Senior Open Innovation Program Manager

Commonwealth Fusion Systems•Devens, MA

8d•$134,000 - $205,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is seeking a high-agency operational leader to bridge external partners and funding agencies with internal R&D, Legal, and Finance teams. The role owns the federal award program lifecycle after technical scoping, from submission preparation and contract negotiations through governance, execution, and final closeout. The Senior Open Innovation Program Manager leads negotiations and program operations for complex, federally funded, multi-partner technical programs. The role establishes operational governance, manages schedules and milestones with R&D program leads and technical program managers, coordinates project accounting with Finance, and ensures compliant, audit-ready execution. It also serves as the operational connection among internal teams, external partners, and program officers, producing executive updates and reporting for leadership and sponsors.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Public Administration, Law/Contracts, or a related field.
At least 7 years of experience leading program execution and contract negotiations for complex, multi-stakeholder technical programs valued at $10 million or more per year.
Proven experience negotiating SOWs, university sub-awards, or government grants/contracts, with clear ownership of contract execution.
Experience coordinating project accounting, milestone tracking, and cross-functional teams, including Legal, Finance, Engineering, and R&D.
Strong program management discipline, including managing multi-million-dollar programs, tracking milestones, identifying critical-path bottlenecks, and mitigating risks.
Strong technical literacy sufficient to read complex technical SOWs, understand engineering deliverables, and translate them into enforceable contract milestones.
Experience negotiating complex technical agreements, SOWs, sub-awards, and contract amendments with universities, national labs, government sponsors, or corporate partners.
Ability to align legal terms, business objectives, and execution needs.
Ability to translate technical advancements into executive-ready updates, dashboards, presentations, and audit-ready sponsor reporting.
Proactive problem-solving and cross-functional coordination skills.
Strong attention to contract compliance, milestone verification, budget reconciliation, and audit readiness.
Ability to type, stand, and sit for extended periods.
Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights, weekends, or on-call.
Ability to work in a facility with industrial hazards, including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.
Must comply with U.S. laws concerning export-controlled or protected technologies or information; employment offers are contingent on this compliance.

Nice To Haves

MBA, MS, JD, or equivalent advanced degree.
Experience in deep-tech, energy, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, or microelectronics environments.
Familiarity with federal grant compliance, including FAR/DEAR and DOE/ARPA-E post-award execution.
Proficiency with project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, and MS Project.

Responsibilities

Lead contract negotiations for key government-funded programs.
Work with Legal, Procurement, and Global Affairs to draft, negotiate, and finalize Government Agreements, Statements of Work, contractual plans, sub-awards, and collaborator contracts.
Own end-to-end operational execution of complex multi-partner programs.
Maintain master schedules, establish critical-path milestones, track commitments, and resolve operational friction that could affect timelines.
Coordinate post-award scope adjustments, SOW amendments, budget realignments, and performance modifications with Legal and R&D teams.
Translate FAR/DEAR and institutional compliance requirements into operational guidance and processes for execution teams.
Work with Project Accounting to monitor program burn rates, track cost-share and matching funds, review and approve sub-recipient invoices, and prepare audit-ready financial documentation.
Connect R&D Technical PMs, Legal, Finance, Supply Chain, and external program officers, including DOE, National Labs, and universities.
Facilitate handoffs from technical scoping to formal contract execution.
Organize executive progress updates and site visits as needed for program execution.
Produce actionable reporting dashboards for company leadership, external sponsors, and partners.
Occasionally travel for partner meetings, government site visits, and industry reviews.