Project Manager, Proteostasis Project

Buck Institute; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Buck Institute seeks a Project Manager for the Proteostasis Project to coordinate reporting, milestones and inventor disclosures across Buck and partner teams. You will work with Buck leadership, scientists and funders, ensuring timely submissions and compliant documentation.

The role is scientist-facing, team-oriented and requires strong organization, communication and cross-institution collaboration to drive milestones and ensure successful project execution.

Qualifications

• PhD in biochemistry, biophysics, structural or molecular biology, chemistry or a related field.
• MS with substantial additional relevant experience may be considered.
• PMP or CRA certification is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate monthly technical and financial status reports, milestones and deliverables with the Buck PI and funding partner.
• Prepare agendas, briefing materials and presentations for team and funder meetings.
• Maintain a comprehensive compliance calendar and project files.
• Identify potential inventions and route them to Business Development.
• Liaise with co-lead universities, contract staff and sponsor offices.
• Support governance, decisions logs and action-tracking across agreements.
• Track and report milestones, budgets and scope changes to signatories.

Education

PhD in biochemistry / biophysics / structural or molecular biology / chemistry or related field

MS with substantial additional relevant experience

PMP or CRA (optional)

Tools

PowerPoint

Project tracking tools

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Project Manager, Proteostasis Project, supports the Buck Institute's leadership of a multi-participant project focused on proteostasis. Reporting into Technology Transfer & Business Development, this role works closely with the Buck lead Principal Investigator and scientists to manage Buck's internal and external obligations under the agreements.

The Project Manager is responsible for coordinating project reporting, identifying and reporting inventions, coordinating compliance, preparing meetings and presentations, and serving as the day-to-day liaison between Buck and Project Team Members. The role is scientist-facing and team oriented. It does not process payments or execute agreements; those functions remain with Finance, Grants and the Institute's authorized signatories, whom this position supports with documentation and tracking.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Coordination and Reporting

• Serve as the day-to-day administrative point of contact with the funding representative and the broader project team in coordination with the Buck PI and Business Development.
• Coordinate, consolidate and submit monthly technical and financial status reports, milestone and deliverable packages, the Project Plan and other documentation required under the agreement, in the format and by the deadlines the funder requires.
• Issue reporting and deliverable templates communicate deadlines and any changing requirements, and enforce internal deadlines.
• Proactively identify late, incomplete, or at-risk contributions and work with the responsible team member, collaborating institution, and project leadership to resolve issues.
• Maintain a comprehensive compliance calendar of every obligation, deliverable, milestone and reporting deadline under all the agreements supporting the project from kickoff through close-out.
• Maintain the consolidated project file on behalf of the Buck and make it available to co-lead university collaborator.

Meetings, Agendas and Presentations

• Arrange agendas, briefing materials and presentations for team and funder encounters, including the program kickoff, monthly progress meetings, milestone reviews, annual PI review meetings and funder site visits.
• Work with the co-lead PIs and team member scientists to assemble clear, accurate slides and summaries of progress against program metrics and milestones.
• Organize internal team meetings, including co-lead PI governance meetings, Technical Advisory Board meetings and Translation Advisory Board meetings; record decisions and track action items to completion.
• Attend monthly funder meetings with the PI, and track the program's 90% annual meeting attendance requirement.
• Coordinate logistics for site visits and in-person reviews at Buck and, as needed, at co-lead’s location and other team member locations.

Invention Identification and Reporting

• Work with Buck scientists to recognize potentially patentable results early and route them to the Business Development team.
• Collect invention disclosures and other intellectual property information and prepare their disclosure to the funder.
• Track each team member’s election of title, and report as appropriate.
• Track joint inventions and assist with the negotiation, execution and maintenance of inter-institutional agreements.
• Coordinate periodic training for team scientists on prompt invention disclosure, as the OTA requires.

Liaison with Team Members

• Serve as Buck's counterpart to co-lead's program and contracts staff, and support governance, decision logs and escalations under the associate agreements.
• Serve as the working contact for PIs, grants officers and technology transfer offices for all team member institutions.
• Manage the funder direction protocol: when any team member receives direction affecting scope, schedule, budget or milestones, flag it so the team coordinates a response before acting.
• Coordinate preparation and track the status of all related agreement amendments and modifications, including option exercises, and route them to the Buck’s authorized signatories; confirm team member approval is in hand before any modification affecting them is signed.

Compliance and Program Requirements

• Collect annual certifications as required.
• Track IRB, IACUC, Federalwide Assurance and Animal Welfare Assurance status across team members, and coordinate the team's response to any suspension or adverse finding.
• Maintain the team's channel for reporting results of concern under the program's dangerous gain of function prohibitions, and ensure such results reach the funder promptly.
• Collect draft publications across the team and process as required by agreements.
• Flag export control and foreign participation issues, including proposed transfers of IP, data or materials to foreign entities, for review before they occur.
• Support the Translation Advisory Board and the revised commercialization plan with a named commercial partner.
• Provide milestone acceptance documentation and tracking to Finance and Sponsored Research to support their management of payments.

Reporting

• Provide regular status reports on Project deliverables, inventions, compliance and risks to the EVP, Partnering & Administration and Business Development team, including the discussion and delegation of the above tasks as relevant and agreed upon by supporting staff.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Business Development, Compliance and Buck scientists.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• PhD in biochemistry, biophysics, structural or molecular biology, chemistry or a related field; an MS with substantial additional relevant experience will be considered.
• Significant demonstrated experience successfully managing complex scientific or research programs may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience

• 5+ years' experience managing research programs, contracts, grants or collaborations at a research institute, university or biotechnology company.
• Working experience with large agreements, such as corporate sponsored research or Other Transaction Agreements.
• Experience coordinating multiple institutions or teams toward shared deliverables and deadlines.
• Experience with invention disclosure, Bayh-Dole Act and federal invention reporting (iEdison) preferred.

License or Certification

• Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Research Administrator (CRA) an add but not required.

Specialized Skills (in place or to be learned)

• Highly self-directed and proactive, with the initiative and leadership required to move complex projects forward.
• Scientific fluency sufficient to read milestone reports, recognize potential inventions and engage credibly with PIs; familiarity with protein biophysics, intrinsically disordered proteins, or computational and AI-driven biology a plus.
• Working knowledge of federal research agreement terms, including invention reporting, data rights, publication notice and research security requirements.
• Strong skill in building agendas, presentations and briefing materials for scientific and funding audiences.
• Ability to work diplomatically and effectively with senior scientists, partner institutions, funding representatives, and administrative stakeholders while maintaining accountability for deadlines and deliverables.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Extremely well organized, with the ability to manage a compliance calendar spanning many parties and deadlines.
• Exercises judgment and tact, and maintains a strict degree of confidentiality.
• Interacts effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, and with project tracking tools.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The anticipated salary range for this position is $120,000 to $165,000 annually. Actual compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, internal equity, and other job-related factors. The Buck Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance.