcripts as unencrypted PDFs to ensure readability.
5. Review Ethics Guidelines: Since this position is subject to strict financial interest regulations, evaluate your portfolio. You may need to divest from certain healthcare or medical device holdings upon accepting an offer.

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Are there drug testing requirements?

Yes. The selectee must pass a pre-employment drug screening and is subject to random testing and reasonable suspicion policies throughout their tenure.

What does 'Title 21' mean for my application?

Title 21 is a specialized hiring program aimed at recruiting top-tier scientific and medical experts. Because of this streamlined process, traditional ratings and veterans' preference guidelines do not apply.

When does this job posting close?

All applications, transcripts, and questionnaire responses must be successfully submitted via USAJobs by August 24, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

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For a statistician or clinical science executive, few roles match the scope, influence, and impact of the Deputy Office Director at the FDA CDRH. In this position, your strategic choices and regulatory insights will directly shape the quality and safety of medical technologies for generations to come. Prepare your application early, double-check your credentials, and submit your materials to join the dedicated civil servants at the Department of Health and Human Services.