Scientific Program Manager

UNC-Chapel Hill•Chapel Hill, NC

About The Position

The Scientific Program Manager oversees the operational aspects of the Center for Generative Immunotherapy (CGI), supporting efficient, productive, and high-quality preclinical research and clinical trial activities. The role coordinates site performance reporting for CGI Directors, monitors progress toward program aims and project milestones, and develops remediation or improvement strategies when needed. The manager works with CGI research staff and collaborators to communicate progress and challenges and to advance program goals. The role develops, reviews, and edits project plans and provides organizational support for project administration, finances, communications, and meetings related to preclinical research and clinical trial study organization, initiation, execution, and closure. It also coordinates compliance with institutional requirements, including staff training, EHS certifications, and IRB communications. Occasional assistance with experimental work—such as sample processing, QA/QC, T-cell culture, and preparation of next-generation sequencing libraries—may be required, but is not a major part of the job. The Scientific Program Manager works with internal and external research partners to build project-management infrastructure, coordinate staff hiring and training, facilitate communication, and ensure timely responses to program-related issues. The position supports study documentation, central training, data-management systems, data-check specifications, analyses and tabulations for major study reports, and written or verbal reports interpreting program data, including communication with the research sponsor. In collaboration with the Regulatory Team, the manager supports regulatory compliance, including IRB reports, protocol amendments and modifications, and FDA communications, and provides oversight with CGI Directors of progress toward project milestones.

Requirements

At least 3 years of project-management experience.
Strong track record of independently managing a research or treatment organization or organizational subunit.
Experience processing and analyzing primary human samples, along with basic immunology and molecular-biology experimental assays.
Excellence in experimental planning, execution, and project management in research collaborations.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Fluency in word processing, spreadsheets, and desktop publishing.

Nice To Haves

PhD in Immunology or a related discipline; equivalent industry experience will be considered.
Specific training and/or certification in project management.
Experience with laboratory management in academia or industry.
Facility with software development and use of LLM coding assistants.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement project plans and project-management infrastructure, including standard forms, operating procedures, and dashboards, with the research team and internal and external collaborators.
Coordinate hiring and training of CGI staff.
Facilitate communication among collaborating partners, including laboratory experimentation and data-management teams.
Ensure investigators, research staff, and external partners receive timely and accurate responses to program-related issues.
Participate in developing and maintaining written study documentation.
Coordinate central training sessions.
Collaborate on the development and execution of data-management systems for clinical-trial data in compliance with regulatory guidelines and preclinical experimental data in accordance with GLP guidelines.
Develop specifications for data checks and monitor their implementation.
Develop specifications for analyses and tabulations for major study reports.
Prepare written and/or verbal reports interpreting program data, including communications with the research sponsor.
Work with the Regulatory Team to maintain regulatory compliance, including IRB reports, protocol amendments and modifications, and FDA communications.
Provide oversight with the Directors of progress toward project milestones.
Coordinate site performance reports for presentation to CGI Directors and develop remediation and improvement strategies as needed.
Develop, review, and edit project plans; monitor progress against milestones and consistency with project goals.
Organize and facilitate program administration, finances, communications, and meetings for preclinical research and clinical-trial study organization, initiation, execution, and closure.
Coordinate compliance with institutional regulatory requirements, including staff training, EHS certifications, and IRB communications.
Occasionally assist with experimental work, including sample processing, QA/QC, T-cell culture, and preparation of libraries for next-generation sequencing.