User Program Lead, LCLS Operations & Partnerships

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, seeks an experienced administrative leader to manage the User Program for the LCLS. The role oversees proposals, onboarding, scheduling, and experiment support for 1,000+ visiting researchers annually, coordinating with DOE and cross-facility partners to ensure high-value scientific access.

You will sit on the LCLS management team, drive platform development, and represent the program across national and international forums, shaping

Responsibilities

• Oversee all administrative operations supporting the LCLS user community, including proposal intake, peer review coordination, scheduling, user onboarding, and experiment support for 1,000+ visiting researchers annually
• Serve as the primary liaison between LCLS facility leadership and the international scientific community, ensuring a seamless and high-quality user experience from proposal submission through experiment completion
• Drive development and continuous improvement of user-facing systems, databases, and workflows in collaboration with software developers and scientific staff
• Manage user access policies and associated administrative and legal documentation in collaboration with SLAC administrative service units, including processes for foreign national users and remote access
• Lead SLAC's participation in the Universal Proposal System (UPS), a multi-institution platform developed in partnership with APS, NSLS-II, and other DOE light source facilities to unify proposal submission, user access, and beamtime awards across major U.S. research facilities
• Represent LCLS on cross-facility working groups, steering committees, and national coordination bodies shaping the future of DOE user facility infrastructure
• Drive platform development milestones, stakeholder alignment, and change management across participating institutions
• Interact with DOE and other light source program managers for benchmarking, sharing best practices, and coordinating joint activities across facilities
• Partner with scientific, engineering, operations, and administrative directorates across SLAC to ensure seamless execution of user programs and facility access processes
• Coordinate with DOE program managers, facility directors, and partner laboratory leadership on shared priorities, performance metrics, and strategic planning
• Support laboratory leadership in preparing materials for DOE program reviews, executive briefings, and federal submissions related to user program performance
• Serve as a member of the LCLS upper management team, contributing to facility-wide strategic planning and operational alignment
• Collect, develop, maintain, and analyze user program metrics to create reports for management, DOE funding agencies, and external review and advisory panels
• Present findings to a range of internal and external audiences, including LCLS leadership and national stakeholders
• Maintain responsibility for handling and archiving user program data in compliance with institutional and federal requirements
• Direct large-scale scientific conferences, international workshops, Users' Meeting, and high-profile facility visits involving 100–1,000 participants
• Manage LCLS's interactions with the Users' Executive Committee and serve as liaison and advocate for the LCLS user community
• Represent LCLS at national and international forums advancing the DOE light source user community
• Supervise and develop User Program staff, fostering a culture of operational excellence, service orientation, and continuous improvement
• Develop, monitor, and deliver the User Program budget, ensuring responsible stewardship of resources in support of program goals
• Maintain accountability for all aspects of user program administration, includin

Job description

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, seeks an experienced administrative leader to manage the User Program for the LCLS. The role oversees proposals, onboarding, scheduling, and experiment support for 1,000+ visiting researchers annually, coordinating with DOE and cross-facility partners to ensure high-value scientific access.

You will sit on the LCLS management team, drive platform development, and represent the program across national and international forums, shaping