Associate Technical Project Manager

Prolific Machines•Emeryville, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Prolific Machines is seeking a Technical Project Manager to manage critical customer and internal programs as the company commercializes its optogenetic platform. Projects may include R&D to build new capabilities and platforms, customer molecule cell line development and scale-up using optogenetic cell lines, and helping pharmaceutical partners establish optogenetic capabilities at their sites. The role leads technical planning, coordination, and results reporting, working with technical leads across R&D, Technical Operations, Hardware, Product, and Business Development, as well as senior leadership. This position reports to the Head of the Project Management Office and is based on-site in Emeryville, California. The position supports internal and client-facing projects by maintaining schedules, trackers, and risk and decision logs; coordinating assigned projects or workstreams; preparing reporting and summaries; and surfacing risks, delays, and dependencies. It also contributes to project standards and improvement initiatives and coordinates with internal technical teams, customer teams, and external suppliers and partners.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a life science or engineering field and 3 or more years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree and 2 or more years of relevant experience, in biotech, biopharmaceutical, or a similar industry.
Experience coordinating projects, timelines, or cross-functional work, whether in a formal project management role or as part of a lab, technical, or operations team.
Familiarity with project management tools such as Smartsheet, MS Project, Asana, or similar, and strong spreadsheet skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an emphasis on clarity and conciseness.
Organized and detail-oriented, with follow-through and willingness to ask questions and raise issues early.
Scientific background and comfort learning new technical areas.
Ability to adapt to changing priorities in a dynamic startup environment.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on or adjacent experience with cell engineering, cell line development, or process development and scale-up.
Eagerness to learn, actively seek feedback, and grow a career in project management.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain project schedules, trackers, and risk and decision logs for internal and client-facing projects.
Coordinate day-to-day activities for assigned projects or workstreams, including scheduling and running meetings, recording decisions and action items, and following up to closure.
Gather inputs from technical leads to support senior project managers and leadership with resource planning, scope alignment, and schedule coordination.
Prepare project reporting, including monthly updates, dashboards, and milestone or data summaries.
Flag risks, delays, and dependencies early and help teams address them.
Contribute to project standards, templates, and improvement initiatives with project management colleagues.
Coordinate cross-functional work with Research & Development, cell line development, process development, analytics, hardware, business development, and product development teams, including technical transfers and technical support.
Coordinate with client and customer teams, including technical leads and business development representatives, with support from senior PMO members.
Coordinate capital equipment and materials with third parties, suppliers, and partners.