Senior Director, Mental Health

Senior Director, Mental Health

We are looking for a Senior Director, Mental Health to build and lead Surgo Health's mental health portfolio, with a particular emphasis on youth mental health in the United States and United Kingdom.

In this brand-new role, you will be the strategic and operational leader for a growing portfolio of mental health projects, including the US Youth Mental Health Tracker, a new UK mental health initiative, and future programs with philanthropic, non-profit, and public sector partners. You will set the vision and roadmap for our mental health work, lead and grow a high-performing team, grow our portfolio, and serve as a key external ambassador to funders, policymakers, advocates, community organizations, and other partners.

You are critical to ensuring we turn Surgo's behavioral data and AI-driven insights into real-world impact : informing philanthropic strategy, shaping policy, guiding program design, and ultimately improving mental health outcomes - especially for historically underserved communities.

What You'll Achieve :

Set the vision and strategy for Surgo's mental health portfolio

• Develop and own the overarching strategy for Surgo's mental health work and products, with a focus on youth mental health, foundational data sets, product-first engagements, and scalable social impact.
• Translate Surgo's behavioral data assets, products, and AI capabilities into a clear portfolio of mental health offerings for philanthropic, non-profit, and public sector partners.

Lead a portfolio of mental health projects

Drive growth of Surgo's mental health portfolio

Advance thought leadership and influence

About You :

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (e.g., MPH, MSW, PhD, MD, MPP, MBA with relevant focus) strongly preferred.

1015+ years of experience in mental health, public health, health equity, philanthropy, social impact consulting, or a closely related field.

Deep familiarity with the mental and behavioral health data landscape in the US.

Demonstrated ability to identify critical data gaps and design strategies to address them (e.g., new data collection, data linkage, segmentation, novel analytics, or partnerships).

Proven track record of using data and insights to shape funding decisions, strategy, policy, or program design in mental health or related areas.

Strong familiarity with the US mental health landscape, including key actors, policies, delivery systems, and inequities; exposure to UK or other international contexts is a plus.

Excellent client and partner-facing skills, including relationship-building, and negotiation.

Entrepreneurial mindset, self-motivated, and excited to build something new in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Experience managing and growing high-performing, interdisciplinary teams.

Location & Travel

Benefits

Surgo Health is committed to fair, equitable, and transparent practices. Compensation packages are based on several factors such as skill set, prior relevant experience, education, certifications, and market considerations. In addition to base compensation, individuals may be eligible for annual performance-based bonuses and equity (if applicable). We aim to pay salaries that are competitive, benchmarked against companies that are similar in stage, size, and market to Surgo Health.

Our hiring philosophy

We hire for passion and core competencies. We look for problem-solvers and lateral thinkers. We love it if you have done different things with your time. If you think you are ideal for this position, write to us even if your experience doesn't match all the requirements listed above.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy

Surgo believes a diverse, inclusive staff makes a stronger team and more impactful organization and we are committed to building and developing this team and environment. Qualified people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, ages, sex, genders, sexual orientation, gender identities and expressions, languages, social class, marital status, religions, veterans status, and disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Surgo Health

Surgo Health is a human-centric AI company that delivers the deepest understanding of human behavior to power better health for all. A life-saving drug or treatment is of no use if people don't take it. Surgo Health believes that a complete understanding of what drives people's behavior and how their context impacts them is critical to ensure every person lives a healthy life. Our proprietary data and AI-technology platform produce fit-for-purpose intelligence, analytics, and recommendations that enable our partners to deliver more equitable, efficient, and cost-effective programs that improve health outcomes across the globe.

Our world-class team of healthcare experts and scientists use behavioral science, data science, and artificial intelligence to build innovative, scalable solutions that power patient-centric care and improve outcomes. We are a growing team with ambitious plans, and we're searching for top-class talent who want to roll up their sleeves and dive into a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

As a DC-based start-up with a global footprint, this is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives in start-up culture and wants to help shape the future of healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries (this will be role specific). We believe our solutions can make healthcare more effective, personalized, equitable, and drive impact at scale.