Life Sciences Project Coordinator

Cogent Scientific; Indianapolis (IN); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Medical/dental/vision insurance

401(k)

PTO and paid holidays

Job summary

Cogent Scientific is seeking a Life Sciences Project Coordinator to support external engagement enablement, procurement, and vendor management. You will coordinate with operational PMs, maintain contract trackers, and assist international shipment activities to global Lilly locations and CRO partners.

The role requires 5+ years in biotech/pharma coordination, strong communication, and a BS in a science field.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or related science field.
• Minimum 5 years of biotech/pharma coordination, outsourcing, project management, or vendor management experience.
• Experience in service-based CROs, procurement, contractual enablement (SOW review/drafting), and shipping logistics.

Responsibilities

• Provide support to external engagement enablement and procurement needs; translate requests into actionable steps.
• Coordinate with PMs and stakeholders to assign priorities for external engagement activities.
• Maintain multiple contract and license material trackers; support onboarding and invoicing workflows.
• Review and update registration records for purchased license materials using scientific systems.
• Assist with international shipments and import/export permit requirements; liaise with internal teams and CRO partners.
• Oversee bioanalytical vendors, track service requests, deliverables, and turnaround times with risk mitigation.
• Prepare and maintain electronic lab notebooks for study data entry; create POs and monitor financials.
• Serve as primary conduit between client scientists and CRO partners; support logistics and communication.
• Support process improvements, including AI-assisted productivity initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned by manager.

Skills

Vendor management

Project coordination

Biotech/pharma

Customer facing

SOW review

Procurement tools

Documentation

Communication

Time management

Cross-functional

Education

BS in Chemistry

Biology/Biochemistry background

Tools

SmartSheet

Ariba

Job description

Cogent Scientific, an insourced contract research organization, is looking for the right people to accomplish our Mission: to support the life sciences industry by cultivating and empowering exceptional scientists to deliver specialized laboratory services that advance research, foster collaboration, and accelerate innovation through quality and a shared commitment to excellence. We can offer you the chance to build on your skills and knowledge while working among experts in their fields and with cutting-edge instrumentation.

Cogent Scientific offers competitive pay, attractive benefits (such as medical/dental/vision insurance; 401(k); parental leave; PTO and paid holidays; etc.) and an exciting work environment. This position may include relocation benefits as well. We aim to recruit the best people who stand out among their peers and embody our Core Values:

• Client Focused: We only succeed when our clients succeed.
• Outstanding: We deliver meticulous results through outstanding performance.
• Good: We act ethically and morally.
• Employee-Centric: We honor and support our employees.
• Nimble: We are prepared to adapt in an ever-changing industry.
• Team-Oriented: We collaborate with each other and with our clients.

We currently have a role available for a Life Sciences Project Coordinator.

Job duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide direct and indirect support to external engagement enablement and procurement needs:
• Understand external engagement requests and translate them into actionable contractual enablement steps aligned with the established process.
• Actively coordinate with the operational PMs, business operation contacts and other key stakeholders to assign priorities to the ongoing and new external engagement activities. Activities include but not limited to initiating contract requests, enabling contract execution, tracking, and communicating progress of the activities to the operational PMs and key stakeholders.
• Actively maintain multiple operational trackers for contracts and licensed material requests.
• Provide support to procurement activities and processes for new vendor enablement and onboarding, third party management, requesting quotes for specialized reagents, creating requisitions/PO’s, reviewing and approving invoices etc.
• Utilize scientific systems software to review and update registration records for purchased license materials.
• Provide indirect consultancy support to international shipments of biological materials to global Lilly locations and CRO partners, including managing country-specific import/export permit requirements, preparing shipping documentation, and serving as a liaison between internal teams and receiving sites to ensure compliant and timely delivery.
• Maintaining operational oversight of bioanalytical vendors supporting non-GLP toxicology and pharmacokinetic studies, including tracking of service requests, deliverables and turnaround times, with proactive risk mitigation and issue resolution.
• Preparing and maintaining electronic laboratory notebooks for study data entry.
• Creating POs, tracking financial metrics, reviewing and approving invoices.
• Serving as the primary conduit between our client's scientists and CRO partners, ensuring timely and thorough communication and logistics support.
• Assisting with collaborative process improvement efforts, including the use of AI agents to optimize productivity.
• Other duties as defined by manager, department needs and workload

Job requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in biotech/pharma in a coordination, nonclinical operations, outsourcing, project management, or vendor management role
• Customer-facing experience
• BS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or a related science field
• Experience in service-based CROs, procurement, contractual enablement (SOW review and drafting), administrative tasks, and shipping logistics
• Familiarity with SmartSheet, Ariba, and/or other procurement or organizational tool
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated, and adaptable, with a flexible approach to goal delivery
• Highly organized with very strong attention to detail, able to anticipate gaps and take a proactive, practical approach to problem solving
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication, with consistent delivery on moderate supervision, applying independence, pragmatism, and accountability
• Excellent team player with the leadership skills to operate effectively in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment
• High learning agility and the ability to work across functions
• Ability to manage a high volume of programs in a dynamic, fast-paced research environment with strong time management

This is an remote, day shift position (approx. 8a-5p local time) in Indianapolis, IN.

Cogent Scientific provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate based on any legally protected characteristic.

Additionally, if you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.

This job posting will close by 10/26/2026 or when a candidate is identified, whichever comes first.