Senior Lab Manager and Technical Program Manager

Dartmouth College; New Hampshire; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Dartmouth College seeks a Senior Lab Manager and Technical Program Manager to lead end‑to‑end execution of federally funded research programs in the Cluster for Improving Healthcare Outcomes through Sensory Technology and the HumanX Lab for Cognitive Performance and Longevity.

You will own milestone delivery, day‑to‑day lab operations, equipment lifecycle, sub‑award and vendor coordination, and interface with funding‑agency program managers as the operational and technical owner of the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 7+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Master’s or Ph.D. in a related field strongly preferred.
• Experience managing federally funded research programs across multiple projects.
• Hands‑on technical fluency across hardware, firmware, ML, biosignals, or related areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end execution of federally funded research programs across hardware, firmware, ML, biology and clinical workstreams.
• Oversee day‑to‑day lab operations, equipment lifecycle, and governance artifacts (milestones, risk, change control).
• Coordinate sub‑awards, vendors, and industry partners; align statements of work and milestones.
• Interface with federal program managers, contracts officers, and lead reporting packages.
• Recruit and onboard postdocs, engineers, and staff funded under these programs; contribute to grants.

Skills

Lab management

Program management

Federal grants

Multi‑project mgmt

Technical fluency

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/BioEng

MS/PhD preferred

Job description

Senior Lab Manager and Technical Program Manager

Position Purpose

Lead end‑to‑end execution of multiple federally funded research programs in the Cluster for Improving Healthcare Outcomes through Sensory Technology and the HumanX Lab for Cognitive Performance and Longevity. Own milestone delivery, day‑to‑day lab operations, equipment lifecycle, sub‑award and vendor coordination, and direct interface with funding‑agency program managers. Reports to the Cluster Head (Prof. Tam Vu) and serves as the operational and technical owner of the Cluster’s funded portfolio across hardware, firmware, signal processing, machine learning, biology, and clinical workstreams.

Responsibilities

• Program execution and milestone delivery across multiple federally funded research programs in parallel.
• Day‑to‑day operations across the Cluster’s lab spaces: team cadence, weekly technical and operations reviews, reporting discipline, risk register, change‑control log, decision tracker, and oversight of lab equipment lifecycle.
• Sub‑award, industry partner, consultant, and vendor management, including statement‑of‑work alignment, milestone payment events, deliverable acceptance, and risk escalation.
• Funding‑agency interface, including program reviews, demo days, site visits, and reporting packages with federal program managers and contracts officers.
• Recruiting and onboarding support for postdocs, engineers, and research staff funded under these programs, and contribution to follow‑on grant and contract proposals.
• Perform other duties as assigned and demonstrate professionalism and collegiality in a welcoming environment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 7+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Prior role as Lab Manager, Program Manager, Technical Program Manager, Director of Engineering, or equivalent in a wearable, medical device, BCI, or biomedical research laboratory; experience managing federally funded research programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple federally funded research programs in parallel.
• Strong multi‑project program‑management discipline: milestone planning, dependency tracking, sub‑award and vendor management, structured risk and change management.
• Hands‑on technical fluency across at least two of the following: wearable sensing hardware, analog front‑ends, embedded firmware, biosignal processing, biological or organoid computing platforms, applied ML for biosignals, or integrated HW‑FW‑SW system delivery.
• Demonstrated experience having built or managed a real system progressed beyond a lab demonstrator to clinical, field, or production deployment.
• Results‑oriented operating style with quantified outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to brief program managers, partner PIs, and university leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in a related field, strongly preferred.
• PMP certification or equivalent formal program‑management credential.
• Experience with milestone‑payment contracts, OTAs, cooperative agreements, federal compliance requirements.
• Experience with regulatory pathways for digital health (FDA design controls, IRB, clinical trial coordination).
• Prior experience working with academic, industry, and clinical partners in parallel.
• Familiarity with biology lab operations relevant to cell‑based platforms.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Dartmouth College is an equal‑opportunity employer under federal law. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications are welcome from all.

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre‑employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, or certifications. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment.