Job Opportunity: Program Manager/Associate- Brain Initiative & Life Science
About The Pershing Square Foundation: The Pershing Square Foundation (PSF), a New York-based family foundation, supports exceptional leaders and innovative organizations that tackle important social, health, and environmental issues and deliver scalable and sustainable impact. For more information, visit http://www.pershingsquarefoundation.org/.
About the MIND Prize: The Pershing Square Foundation’s (PSF) brain initiative funds cutting-edge research that revolutionizes our ability to predict, prevent, and treat neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Breakthroughs in basic scientific and translational research will yield critical tools for and knowledge of NDDs, including Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, which affect millions of people worldwide.
The MIND (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize supports and empowers early-to -mid-career investigators to rethink conventional paradigms around NDDs. Modeled after the Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research, the MIND Prize catalyzes interdisciplinary approaches and facilitate collaborations across academic departments and institutions. It fuels the groundbreaking research that will accelerate our understanding of NDDs at every level.
Core Responsibilities
Program Development and Events Management:
• Lead and oversee the implementation of the annual timeline (application/review/post-award)
and logistics of the grantmaking process for the MIND Prize and any other neuroscience
initiatives.
• Plan and manage review of grant applications. Communicate with researchers to provide
information appropriate to the application and review process.
• Responsible for updating materials (e.g. agenda, research overviews, reviewer
scores/comments) for grant review board meetings (annually) and advisory board meetings
(quarterly).
• Assist the President in reviewing proposals and matching reviewers with applicant proposals.
Aggregate and analyze scores.
• Draft/update and manage all aspects of the neuroscience award agreement process, including negotiations with institutions and internal counsel.
• Conduct monitoring of funded research, including soliciting and reviewing annual progress
reports, as well as oversight on tracking impact metrics (e.g. publications, grants leveraged,
etc.), budgets and requests for no-cost extensions. Manage ongoing relationships with past,
present, and potential grantees.
• Initiate and oversee event planning and associated with our grantee partners (reviewing
contract, drafting invitations, tracking RSVPs, creating materials for, and setting
up/troubleshooting). Work with President on securing and prepping any relevant speakers,
reviewing presentations, and approving menus/decor.
Strategy & Partnership Development
• Frontline communication with external partners, including co-funding foundations, industry,
media and other institutions regarding partnerships, meetings, events, mentorship, and
agreements. Represent PSF at neuroscience and related convenings, if needed.
• Screen incoming funding requests from organizations/scientists, including reviewing (or triaging
for review) proposals/financial documents, communicating by email and phone with leaders of the organization, and providing feedback as necessary. Analyze and summarize promising
proposals for Trustee review.
• Provide feedback and connections to entrepreneurial grantees trying to start new for-profit
ventures. Help grow burgeoning life science investment portfolio.
• Alongside the President, engage in strategic planning for current and new neuroscience and
related initiatives, as well as the development of new materials/media.
• Drive program communications including summarizing proposals for distribution by the
President.
Communications
• Manage MIND Prize website and social media development; alongside Program Associate and
PR team to draft and coordinate dissemination press releases.
• Lead and manage other communications efforts and projects related to the work of the
foundation’s neuroscience portfolio.
Qualifications
Critical Skills:
• Attention to detail
• Demonstrated interest, understanding of, and/or experience in life science, particularly
neuroscience, and academic research
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to multitask and juggle multiple projects
• Ability to synthesize and summarize information/concepts/proposals
• Project management skills
Additional Qualifications/Skills
• Master’s or PhD in neuroscience highly preferred but not required
• Lab experience a plus
• Experience with start-up or entrepreneurial ecosystem a plus
• Proficiency with Salesforce and grantmaking software
• Experience with SM Apply a plus
Compensation
PSF offers a salary range of $60,000-$140,000, commensurate with experience, and a competitive benefits package.
How to apply:
Interested candidates, please email a cover letter and resume to Glenn Ellington at
gellington@persq.org with “Program Manager Application” in the subject.