Data Modernization Strategy & Execution Lead

Public Trust: NACI (T1)

Requisition Type: Regular

Your Impact

Own your opportunity to work alongside federal civilian agencies. Make an impact by providing services that help the government ensure the well being and support of U.S. citizens.

Job Description

At GDIT, people are our differentiators. We deliver clarity and capability in the moments that matter most.

We are seeking a full-time Data Modernization Strategy & Execution Lead to support the CDC's Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology (OPHDST) at the Roybal or Chamblee campus in Atlanta, GA.

OPHDST leads the agency-wide Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) — CDC's effort to replace fragmented, siloed, slow data with a connected, near-real-time public health data enterprise. The work is measured against the Public Health Data Strategy (PHDS), a milestone roadmap now pivoting from building new capabilities to operating and maturing them. This is a high-visibility priority for CDC leadership, and the office is entering the phase where execution discipline matters more than new ambition. This role sits at the center of that work.

How a Data Modernization Strategy & Execution Lead Will Make an Impact

You will own the strategy-and-execution lane for the program — maturing an established data strategy framework, driving milestones to completion, and helping the office turn what exists today into the next generation of what the customer needs. This is not a stand-up role; the framework is built. It needs someone who can grow it, deepen the integration of DMI and platform data, and hold a fragmented set of stakeholders accountable to results.

• Mature and grow an established data strategy and milestone framework — driving development, tracking, governance, and reporting from plan through execution.
• Serve as a trusted, embedded advisor to CDC leadership, building the customer relationships that let you move with the office as its priorities mature.
• Drive milestones to completion across multiple owners and divisions, holding a complex, fragmented stakeholder set accountable to outcomes.
• Deepen the integration of DMI activities and platform data, connecting strategy to what the office can actually direct and measure.
• Translate leadership priorities into coordinated plans, roadmaps, and spend/governance artifacts that keep the program aligned and moving.
• Coordinate across program, communications, data, and administrative functions so strategy and delivery stay one connected effort, not a handoff chain.

Required — Proven Practical Execution

• Bachelor's degree plus 8+ years of relevant experience in public health, data modernization, or federal health program strategy and execution (additional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree).
• Demonstrated, hands-on experience maturing a strategy or milestone framework to completion in a federal health or data environment — not advising on it from the outside, but driving the work.
• Track record of customer intimacy at the leadership level: understanding what an organization actually needs, helping it see that need clearly, and earning the trust to guide the path.
• Experience holding fragmented, multi-stakeholder programs accountable to milestones and outcomes.
• Strong coordination across program management, data, and operational functions in a complex organization.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a CDC Public Trust clearance and CDC badge.
• Local to the Atlanta metro and within commuting distance of the Roybal or Chamblee campus — on-site presence is required (this is not a fully remote role).

Preferred Qualifications & Attributes for Success

• Current or recent CDC/HHS experience, badge, or familiarity with OPHDST/DDPHSS or an adjacent office.
• Direct experience with data modernization initiatives, integrated data platforms, or public health data strategy.
• Familiarity with federal planning, spend, and governance workflows (e.g., strategic planning, investment/financial tracking, milestone governance).
• Advanced degree in public health, health policy, data science, or a related field. We weigh proven execution over credentials — this is a high-mid-career role, not entry level.
• Comfortable owning a lane and being the person the customer and the team look to for direction.
• Patient and persistent — willing to do the long, unglamorous work of turning a fragmented set of processes into something coherent.
• Reads an organization well; leads through trust and clarity rather than mandate.
• Thrives in a mission environment at the forefront of a national CDC priority.

• Opportunity to support a national public health data priority every day.
• 401K with company match.
• Professional growth opportunities including paid education and certifications.
• Paid vacation and holidays (for eligible employees).
• Full-flex work week to own your priorities at work and at home.
• Comprehensive health and wellness packages.
• Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career.

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Work Requirements

Years of Experience

8 + years of related experience

* may vary based on technical training, certification(s), or degree

Certification

Travel Required

Less than 10%