Portfolio Manager, Government Partnerships (DARPA & ARPA-H)

Lila Sciences•Cambridge, MA

9d•$168,000 - $272,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lila Sciences is seeking a Portfolio Manager for Government Partnerships to own one of Lila's public sector portfolios end-to-end. This role serves as the connective tissue between Lila's scientific roadmap and institutions whose missions depend on a new model of science. The Portfolio Manager will translate Lila's autonomous-science capabilities into compelling, executable engagements that unlock recurring funding, durable relationships, and mission-critical pilots. The initial focus will be on DARPA and ARPA-H, agencies where Lila is actively building presence and where program managers are seeking revolutionary, AI-driven science capabilities.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in federal or international government capture, business development, or partnerships, with a demonstrated track record of winning major awards or programs (FOAs, BAAs, NOFOs, CRADAs, etc.).
Working fluency in at least one major public-science ecosystem, with strong preference for DARPA and/or ARPA-H (other ARPA-, DOE, NIH, NSF, NIST experience is highly valued).
Ability to translate the complexity of this ecosystem to the rest of the Lila team.
Demonstrated ability to manage end-to-end capture — from opportunity identification through qualification, shaping, proposal, award, and execution handoff.
Experience translating complex science and AI into clear, credible narratives for non-technical, senior, and policy-facing government audiences.
Strong cross-functional leadership: comfort partnering with scientists, product managers, communications, policy, and legal to drive aligned outcomes under tight timelines.
Excellent written communication; comfort operating with ambiguity in a founding-team environment.
Willingness to travel regularly to build the relationships required for Lila to succeed.

Nice To Haves

PhD or scientific background in chemistry, materials science, life sciences, physics, or a related domain.
Prior employment at a National Lab, DOE program office, ARPA-, NIH/NSF, or an international science-funding body — including service as a DARPA or ARPA-H program manager, SETA, or technical advisor.
Direct experience negotiating CRADAs or standing up user-facility access pathways.
Experience standing up a federal capture function from scratch.
Familiarity with the Genesis Mission, NAIRR, or analogous national AI-for-science initiatives.
Active U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

Own Lila's relationships across assigned portfolio of agencies, program offices, and/or international counterparts, building a clear, credible, technically grounded presence.
Build and maintain a structured pipeline of RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, FOAs, NOFOs, and other equivalent mechanisms, making sharp pursue/no-pursue calls based on strategic fit, readiness, and impact.
Lead opportunities from identification through award and execution handoff, partnering with Product Managers, Principal Investigators, and the proposal execution team to convert meetings into pilots, CRADAs, user-facility access, and major procurements.
Translate Lila's scientific thesis and autonomous-science workflows into compelling federal/international narratives, partnering with communications, policy, and technical teams to maintain one voice across the portfolio.
Develop sustained agency relationships, particularly with DARPA and ARPA-H program managers and office directors, that lead to recurring funding pathways and large procurements tailored to Lila's unique capabilities.
Contribute to and refine Lila's public-sector capture engine — qualification rubrics, narrative kits, capability libraries, and operating rhythms — that scale across the Government Partnerships team.