Data Modernization Strategy & Execution Lead

Type of Requisition:

Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:

None

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:

None

Public Trust/Other Required:

NACI (T1)

Job Family:

Business Development

Job Qualifications:

Skills:

Accountability, Program Management, Strategic Initiative

Certifications:

None

Experience:

8 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required:

No

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.

What You'll Need to Succeed

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