Scientific Project Manager

Barcelona; Barcelona; Presencial; EUR 40.000 - 60.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is seeking a Scientific Project Manager. This full-time position involves overseeing complex research projects focused on Alzheimer’s disease. The candidate will coordinate diverse teams and ensure compliance with regulations while contributing to significant scientific advancements.

Servicios

Permanent contract

Extended vacation period

Flexible working hours

Formación

• Experience in clinical research, preferably in neurology or psychiatry.
• Experience in European Union funded project management valued.
• Proficiency in English required; Spanish and Catalan preferred.

Responsabilidades

• Lead development and execution of assigned research projects.
• Coordinate communication between research groups and departments.
• Manage projects under applicable regulations and Good Clinical Practice.

Conocimientos

Project Management

Communication

Teamwork

Educación

Bachelor degree in Health Science

Master of Science or PhD (preferred)

Master of Project Management (preferred)

Herramientas

Word Office Suite

Descripción del empleo

The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is a research center dedicated to the

prevention of Alzheimer's disease and the study of cognitive functions affected in healthy and

pathological aging. It was founded in 2012 by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, with the

support of the Pompeu Fabra University and “la Caixa” Foundation.

The mission of the BBRC is to provide innovative solutions to decipher and prevent biological

changes and cognitive dysfunction associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the

aging of the world population, these diseases constitute a global challenge, since, for example,

dementia can reach epidemic levels in 2050, with a forecast of more than 150 million people

affected, if a way to prevent its appearance and development is not found.

The Pasqual Maragall Foundation, the Pompeu Fabra University and “la Caixa” Foundation are

permanent members of the BBRC Board. The center is affiliated and located in the Ciutadella

Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona, in a building inaugurated in 2016. The

BBRC headquarters have excellent technical facilities, including a 3TMR scanner exclusively

dedicated to research, and spaces for conducting Clinical Trials, among others. State-of-the-art

scientific facilities, effective management and continuous high-standard peer-review

evaluation are the BBRC core proceedings to ensure achieving world-class research results.

BBRC is also part of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), a large research facility

that hosts several research institutions related to biomedical research, including the Center for

Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the

Department of Medicine and Life Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University (MELIS-UPF), the

Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF), the Barcelona Institute of Global Health

ISGlobal) and the Barcelona site of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL),

among others, in a multidisciplinary, collaborative and stimulating international environment

in close contact with a clinical setting, thus conducive to translational research.

The BBRC received the HR Excellence in Research award (HRS4R) granted by the European

Commission; a recognition that shows its adherence to the principles of the European Charter

for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Research Staff. The center

offers a stimulating and favorable working environment in accordance with the Charter and

Code, which describe the rights and responsibilities of researchers and their employers, and

contributes to the creation of a transparent, attractive and open ecosystem at the

international level.

About the project

The BBRC has established and sponsors a series of studies aimed at understanding the initial

asymptomatic stages of the Alzhimer’s continuum to understand the natural history of Alzhimer’s and develop and implement novel biomarkers for early diagnosis as well as design

and implement disease prevention trials.

The studies constitute the BBRC’s Core Scientific Assets (CSA). Currently, these studies

include :

• The ALFA (for Alzheimer and Families) parent cohort is composed of nearly 3.000

cognitively unimpaired participants aged between 45 and 75, most of them first-

degree descendants of Alzheimer’s disease patients. This cohort was established as a

research platform to characterize preclinical Alzheimer’s in asymptomatic individuals

and will serve to untangle the natural history of the disease and to model the

preclinical stages in order to develop successful trials and interventions to prevent

Alzheimer’s disease. Within the ALFA programme there are a number of nested studies

such as the ALFA+ cohort, composed of 420 cognitively unimpaired participants, aged

between 45 and 65 years at ALFA baseline visit, who have been thoroughly

characterised from a sociodemographic, clinical, lifestyle, cognitive, genetic and

biomarker (both fluid and neuroimaging) perspective. Participants are followed every

3 years : so far we have conducted the study’s baseline visit (V1; 2016-2019) and the

first follow-up visit (V2; 2019-2022). The second follow-up visit (V3) started in May

2023 and includes, on the top of the already mentioned variables, recently developed

• The Beta-AARC (Alzheimer’s At Risk Cohort) study, is composed of more than 230

participants (55-80 years), who are feeling a decline in their memory or other cognitive

abilities (Subjective Cognitive Decline, SCD). Its main goal is the early detection of

blood and digital biomarkers that represent the pathophysiological changes related to

Alzheimer’s disease in people with SCD (either cognitively unimpaired or with mild

cognitive impairment). It is a longitudinal study with annual follow-up visits (magnetic

resonance imaging and lumbar puncture are performed every 2 years). In this cohort

the baseline visit was completed in August 2024.

• In addition, the BBRC is participating in clinical trials from the pharmaceutical industry

that test the preventive effect of experimental drugs mostly in the preclinical stage of

Alzheimer's disease.

