Aptive is seeking support the Mission Daybreak 2.0 contract to support VA’s Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Ecosystem. The program builds on VA’s innovation and human-centered design frameworks to rapidly test, evaluate, and scale solutions that reduce Veteran suicide. Aptive’s team will manage a portfolio of innovation projects, coordinate governance and reporting, deliver evaluation and research insights, plan stakeholder and engagement events, and support the development of scalable training and communications products.

The Research Manager leads the coordination and execution of the program’s research portfolio, ensuring activities with Veterans, clinicians, and other stakeholders are rigorous, timely, and directly useful to project teams and leadership. This role manages day-to-day research operations, including study planning, recruitment, scheduling, and data quality checks. The manager translates findings into actionable insights for decision briefs, governance reviews, and design iterations, ensuring research outputs are tied to program goals. They provide supervision and mentorship to research analysts, maintain methodological consistency, and serve as the bridge between the research team and program leadership. This position requires both strategic oversight and hands-on management to ensure research is credible, efficient, and well-integrated into the innovation lifecycle.

• BA/BS degree.
• 8 years of experience managing research projects.
• Proven experience coordinating multiple research efforts simultaneously.
• Strong skills in reporting and presenting research findings.

• Experience with health services research, particularly within VA or other federal healthcare settings.
• Familiarity with human-centered design or usability research.
• Ability to mentor and supervise junior research staff and ensure consistent quality.

The Office of Suicide Prevention leads VA’s national strategy to reduce Veteran suicide through prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts. The VHA Innovation Ecosystem partners with OSP to accelerate promising ideas from pilot to practice across the VA healthcare system. Together, these offices foster collaboration with Veterans, clinicians, and innovators to identify effective solutions, strengthen system readiness, and improve outcomes for Veterans and their families.

Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. ​

We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. ​

Founded: 2012
Employees: 300+ nationwide

Aptive is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected class.

Veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and transitioning active-duty service members are highly encouraged to apply.