Manager/Senior Manager of Program Management and Scientific Operations
Chicago, Illinois
On-site / Hybrid
About the Chicago Biomedical Consortium
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) project is a nonprofit translational venture platform for academic biotherapeutics and biotech products. The CBC advances academic discoveries from our Member Universities into clinical and commercial pathways for public benefit.
The CBC works with universities, technology transfer offices (TTOs), and, most importantly, faculty inventors to validate early scientific findings, draft development plans, build and run scientific operations, set strategic positioning, and establish the commercial groundwork that turns a laboratory finding into an investor-ready asset. The CBC’s goal is to hand off the work to a Seed or Series A investor. We provide the advisory infrastructure, scientific translation, regulatory strategy, and commercial framing that convert a research program into a licensable asset that can be brought into a company and financed — and we train the next generation of translational-biomedicine entrepreneurs in the process.
The CBC is funded by philanthropy and Federal dollars to “patiently” build scientific projects into investable data packages and companies that will benefit Illinois, and eventually, the Midwest. While we retain some ownership of programs that run through our unique “Greenhouse” model, our goal is to build value for founders, investors, and the Illinois biotech ecosystem. We are the missing link that turns the “Valley of Death” into a navigable journey that ends with early-stage, institutional, or pharma investment.
About the Program Management & Scientific Operations Team
The Program Management and Scientific Operations (PMSO) team is responsible for managing the scientific and technical operations of the CBC’s funded programs. The team develops detailed development plans, coordinates scientific execution, identifies and pursues funding opportunities, and implements program strategies designed to systematically reduce technical risk and increase program value throughout development.
PMSO works in close partnership with the Diligence and Program Strategy (DPS) team. DPS leads evaluation and pre-funding stages with PMSO scientific support; PMSO leads post-funding execution with DPS strategic support. Both teams contribute to program sourcing.
The PMSO team reports to the SVP of Program Management and Scientific Operations. The Manager/Senior Manager role is an individual-contributor position—it does not have direct-report personnel management responsibilities—but is a core member of the team and is expected to grow as the CBC and the team mature.
About the Role
Reporting to the SVP of Program Management and Scientific Operations, the Manager/Senior Manager of Program Management and Scientific Operations is an early-career individual contributor on the CBC’s PMSO team. The Manager/Senior Manager supports the planning and execution of the CBC’s funded programs by coordinating scientific activities, managing development plans, and helping ensure that programs advance efficiently toward key technical and value-inflection milestones.
This role translates high-level program strategy into detailed operational plans by coordinating internal and external scientific activities, tracking milestones and risks, supporting funding applications, and maintaining the infrastructure required for disciplined program execution. The role also contributes scientific and drug discovery expertise to DPS-led diligence activities and supports the identification of new program opportunities.
This role is structured for a sharp, high-performing scientist who is one to two years out of a PhD (or equivalent) and is looking to build a career in translational drug development and scientific program management. The Manager/Senior Manager is expected to execute well-scoped operational and scientific work with strong supervision early on and to grow steadily into more independent ownership of Programs and PI-facing responsibilities over time.
Key Responsibilities
- Program planning and execution: Develop and maintain integrated development plans for assigned programs, including milestones, timelines, dependencies, budgets, decision points, and technical risks. Support execution against these plans and proactively identify opportunities to improve program efficiency.
- Scientific operations and project management: Coordinate day-to-day scientific execution across faculty investigators, Entrepreneurial Fellows, CROs, consultants, and other external partners. Track deliverables, manage timelines, identify execution risks, and help ensure programs remain on schedule.
- Scientific planning support: Apply scientific and drug discovery knowledge to help translate program strategy into executable experimental plans. Review technical proposals, study plans, and scientific deliverables to ensure alignment with program objectives.
- External partner management: Support identification, evaluation, selection, and management of CROs, consultants, and other external scientific partners. Assist with scope-of-work development, proposal evaluation, project initiation, and ongoing management of external activities.
- Funding application support: Identify relevant non-dilutive funding opportunities and support preparation of competitive grant applications through scientific research, development planning, milestone definition, budgeting, and proposal coordination.
