Catalyst Program Manager for Health Breakthroughs

Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

ARPA-H Program Managers identify root-cause bottlenecks and define bold program concepts, recruiting exceptional teams across academia, industry, and startups. They drive high-risk, high-reward work from idea to real-world impact and manage ambitious portfolios with urgency and strategic rigor.

This deeply technical and mission-driven role requires independent decision-making, first-principles thinking, and the ability to work across scientists, clinicians, regulators, investors, and patients to

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Technical degree (Ph.D., M.D., or Master’s) in a scientific or engineering field.
• Post-education professional experience in a relevant role.
• Experience applying technical expertise in biology/health contexts.

Responsibilities

• Identify problems that matter at the root-cause level across fields.
• Find the unlock by pinpointing insights or shifts enabling tractable progress.
• Recruit world-class teams across institutions and sectors.
• Drive milestones by setting goals, testing assumptions, and terminating unproductive efforts.
• Shape adoption pathways to ensure solutions are adopted, scaled, and sustained.

Skills

Program management

Leadership

Systems thinking

Biology/health intersection

Education

Technical degree

Job description

ARPA-H Program Managers identify root-cause bottlenecks and define bold program concepts, recruiting exceptional teams across academia, industry, and startups. They drive high-risk, high-reward work from idea to real-world impact and manage ambitious portfolios with urgency and strategic rigor.

This deeply technical and mission-driven role requires independent decision-making, first-principles thinking, and the ability to work across scientists, clinicians, regulators, investors, and patients to