Technical SETA for Psychoactive Pharmacotherapy, Neuro-Systems and Drug Development (#26-069) in Arlington, Virginia at Strategic Analysis, Inc.

Strategic Analysis, Inc. (SA) is actively seeking a Technical SETA to aid in the strategy development of new programs that leverage Psychoactive Pharmacotherapy, Neuro-Systems and drug development, research and approval. This is a Science and Engineering and Technical Advisor (SETA) role in support of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).


Specific Duties:

1. Subject Matter Expertise: Provide internal expertise on the technical and pharmacological landscape of psychoactive substances and their applications in neuroscience.
2. Neuroscience & Psychedelic Integration: Offer deep technical insights into the neurological mechanisms of psychedelic medicine and the specific challenges of translating these into clinical research environments.
3. Stakeholder & Government Relations:Coordinate with multiple federal stakeholders (e.g., FDA, DEA, NIH, CMS) to navigate the unique drug development and approval pathways for scheduled substances.
4. Programmatic Oversight: Evaluate the conceptual and technical soundness of programmatic goals in the context of clinical trial design, data analytics, and pharmaceutical chemistry.
5. Project Management: Assist in setting goals, expectations, and budgets for high-impact projects; perform technical reviews of funded performer performance to ensure alignment with ARPA-H goals.


Experience/Expertise Required:

1. Biomedical Research: Significant experience in biomedical sciences and neuroscience, with a focus on the underlying chemistry and pharmacology of CNS drug interactions.
2. Psychoactive Drug development pipeline: Specialized expertise in the research, investigation, and development of psychoactive pharmaceutical compounds.
3. Regulatory & Inter-agency Strategy: Experience navigating the intersection of government relations and drug development, including the ethical and philosophical frameworks required for complex stakeholder alignment.
4. Computational Literacy: Experience in computational modeling and/or machine learning/AI as applied to data analytics or pharmaceutical research.
5. Program Management: Proven ability to manage budgets and oversee performance for multi-site research initiatives.


Minimum Degree Requirement:

1. Bachelor of Science: Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacological Sciences or Neuroscience. MS or PhD are preferred but not required.
2. Additional Foundation: Multi-disciplinary background in Chemistry, pharmacology, regulatory environment, program management, ensuring a high capacity for technical writing and ethical coordination.


Preferred Qualifications:

1. Prior experience in technical advisory, evaluation, or SETA-style roles.
2. Experience working across multi-institution or multi-performer programs.
3. Experience working in early-stage, fast-paced, startup environments.


Location: Position is remote.


Travel: Periodic travel may be required


Clearance: Ability to obtain HHS Public Trust.