Program Manager, Program Development and Operations

CIRM•South San Francisco, CA

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a California state agency focused on accelerating stem cell and gene therapies, is seeking a Program Manager for Program Development and Operations. Reporting to the Chief Science Officer (CSO), this role supports planning, development, and effective operation of CIRM’s scientific programs. The Program Manager works across the Programs organization to coordinate program development, improve operational consistency, track major activities and decisions, and identify issues requiring attention or resolution. The role partners with Program Leads, Project Managers, and functions including Review, Grants Management, Legal, Finance, Communications, and IT/Software Development. The Program Manager provides operational management within established processes and, in coordination with the CSO, identifies and supports the development and implementation of new or improved processes. The position maintains an integrated view across program areas, identifies gaps and dependencies, raises issues early, and helps translate decisions into clear actions and follow-through. Success requires the ability to coordinate across teams, manage complex and competing priorities, and bring structure and clarity without unnecessary process. The position coordinates new and revised funding programs and funding-cycle activities, including concept development, eligibility, application review, programmatic recommendations, governance review, launch, and implementation. It coordinates timelines, dependencies, responsibilities, and inputs; supports development of program materials; and prepares for Executive Team, Science Subcommittee, Board, and other governance reviews. It also tracks significant decisions and resulting actions through implementation. Across Programs, the role monitors priorities, timelines, dependencies, and operational risks; helps clarify responsibilities and resolve coordination issues; and provides the CSO with concise summaries of issues, implications, recommended next steps, and decisions needed. It develops and maintains operational tools such as integrated plans, dashboards (excluding Review cycle trackers), decision and action trackers, templates, SOPs, and common workflows. The role also supports process improvement, workload and capacity planning, onboarding of Program Leads and PMs, and the use of portfolio information for operational planning without duplicating portfolio analysis responsibilities. The work is hybrid: two days per week in CIRM’s South San Francisco office and three days remotely, with in-person attendance at organizational and governance meetings as required. The position may require work outside normal business hours and occasional work-related travel. Compensation is expected to be $121,946–$165,462 annually, within a full classification range of $121,946–$230,736.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as life sciences, healthcare, business, public administration, or a related discipline.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in program management, operations, research administration, healthcare, life sciences, government, or a related environment.
At least two years in management consulting or strategy and operations consulting, with demonstrated ability to assess complex organizational problems, develop practical recommendations, and support implementation.
Demonstrated experience coordinating complex work across multiple teams or functions.
Experience developing and improving operational processes, workflows, or program management systems.
Strong project and program management skills, including planning, risk identification, dependency management, and follow-through.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information for senior decision-makers.
Ability to work in a hybrid arrangement, with two days in the South San Francisco office and three days remotely.
Ability to attend in-person organizational, board, subcommittee, and working group meetings as required.
Willingness to work outside normal business hours and travel occasionally for work-related events.
Ability to operate standard office equipment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Experience in biomedical research, biotechnology, healthcare, regenerative medicine, scientific funding, or research administration.
Experience working in a matrixed organization where responsibilities and dependencies span multiple functions.
Experience coordinating program development, funding cycles, governance processes, or similar complex organizational workflows.
Experience developing dashboards, SOPs, operational frameworks, and other tools that improve organizational visibility and consistency.
Familiarity with project management platforms such as Monday.com or similar tools.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the development and implementation of new and revised funding programs across Program teams and partner functions.
Maintain visibility across funding-cycle activities and decision points, including concept development, eligibility, application review, programmatic recommendations, governance review, launch, and implementation.
Coordinate timelines, dependencies, responsibilities, and required inputs across functions; identify potential gaps or delays and work with responsible teams to resolve them.
Support development of Program concepts, Program Announcements (PAs), Requests for Applications (RFAs), amendments, implementation plans, and related materials while leaving primary content ownership with the appropriate teams.
Coordinate operational readiness for Executive Team, Science Subcommittee, Board, and other governance reviews of Programs activities.
Track significant decisions through implementation and coordinate resulting actions, timelines, and operational changes.
Coordinate with the Program Manager (Strategy and Operations) on tracking outcomes of CIRM funding, aggregating outcomes to the CSO, and incorporating them into funding cycles where needed.
Maintain an integrated view of priorities, timelines, dependencies, and operational risks across Program areas as they relate to funding cycles.
Work with Program Leads and PMs to identify operational gaps, clarify responsibilities, improve coordination, and support timely execution.
Identify issues requiring CSO attention and provide summaries of the issue, implications, recommended next steps, and decisions needed.
At the CSO’s direction and in coordination with Program Leads, develop and implement operational expectations and common practices across Programs.
Identify operational risks, cross-functional dependencies, unclear ownership, and process gaps; work with responsible teams on resolution and raise significant or unresolved matters to the CSO early.
Track agreed actions and decisions through implementation, especially when responsibilities cross Programs or organizational functions.
Assess funding-cycle practices and identify practical opportunities to improve consistency, efficiency, accountability, and visibility.
Develop and maintain funding-cycle operating tools, including integrated plans, dashboards (excluding Review cycle trackers), decision and action trackers, templates, SOPs, and common workflows.
Determine which funding-cycle processes should be standardized across Programs and which should remain specific to individual program areas.
Support implementation of agreed process changes and assess whether they are working as intended.
Provide the CSO with regular, concise visibility into funding-cycle status, milestones, emerging risks, cross-team issues, upcoming decisions, and areas needing attention.
Support workload and capacity planning across Programs and identify potential adjustments to responsibilities, resources, or PM support.
Support onboarding of new Program Leads and PMs by establishing clear operating practices, responsibilities, tools, and cross-functional relationships.
Partner with portfolio management and data functions to use portfolio information for operational planning without duplicating portfolio analysis responsibilities.