- Program coordination: Organize and facilitate program meetings with faculty investigators, Entrepreneurial Fellows, CBC leadership, and external collaborators. Prepare agendas, document action items, monitor follow-up activities, and maintain effective communication across project teams.
- Operational process improvement: Contribute to the development and implementation of standardized project management practices, operating procedures, templates, and organizational systems that improve consistency and scalability across the PMSO portfolio.
- Scientific support for diligence: Provide scientific and drug discovery perspectives to DPS-led diligence activities, including literature reviews, technical assessments, translational-risk analyses, and experimental planning.
- Program sourcing support: Assist with identifying and evaluating promising academic technologies and faculty opportunities that may be appropriate for future CBC programs.
- Entrepreneurial Fellow coordination: Coordinate Entrepreneurial Fellows assigned to program workstreams, providing day-to-day guidance on project management activities while working closely with senior PMSO leadership.
Qualifications
- Manager –
- Undergraduate degree in a life-science discipline or related discipline.
- 1-2 years of experience working in academic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, scientific operations, laboratory management, or a related scientific role.
- Senior Manager –
- PhD in a life-science discipline (or experience-equivalent qualification).
- 1–2 years of post-graduate experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, translational research, scientific operations, or a related scientific role.
- Strong scientific foundation with an interest in translational research, drug discovery, and therapeutic development.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple concurrent workstreams.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify technical risks and operational challenges.
- Clear and concise written and verbal communication.
- Enjoys translating complex scientific objectives into structured development plans and executable project activities.
- Highly collaborative, proactive, and motivated by learning and professional growth.
- Comfortable with AI productivity tools, Microsoft Office, and scientific project management software; prior experience with grant preparation or management of external scientific partners is a plus.
What You’ll Gain
- An opportunity to drive academic translational research toward therapies that could benefit patients.
- The ability to work across diverse therapeutic areas and treatment modalities, including steering emerging drug discovery platform technologies toward high-unmet-need indications.
- A structured approach to project management that scales across tasks and industries.
- Direct exposure to scientific and business advisors from venture capital, industry, and academia, and to the CBC’s Member University faculty inventors and partner institutions.
Growth Path
This role is scoped today as a structured, well-supervised entry into translational drug-development program management and scientific operations. We expect the Manager/Senior Manager to grow over time into more independent ownership of funded Programs, including development planning, scientific execution, CRO and external-partner management, funding strategy, and faculty engagement.
As the individual develops, the role may expand to include leadership of increasingly complex Programs, greater responsibility for portfolio-wide operating processes, and mentorship of Entrepreneurial Fellows and more junior team members. The anticipated progression is toward a Director-level role within the PMSO team, with the opportunity to learn directly from the SVP of Program Management and Scientific Operations, CBC leadership, faculty investigators, external drug-development experts, and the CBC’s broader scientific and industry network.
Compensation
- Manager – target base salary: $65,000-90,000 plus a comprehensive benefits package.
- Senior Manager – target base salary: $90,000-105,000, plus a comprehensive benefits package.
To Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should be maximum 1 page, explaining why you are an exceptional candidate for this position. Your letter should address the following:
- Why do you want this role at the CBC?
- What unique skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring to this role, and how would they enable you to make meaningful contributions?
- What evidence demonstrates that you will succeed in this position? Describe specific accomplishments or experiences that illustrate your ability to perform the responsibilities outlined in the job posting.
- The CBC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing academic discoveries into startup companies, accelerating the development of new therapies for patients, and strengthening the biotechnology ecosystem in Chicagoland. Why is this mission meaningful to you, and why do you want to work for a mission-driven nonprofit organization?
Please tailor your letter specifically to this position.
▸ Apply for this job
Equal Opportunity Employer
The CBC is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The CBC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
If you need assistance or an accommodation to complete an application due to a disability, please contact us.
The CBC is currently under fiscal sponsorship of the Edward Charles Foundation DBA the Chicago Biomedical Consortium project. Edward Charles Foundation is an independently audited, IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity serving philanthropists, advisors, and family offices since 2008. The employer on record for this position is TriNet, a professional employment organization.