BBRC’s research is currently organized into four research groups : (i) Clinical and Risk Factors

for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group : examines the clinical and biological

processes that precede dementia’s onset, focusing on sleep disorders, vascular factors,

subjective cognitive decline and objective subtle cognitive decline, and aims at establishing

prevention programs; (ii) Biomarkers in Fluids and Translational Neurology Research Group :

focuses on identifying molecular mechanisms of age-related neurodegenerative diseases and

developing biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis; (iii) Neuroimaging Research Group :

uses advanced imaging techniques (positron emission tomography, magnetic imaging

resonance) to explore brain processes in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s and healthy

aging, and develops new neuroimaging tools; (iv) Genomics Research Group : conducts

research on the genomics of neurodegeneration and aging, with a focus on pleiotropies and

gene-environment interactions; (v) Brain disorders models : which uses advanced cellular models, such as organoids and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), to understand the molecular mechanisms which control the progression of neurodegeneration; (vi) Biology of Neurodegeneration and Ageing Research Group : that investigates the biological bases that promote the onset and progress of Alzheimer's and other ageing-related diseases.

Additionally, one new research group is expected to begin their activity in 2025-2026, "Population neuroscience of neurodevelopment and aging".

In addition, two research facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art technical units and

provide service to the scientific institutional projects while also undertaking the development

of novel biomarkers and analyses : the Neuroimaging Platform and the Fluid Biomarker

Platform.

For more information see : and

About the job

BBRC is looking for a Scientific Project Manager. This is a full-time position and the person

selected will join the Scientific Coordination Unit reporting to the director of the Scientific

Coordination Unit.

The Scientific Project Manager will lead the development and execution of the assigned

research projects, primarily in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative

diseases and brain health. BBRC projects are complex due the singularity of the Core Scientific

Assets (Cohort Studies) and the collaborative nature of the BBRC research groups, allowing a

multidisciplinary approach to respond to difficult scientific questions. For these reasons, the

candidate will work closely with the researchers and the research support staff from BBRC’s

facilities and other departments such as Legal or Finances that participate in a collective effort

during the life of the research project. The candidate will be expected to employ all the

necessary strategies to ensure a successful project execution in this singular research

environment. The candidate will be required to have experience in clinical research (neurology

or psychiatry preferred), in scientific writing and in research project management. Experience

in academic research institutions is a plus.

Main Responsibilities :

Project management :

• Coordinating the definition of the project, by compiling the relevant

information from different actors (scientific relevance, economic budgeting,

logistic constraints), and preparing the associated materials that are needed for

internal evaluation and approval of a project proposal.

• Planning and overviewing the execution of the assigned projects.
• Assessing risks and planning strategies for any contingencies related to the

projects.

• Responsible for the correct management of the projects according to the

applicable regulation (e.g. data protection, Good Clinical Practice, etc.), under the direction of the Data Protection Officer and experts from other teams ifneeded (from Clinical Operations, Biorepository Unit, etc.)

• Coordinating the communication between all the research groups and departments involved in the assigned projects, via regular follow-up meetings or other channels.
• Acting as main contact person, internally and externally, for the development of the assigned projects.
• Supporting the legal department in the formalization of agreements and contracts and acting as a liaison with the scientific collaborators and industry.
• Support the Research Management Office (Grants and competitive funding), Finance department and the Facilities Core Management team (Internal Assets Management) in the economic project management.
• Write project reports and deliverables, in coordination with the Researchers and the Research Management Office.

Required qualifications :

Qualifications and professional experience :

• Bachelor degree in any field of Health Science or related areas.
• Master of Science or PhD, and Master of Project Management preferred but not required
• Experience in clinical research, preferably in neurology or psychiatry.
• Experience in non-clinical research environments (academia, biotech, pharma)will be valued positively.
• Experience in project management with European Union funding (preferred)
• English required (Proficiency Level-written and spoken).
• Spanish and Catalan preferred.
• Advanced level in Word Office suite.

Personal skills

• Self-initiative
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills and work effectively with a

multidisciplinary team.

• Ability to think independently and work collaboratively (empathic and focused team-worker).
• Organizational skills : ability to initiate, manage and direct multiple tasks and projects is necessary.
• Demonstrate the ability to solve problems and reach objectives.
• Interest in joining a non-profit organization with a mission of high social impact.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

We offer

• Permanent contract.
• Full-time position, 38 hours / week.
• Salary will depend on experience and will be in accordance with BBRC’s salary scales.
• The Foundation offers an extended vacation period and the possibility of benefit from flexible working hours.

Application process

To apply, please submit a single PDF file containing the following :

• Cover letter addressed describing research interests and relevant background
• The names of up to three individuals who could provide reference letters. All files or inquiries should be submitted electronically to :

In compliance with the data protection regulation, we inform you that your personal data will be processed by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation to manage the selection process for the job offer you have applied for.

You can exercise your rights of access, rectification, suppression, opposition and other rights present in the normative, sending an email to . For further information and how to use your rights, please see our privacy policy .

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