Senior Program Manager, Scientist

The Jackson Laboratory; Bar Harbor (ME); On-site; USD 106,000 - 153,729; Full time

Job summary

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead and coordinate research programs. This role requires a Ph.D. in Genetics or a related field, along with a minimum of 5 years of research experience.

The ideal candidate will manage NIH grants, facilitate scientific communication, and provide oversight in preclinical development. The position includes compliance responsibilities and offers a competitive salary from $106,000 to $153,729, determined by experience.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree required, strong preference for a Ph.D. in Genetics, Molecular Biology, or Neuroscience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a research environment with at least 2 years in program management.
• Expertise in mouse genetics including design and interpretation of genetic models.
• Experience with NIH grant mechanisms and administration.
• Proven track record as a scientific writer.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate a portfolio of concurrent research programs.
• Serve as the program-level point of contact for large NIH grants.
• Write, edit, and contribute to sections of grant applications.
• Provide scientific input on programs involving mouse genetics.
• Ensure compliance with IACUC protocols and NIH guidelines.

Skills

Program management

Grant writing

Mouse genetics

Scientific communication

Project management

Regulatory compliance

Leadership

Education

Ph.D. in Genetics or related field

Tools

Project management software

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio & Program Management

• Lead and coordinate a portfolio of concurrent research programs spanning multiple principal investigators, timelines, and funding mechanisms.

• Develop, implement, andmaintainprogram management tools including project plans, milestone trackers, risk registers, and dashboards.

• Facilitate cross-functional team meetings, track action items, and ensure accountability across scientific and administrative stakeholders.

• Identifyand resolve operational bottlenecks and interdependencies that may affect program timelines or scientific deliverables.

• Support strategic planning efforts, including program prioritization, resource allocation, and go/no-go decision frameworks.

NIH Grant Administration & Reporting

• Serve as the program-level point of contact for large NIH grants (e.g., R01, P01, U01, U54, RM1), coordinating all administrative and scientific reporting requirements.

• Prepare, compile, andsubmitannual Progress Reports (RPPRs), non-competing renewals, supplements, and other required NIH correspondence.

• Monitor grant budgets, expenditure timelines, and ensure compliance with NIH terms and conditions in coordination with sponsored research offices.

• Track deliverables, milestones, and publication requirements across multi-project and multi-site awards.

• Coordinate with NIH Program Officers and other agency contacts as needed to address administrative or scientific programmatic matters.

Grant Writing & Scientific Communication

• Write, edit, and contribute to all sections of grant applications including Specific Aims, Research Strategy, human subjects/vertebrate animal sections,biosketches, and resource/environment pages.

• Prepare white papers, concept papers, letters of intent, and responses to RFAs/PAs across NIH and other federal or private funding agencies.

• Draft scientific summaries, program highlights, and lay-language communications for institutional and external audiences.

• Support manuscript preparation, including literature reviews,methodssections, and figure/table organization for peer-reviewed publications.

Scientific Contribution - Mouse Genetics & Therapeutic Development

• Provide scientific input and oversight on programs involving mouse genetics, including transgenic, knock-in, knock-out, and conditional models.

• Contributeexpertisein preclinical therapeutic development pipelines, including target identification, in vivo efficacy studies, and translational modeling.

• Critically evaluate experimental designs, interpret results, and ensure scientific rigor across program deliverables.

• Engage with scientific collaborators and external partners (academic, industry, and government) to advance program goals.

• Stay current with literature and emerging methodologies relevant to mouse genetics, neuroscience, rare disease, or other applicable therapeutic areas.

Compliance, Regulatory & Operational Oversight

• Ensure all animal research activities are conducted in compliance with IACUC protocols, institutional policies, and NIH guidelines.

• Support IRB submissions and renewals where applicable.

• Coordinate vendor management, subcontract oversight, and data sharing agreements associated with funded programs.

• Train and mentor junior program staff and research coordinators on project management best practices and grant administration procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degreerequired, but strong preference for aPh.D. in Genetics, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, or a closely related biomedical science field.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a research environment, with at least 2 years in a program management or research administration capacity.

• Demonstratedexpertisein mouse genetics, including design and interpretation of genetic mouse models (transgenic, CRISPR-based, conditional knockouts, etc.).

• Direct experience with NIH grant mechanisms and administration, including preparation of RPPRs, competitive renewals, and budget management.

• Proventrack recordas a scientific writer with experience authoring or co-authoring NIH grant applications and/or peer-reviewed publications.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously under competing deadlines.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with diverse teams of scientists, clinicians, and administrators.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in therapeutic development, drug discovery, or translational research programs,particularly inneuroscience or rare/genetic diseases.

• Familiarity with NIHeRACommons, Grants.gov, and related submission platforms.

• Prior experience managing multi-site or consortium grants (e.g., P01, U54, U19).

• Knowledge of GLP/GCP principles and preclinical regulatory frameworks.

• Postdoctoral research experience with independent publicationrecord.

• Experience with project management software (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, MS Project) and data visualization tools.

• Established network of collaborators in academic or industry research settings.

Core Competencies

*Scientific Rigor & Critical Thinking

*Strategic Program Planning

*NIH Grant Expertise

*Stakeholder Communication

*Mouse Genetics & In Vivo Modeling

*Cross-functional Leadership

*Scientific & Technical Writing

*Budget & Resource Management

*Translational Research Acumen

*Compliance & Regulatory Knowledge

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This position is primarily office/laboratory-based, with regular interaction in vivarium and wet lab settings as required by program needs.Therole may require occasional travel for scientific conferences, site visits, and stakeholder meetings. The incumbent must be able to work with or in proximity to laboratory animals (mice) and mustcomply withall institutional occupational health requirements.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skillsrequired. The organization reserves the right tomodify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as needed.

Preferred Experience: 6 years

Pay Range: $106,000 - $153,729, salary is determined by experience

About JAX:

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California),Japan andChina. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.

Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visitwww.jax.org.

EEO Statement:

The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.