Sr. Program Manager, Research Partnerships
About The Position
23andMe Research Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization performing cutting-edge research with academic, non-profit, and industry partners. We are at the forefront of using human genetics to advance biomedical research — and we’re looking for a Senior Program Manager to help us scale that mission. The Institute aims to be the world’s most significant contributor to scientific advancement, uniting people with the common goal of improving health and deepening our understanding of DNA — the code of life. You will operate at the intersection of science, commerce, and partnership — managing a portfolio of collaborations spanning biotech and pharma companies, academic institutions, and non-profits, while ensuring that every deal we sign translates into real scientific and business outcomes. This role will grow with the organization. As deal volume increases and the team expands, there is a path toward people management for the right candidate.
Requirements
- 10+ years of program or project management experience, with a significant portion in research, biotech, pharma, or a related life sciences setting.
- Demonstrated experience scoping and managing complex, multi-stakeholder research partnerships or data collaborations — from initial inquiry through delivery.
- Bachelor’s degree in biomedical science or a related field; Master’s or PhD preferred.
- Strong working knowledge of human genetics concepts (e.g., GWAS, SNPs, WGS) and the regulatory/ethical landscape for human subjects research.
- Proven ability to manage a portfolio of high-impact, concurrent programs with competing priorities and deadlines.
- Experience working with Legal on SOW and contract development; comfort reviewing and managing vendor contracts.
- Track record of motivating and aligning cross-functional teams without formal authority.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; able to convey complex technical and operational concepts to diverse audiences.
- High comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action — you create structure where there isn’t any.
Nice To Haves
- Experience managing or mentoring junior team members, with an interest in growing into a people management role.
- Familiarity with Trusted Research Environments (TREs), data access frameworks, or data licensing models.
- Experience with B2B marketing, partner enablement, or commercial strategy in a research or data context.
- Experience supporting grant applications or philanthropic funding processes.
- Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Asana) and partner-facing platforms (e.g., ZenDesk).
Responsibilities
- Serve as the first point of contact for incoming research partnership requests of varying complexity and partnership type — academic institutions, biotech and pharma companies, non-profits, and foundations.
- Evaluate feasibility, define project requirements, assess probability of technical success, and translate inbound opportunities into actionable project plans.
- Partner with Corporate Development during early-stage discussions to inform deal structure and ensure operational viability before contracts are signed.
- Develop and maintain a scalable intake and scoping process to handle a growing volume of partnership inquiries without sacrificing quality or speed.
- Oversee end-to-end delivery of contracted research partnerships, working cross-functionally with Scientists, Statistical Geneticists/Bioinformaticians, Cloud/Software Engineers, Security/Ops, Legal, and Product teams to hit contractual milestones on time and within budget.
- Serve as the senior point of contact in partner meetings; maintain and deepen partner relationships post-contracting and escalate issues to leadership promptly.
- Manage vendor relationships including SOW review, deliverable coordination, and budget oversight.
- Ensure all actions and processes are standardized, well-documented, and comply with applicable SOPs, IRB requirements, and regulations.
- Mentor and provide operational direction to junior PMs executing on partnerships you’ve scoped, ensuring continuity and quality of delivery.
- Synthesize lessons learned across partnerships to drive continuous improvement in how we scope, structure, and deliver research programs.
- Define and report on performance indicators; identify and implement process improvements across the CEReS team.
- Maintain close communication with 23andMe stakeholders across Data Collection, Legal, Product, Marketing, Communications, Finance, and Corporate Development to ensure program success.
- Communicate effectively with individuals of varying backgrounds — scientists, engineers, legal and business stakeholders, and external partners.
- Represent Research Services in senior internal forums and external partner engagements, bringing credibility, clarity, and operational rigor.
Benefits
- Equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.
- Will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
