Director, Workforce Development and Health (WDH) Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF)

Job Type:

Overview

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, RAND has approximately 2,000 people from more than 45 countries working in offices in North America and Europe, with annual revenue of roughly $500 million. RAND is widely respected for operating independently of political and commercial pressures as a nonpartisan organization. RAND values objectivity and integrity in both its research processes and internal interactions. We emphasize a collegial environment that respects the contributions and dignity of all staff. 

RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF) is the Department of the Air Force (DAF)’s sole Federally Funded Research and Development Center for studies and analyses. This long-standing relationship allows PAF to mount sustained analysis of long-term, enduring problems facing the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force and apply insights from past research to current and future needs. PAF leverages its sustained expertise to help conduct urgent quick-turn DAF studies.   Today, PAF is recognized as a world-class source of air, space, cyber, and national security expertise and has made unique and vital contributions to the DAF and the nation.

The Workforce Development and Health (WDH) Program within RAND Corporation's Project AIR FORCE focuses on optimizing the size, composition, and management of the workforce to meet the needs of the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. The program researches policies and practices to effectively recruit, train, develop, pay, promote, and retain personnel, addressing workforce requirements in peacetime and wartime, and it analyzes the physical and mental health of the workforce and their families.

WDH explores critical organizational design issues and the operational and support needs for human resources across active duty, Guard, Reserve, civilian, and contractor personnel. The program also evaluates potential policy changes to enhance force development, management, and readiness. Key areas of expertise include senior leader development, executive force planning, rated force utilization, recruiting, retention, and the composition and allocation of military and civilian personnel in active and reserve units. Additionally, WDH provides insights into education and training as well as compensation and benefits strategies.

Through its work, WDH contributes to shaping a workforce that is capable, adaptable, and ready to meet evolving defense challenges.

Position Description

The Program Director leads and oversees all aspects of the Workforce Development and Health (WDH) Program’s research agenda, ensuring alignment with RAND’s mission to improve policy and decision-making through objective, innovative research and analysis.

The Program Director guides a multidisciplinary team of researchers, drawing on expertise in human resource and workforce management, economics, military operations research, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), cost analysis, and statistics. This leadership role requires proactively shaping the program’s research focus to remain at the forefront of emerging policy issues within WDH’s domains.

Key responsibilities include recruiting, retaining, developing, and mentoring a diverse and talented team of researchers, ensuring the quality and rigor of the program’s research, and maintaining its relevance to policy challenges. Additionally, the Program Director works to enhance the visibility, influence, and impact of Project AIR FORCE by engaging with stakeholders and fostering external partnerships.

The WDH Director, reporting to the Vice President and Director of Project AIR FORCE, is responsible for the following:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with senior national security officials to ensure alignment with strategic priorities.

• Provide intellectual leadership by guiding the program’s research focus toward addressing the most pressing issues facing the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and maximizing the impact of research to influence DAF thinking and improve decision-making.

• Develop a portfolio of projects, including a balance of sponsor-funded and centrally selected to meet strategic and urgent DAF needs.

• Ensure the quality and objectivity of all research outputs following RAND’s standards, ensuring they are completed on time.

• Maintain recognition as a policy expert in their field, contributing thought leadership both within and outside the program.

• Support developing a world-class research team by recruiting, mentoring, and fostering staff development to sustain t