Associate Director, Science Ecosystem

Milken Institute

Washington (District of Columbia)

Hybrid

USD 120,000 - 180,000

Full time

7 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health Care Plan

Retirement Plan

Professional Development

Mentor Program

Hybrid schedule

Job summary

The Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy team seeks a skilled professional to lead new strategies within the SPARC portfolio’s science ecosystem programmatic area. The ideal candidate will blend biomedical expertise with strategic philanthropy to advance cross-cutting health initiatives in collaboration with Milken teams and partner organizations.

You will work with private foundations and nonprofit partners to design funding approaches, manage advisory boards, and communicate complex science

Qualifications

Master’s or PhD in biomedical or health sciences with 5+ years of relevant experience.
Knowledge across the biomedical ecosystem; ability to translate science for diverse audiences.
Experience with project or program management in nonprofit or health-related settings.
Engaging writer with strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work with private foundations, philanthropists, and nonprofits; collaborative mindset.

Responsibilities

Lead development of strategies, programs, and initiatives within SPARC portfolio.
Conduct due diligence and landscape analyses on health science topics.
Produce executive-level materials and presentations for diverse stakeholders.
Coordinate advisory boards and expert panels; synthesize input for strategy.
Develop funding strategies and investment approaches aligned with goals.
Represent Milken Institute at events and travel as needed.

Skills

Biomedical knowledge

Strategic thinking

Project management

Scientific writing

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master’s or PhD in biomedical/health sciences

Job description

About The Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.

About Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy And SPARC

One of four pillars at the Milken Institute, Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy advises individuals, corporations, and foundations on the most strategic ways to ensure their philanthropic investments make an equitable, transformative impact, and offers tools and recommendations for making philanthropy more effective. Since its launch in 2015, the pillar has influenced more than $3.1 billion of philanthropic capital. In addition to in-depth research, reports, and guides, we design and build programs including funding initiatives, research collaboratives, large‑scale innovation programs, and high‑level events. Finally, we foster peer learning communities to accelerate knowledge‑sharing and promote partnership. Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy’s three portfolios of programmatic work include SPARC (Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration), Environmental & Social Innovation (ESI), and Philanthropy Leadership Collective (PLC). Within Strategic Philanthropy, our SPARC portfolio facilitates investment across a range of scientific focus areas—including mental health, oncology, neuroscience, rare disease, and the science ecosystem.

About The Position

The Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy team seeks a talented professional with expertise in biomedical, cross‑disciplinary, and health research to lead the development of new strategies, programs, and initiatives within the SPARC portfolio’s science ecosystem programmatic area. We are looking for an individual with deep knowledge and expertise in the biomedical ecosystem to move core initiatives forward in medical research philanthropy in collaboration with Milken Institute teams and partner organizations. We are looking for a thoughtful, collaborative, detail‑oriented, and energetic individual with excellent communication, management, organization, and research skills to join our team. The ideal candidate will be passionate about advancing cross‑cutting areas of science and strengthening the biomedical ecosystem through strategic philanthropic investment and systems innovation. This team member will work with private foundations and nonprofit organizations to develop strategies to channel philanthropic capital to expand the resources, infrastructure, and talent necessary for systems‑level change via SPARC‑managed initiatives in close collaboration with our partners. Recent areas of focus have included: computational biology, health equity in science, early‑career biomedical workforce, and strategic and organizational planning. Successful team members are able to comfortably dive into broad, cross‑cutting health topics while also delving deep into the science of a particular research field. Knowledge and interest in integrating a health equity lens into initiatives are welcome. Applicants should have experience thinking about the breadth of challenges facing the biomedical ecosystem, as well as strategic and operational planning for a variety of organizations. Additionally, team members should be able to thoughtfully engage with stakeholders and communities across a variety of sectors and synthesize and summarize key areas for investment for executive‑level philanthropic partners.

Responsibilities

Conduct in-depth due diligence efforts and lead state‑of‑the‑field analysis for various science ecosystem‑related projects in our portfolio. This can include diving into cross‑cutting health topics (e.g., health equity in science) and conducting a landscape review of the latest research and efforts; cross‑sector industry pipelines; funding trends for broad cross‑disciplinary and infrastructure topics; key players across health, finance, private, public, and societal sectors; critical regulatory and policy trends; and key philanthropic, nonprofit, and advocacy stakeholders.
Develop funding strategies and design strategic investment approaches that align with scientific and philanthropic goals. Leverage an understanding of infrastructure and systems‑level needs across the biomedical ecosystem, philanthropic funding vehicles, and innovative funding mechanisms and partnerships.
Produce executive‑level written materials and presentations to communicate complex scientific, clinical, and systems insights to diverse stakeholders, including philanthropists, researchers, nonprofit leaders, and others.
Develop tailored strategic plans and operational implementation guides for individual philanthropists, private foundations, and nonprofits.
Coordinate and manage advisory boards and expert panels for new science/health initiatives, including organizing meetings, preparing briefing materials, synthesizing input, and integrating feedback into strategy development.
Contribute to communications efforts to build awareness of key funding opportunities, philanthropy resources, and overall opportunities for MI Strategic Philanthropy to engage with other key players within the philanthropic and nonprofit communities.
Represent the Milken Institute within the broader health and science communities at various industry‑specific events and conferences to build relationships and identify collaborative opportunities.
Duties as assigned.

Requirements

Master’s or PhD in a field of biomedical or health sciences with an additional 5+ years of relevant professional experience. Candidates with experience in the science/health philanthropy ecosystem, program management (within nonprofit or government organizations), and/or management consulting are strongly encouraged to apply.
Knowledge of and curiosity across multiple levels of the biomedical ecosystem, including but not limited to high‑impact tools and approaches that accelerate scientific progress; infrastructure, talent, and resources needed for systems‑level change; and cross‑sector and community‑based initiatives.
Experience in navigating the research‑to‑care landscape for broad, cross‑disciplinary science/health topics, including funding mechanisms, grant evaluation and peer review process, nonprofit structures and efforts, industry trends, primary literature, biomedical research resources, and conferences.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex science and systems‑level insights for different audiences, from philanthropists and policymakers to research collaborators and nonprofit leaders.
Experience with project or program management, ideally in scientific, nonprofit, or health‑related settings.
Engaging and compelling writer with experience communicating science/health concepts for both technical and lay audiences
High intellectual capacity that can be and has been applied to learning new areas of science, technology, and related fields.
Personal qualities should include being engaging, proactive, independent, rigorous, curious, action‑oriented, flexible, willing to adapt to changing situations, and having a good sense of humor.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of three (3) days per week reporting in‑person to the Washington, DC office location (Tuesday – Thursday), with the remaining two (2) days working remote. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion. This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world.

Note

The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.

Our Culture

The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran. Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.

Benefits