Executive Director

ADP; New Brunswick (NJ); On-site; USD 225,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent medical, dental and vision

Life and disability benefits

Flexible PTO

401K program

Unlimited coffee and snacks

Job summary

Portal Innovations is seeking a highly motivated Executive Director to lead the New Jersey Innovation Hub, Powered by Portal, in New Brunswick. You will oversee site operations, programming, ecosystem engagement, and business growth, building a vibrant life sciences community across New Jersey.

The role is full-time with a Monday–Friday routine, offering flexibility to meet evolving needs. You will collaborate with universities, venture firms, and industry partners to accelerate member companies

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, science, engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of program management experience in incubator/accelerator/startup environments with life sciences and deep tech focus.
• Experience with business development and/or sales.
• Excellent project management skills with ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and networking skills.
• Proficient in project management tools and software.
• Detail-oriented and extremely organized.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders to execute the incubator's vision and goals.
• Work withPortal team and partners to drive NJ ecosystem engagement and outcomes.
• Lead day-to-day incubator operations and ensure member needs are met.
• Oversee member experience from onboarding to ongoing engagement and programming.
• Manage onsite team for lab operations, membership growth, programming, partnerships.
• Develop and maintain program documentation, budgets, timelines, and metrics.
• Plan and execute high-quality programming, workshops, and events to drive recruitment and retention.
• Oversee lab and facility operations, vendor relationships, and safety standards.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Networking

Business development

Education

Bachelor's degree (business, science, engineering or related)

Job description

Salary Range: $225,000.00 To $250,000.00 Annually

Who Is Portal Innovations:

Portal Innovations is a biotech venture development engine, focused on early-stage life science enterprises. We help exceptional life sciences innovators build their companies where they live and beyond. Launched in 2020, we surround these entrepreneurs with the resources and network they need for seed capital, state-of-the-art lab space, a community-based ecosystem, and access to experts in their fields and prospective investors and partners.

About This Role:

We areseekinga highly motivated and organized Executive Director to lead New Jersey Innovation Hub (NJIH), Powered by Portal, H-1 @ The HELIX in New Brunswick, NJ (the “Incubator”).The Executive Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for New Jersey Innovation Hub (NJIH), Powered by Portal, overseeing site operations, member experience, programming, ecosystem engagement, and business growth. This individual will be responsible for building a vibrant innovation community that accelerates the success of member companies while advancing Portal's mission throughout New Jersey's life sciences and deep tech ecosystem.

This is a FULL-TIME role. This role offers a dependable routine from Monday through Friday. While we primarily stick to our standard business hours, our team does need to have flexibility and occasionally extends the day to meet the evolving needs of our growing business.

What You'll Do:

Key Responsibilities:

Collaborate with key stakeholders to execute the vision and strategic goals for the Incubator.

Work closely with the broader Portal team, ourpartnersand clients, including DEVCO, Rutgers University, Princeton University, NJEDA, BioNJ etc.)to execute Portal’s mission in the New Brunswick/New Jersey ecosystem to driveutilization, productivity, operationalefficiencyand successfuloutcomes at the Incubator.

Lead day-to-day operations of the Incubator, ensuring they meet the needs of the companies that willoperatein the space.

Drivethe member experience end-to-end, from onboarding,quarterly ecosystemprogramming,consistent member pulse checks, and evaluation of needs to ensure member satisfaction and engagement and a consistent Portal experience.

Oversee and manage theonsite team, including roles for lab operations, membership growth and sales, programming and partnerships, and member experience.

Operational Oversight

Leverageresources andthe broader Portal teamto execute on the Portal playbook and apply it in the NJIHto drivesuccessful outcomes at the incubator.

Manage day-to-day operations of the Incubator including programming and events, ensuring efficient processes and resource allocation.

Work with the team and individuals to developand meet/exceedKPIs basedon strategicKPIs/goals.

Develop andmaintainprogram documentation, including marketing materials, budgets, timelines, and performance metrics.

Work with the NJIH Director of Programming and Partnerships to plan and execute high-quality programming, workshops, seminars, networking events, office hours, and community activities that drive member engagement, recruitment, retention, and ecosystem development.

Manage and oversee site budget, encompassing cost optimization,capital and expense investments,budget re-forecasting, and related activities.

Oversee all aspectsof lab and facility operations, including equipment procurement, maintenance programs,EHS, SOP creation and implementation,consumables management, and vendor/contractor relationships, ensuring the site runs safely, efficiently, and toPortalstandards.

Collaborate across the Portal network to identify and share opportunities for member companies, leverage enterprise-wide resources, and contribute programming and best practices that strengthen the overall Portal ecosystem.

Stakeholder and Membership

Build relationships with universities,community organizations, venture capitalfirms, industry,vendors,and ecosystem partnerstoleverageboth academic and external resources and create partnerships thatbenefitthe Incubator.

Represent the Incubatorat community and industrynetworking functions to promote its mission and attract potentialnew members/partners.

Reportoperations and overall impacttokey stakeholders ona regularcadence.

Support andwork with theMembership Growth and Sales Manager tosource prospectivemembers,determinethe best location for incoming members lab benches and desks, andapprovedeal termswith prospective entrepreneurs and companiesseekingtobecome a member company in the Incubator.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in business administration, Science, Engineering, ora relatedfield.

Minimum 7 years of experience in program management preferred, preferably within an incubator, accelerator, or startup environment, with a focus on life sciences and deep tech sectors and early-stagestartups and possess an understandingof life sciences and biotech.

Experience with business development and/or sales.

Excellent project management skills, with the ability to multitask and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and networking skills.

Proficient in project management tools and software.

Detail-oriented and extremely organized.

Compensation:

• Based on Experience
• $225k to $250k annually
• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision
• Life and Disability Benefits
• Flexible PTO Policy
• 401K Program
• In Office Perk: Unlimited Coffee and Snacks to keep you going throughout the day

Work Authorization/Security-Clearance Requirements:

Must be eligible to work in the United States.

Portal is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis under provincial, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances.