Associate Principal - Outcomes Researcher

Modern Health

Modern Health is a mental health benefits platform for employers. We are the first global mental health solution to offer employees access to one-on-one, group, and self-serve digital resources for their emotional, professional, social, financial, and physical well-being needs—all within a single platform. Whether someone wants to proactively manage stress or treat depression, Modern Health guides people to the right care at the right time. We empower companies to help all their employees be the best version of themselves, and believe in meeting people wherever they are in their mental health journey.

Modern Health is backed by investors like Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, John Doerr, Y Combinator, and Battery Ventures and raised more than $170 million in less than two years, making Modern Health the fastest entirely female-founded company in the U.S. to reach Unicorn status.

More about our culture and what you can expect when you join the team:

“It Takes a Village” culture . Modern Health has a unique and unabashed culture centered around high empathy and high accountability - with a drive to win. We are energized by bringing together the best talent in the industry to achieve audacious goals focused on making mental health a strength and priority for all.

We have an obsession to win. We are highly ambitious and passionate about the work that we do. We take pride in delivering excellence and our personal best and we continuously innovate to uniquely solve our customers’ needs.

We are accountable and can rely on each other. We are a team and hold ourselves and each other accountable. We believe in transparent communication and continuous feedback to foster a culture of trust, reliability, and growth.

We demonstrate empathy. We have a supportive and diverse culture where we bolster and uplift each other as we pursue our lofty goals. We encourage selflessness and a willingness to support others, fostering a collaborative and respectful environment.

We exhibit a bias towards action. This is a fast-paced environment. We jump into problems and initiate solutions. We empower our people to make decisions and experiment, iterate, and repeat until we get it right.

Modern Health is a fully remote workforce and a hyper-growth company that is often recognized for its excellence, winning awards such as World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023 by Fast Company, Top 25 Companies of San Francisco 2023 , and 2023 Well-Being Trailblazer Award . To protect our culture and help our team stay connected, we require overlapping hours for everyone. While many roles may function from anywhere in the world—see individual job listing for more—US based team members who live outside the Pacific time zone are expected to work at least six hours between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific time each workday.

We are looking for driven, creative, and passionate individuals to join in our mission. An inclusive and diverse culture are key components of mental well-being in the workplace, and that starts with how we build our own team. If you're excited about a role, we'd love to hear from you!

The Role

The Associate Principal, Outcomes Researcher is a senior PhD-level individual contributor on Modern Health's Clinical Strategy & Research team, reporting to the Senior Director of Quality & Value-Based Care. This role is Modern Health's primary research authority for evidence generation: owning the peer-reviewed publication pipeline, designing outcomes measurement frameworks, and translating clinical findings into go-to-market and value-based care strategy. The ideal candidate is an independent, prolific researcher with a strong publication record and the credibility to represent Modern Health's evidence base to academic collaborators and enterprise clients.

Remote work eligible within the U.S. This position is not eligible to be performed in Hawaii.

What You’ll Do

Outcomes Measurement & Platform Evidence

Design and own outcomes measurement frameworks that capture clinical improvement, sustained functioning, and return-to-productivity across the Modern Health platform

Analyze longitudinal outcomes data including symptom severity, engagement, recovery trajectories, and translate results into actionable findings for cross-functional partners

Build validated, scalable methods for measuring clinical effectiveness across member populations and benefit configurations

Partner with Data, Product, Tech, and Legal teams to ensure outcomes infrastructure supports research and reporting needs

Set quality metrics and benchmarks for clinical program effectiveness

Peer-Reviewed Research & Publication

Lead original research studies from design through dissemination using Modern Health platform and outcomes data

Co-author studies with external academic partners to strengthen Modern Health's research credibility

Author peer-reviewed manuscripts for high-impact clinical and health services research journals

Own the publication pipeline; co-author collaboration, journal selection, revision cycles

Set and maintain a research agenda aligned to clinical strategy, product development, and market positioning

Go-to-Market & Value Evidence

Translate findings into evidence assets for enterprise buyers, health plan partners, and benefit consultants with white papers, outcome summaries, and clinical briefs

Partner with Value Management on VOI/ROI analyses that quantify the workforce and financial impact of Modern Health engagement and outcomes

Equip Sales and Client Management with evidence-based talking points, RFP content, and buyer-facing data storytelling

Build case study frameworks and employer-specific outcome reports demonstrating real-world program impact

Track the digital mental health evidence landscape and competitive benchmarks to contextualize Modern Health's outcomes positioning

Clinical Strategy & Cross-Functional Partnership

Serve as thought partner to Product, Value Management, Data, and Go-to-Market on evidence strategy and messaging

Present research findings to internal leadership and external stakeholders

Identify evidence gaps, research investment priorities, and opportunities for external validation

Support regulatory and compliance-adjacent evidence needs, including documentation for quality reporting and accreditation

Who You Are / Requirements

PhD in Clinical Psychology, Health Services Research, Epidemiology, Public Health, Behavioral Science, or related field

5–8 years of postdoctoral or industry research experience, with a clear track of increasing scope and independence in digital health, managed behavioral health, or health plan settings preferred

Peer-reviewed publication record in mental health, digital health, or health outcomes research

Fluent in longitudinal data analysis and at least one statistical platform (R, Python, SPSS, Stata, or equivalent)

Has designed and run IRB-approved studies using real-world or platform data

Working knowledge of mental health PROMs (WHO-5, PHQ-9, GAD-7) and how they're applied in outcomes research

Converts findings into plain language that non-researchers can understand and act on

Builds evidence with commercial application in mind and the ability to partner with Sales, Marketing, Legal and Product, and represent findings externally

Equally comfortable presenting between academic peers and to executive audiences

Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position. Applicants must be able to maintain work authorization for the duration of employment without employer sponsorship or employer-provided training plans or attestations (including, for example, the Form I-983 required for STEM OPT).

Benefits

Fundamentals:

Medical / Dental / Vision / Disability / Life Insurance

High Deductible Health Plan with Health Savings Account (HSA) option

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Access to coaches and t