Federal Partnerships Portfolio Lead (DARPA/ARPA-H)

Lila Sciences; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 272,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

Flexible time off

Bike share commuter benefits

Lunch program

Educational assistance

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Lila Sciences, Cambridge, MA, is seeking a Portfolio Manager within Government Partnerships to own one public sector portfolio end-to-end, interfacing with DARPA and ARPA-H, and translating autonomous-science capabilities into executable engagements.

You will build a structured pipeline of RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, NOFOs, and CRADAs; lead opportunities from identification to award; and collaborate with product managers, principal investigators, and the proposal team to deliver pilots, CRADAs, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in federal or international government capture, business development, or partnerships with a track record of winning major awards (FOAs, BAAs, NOFOs, CRADAs).
• Fluency in at least one major public-science ecosystem; strong preference for DARPA/ARPA-H.
• End-to-end capture management experience across opportunity identification, qualification, shaping, proposal, award, and execution.
• Ability to translate complex science and AI into clear, credible narratives for non-technical government audiences.
• Strong cross-functional leadership with scientists, product managers, communications, policy, and legal.
• Excellent written communication; comfortable operating with ambiguity in a founding-team environment.
• Willingness to travel regularly to build essential relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned agency portfolio and relationships (DARPA, ARPA-H) end-to-end.
• Build and maintain a structured pipeline of RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, FOAs, NOFOs, and CRADAs.
• Lead opportunities from identification through award and execution handoff.
• Translate Lila's scientific and autonomous-science capabilities into compelling federal narratives.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, Principal Investigators, and the proposal execution team to convert meetings into pilots and procurements.
• Develop and refine a reusable capture playbook with qualification rubrics, narrative kits, and capability libraries.

Skills

Federal partnerships

Business development

Capture management

Proposal writing

Stakeholder coordination

Travel willingness

Communication skills

Education

PhD or scientific background

Job description

Lila Sciences, Cambridge, MA, is seeking a Portfolio Manager within Government Partnerships to own one public sector portfolio end-to-end, interfacing with DARPA and ARPA-H, and translating autonomous-science capabilities into executable engagements.

You will build a structured pipeline of RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, NOFOs, and CRADAs; lead opportunities from identification to award; and collaborate with product managers, principal investigators, and the proposal team to deliver pilots, CRADAs, and