Job Description

Title: Director, Project Management

Location: Menlo Park, CA (Hybrid, 4 days/week)

Base salary range: $220,000–$250,000

The impact you’ll have

SPARK NS is seeking a Director, Project Management to lead and grow its translational project management function and help scale a portfolio of up to 24+ neuroscience projects across two‑year cohorts. You will report to the Managing Director of Translational Research & Development (TRD) and lead a team of 10 PhD‑level Project Managers who work directly with academic principal investigators, industry advisors, CROs, and internal teams from project selection through key translational milestones.

You will serve as the operational counterpart to TRD leadership, ensuring decision‑quality plans, timelines, and risk assessments are in place ahead of key reviews so leaders can make consistent, disciplined go/no‑go decisions. Your work will directly influence how efficiently projects move through the translational phase toward IND‑enabling studies and into clinical development.

Scientific and translational direction resides with the Managing Director of TRD and scientific advisors; this Director role focuses on how that direction is operationalized across projects and cohorts through people leadership, modern project‑management practices, and high‑quality translational operations.

About SPARK NS

SPARK NS is an independent nonprofit translational research organization dedicated to efficiently advancing academic discoveries in neuroscience from the lab to the clinic, with a current focus on Parkinson’s disease and autism. Our Translational Research Program combines up to $2,000,000 USD in milestone‑based funding per project with drug‑development education, mentorship from 90+ industry expert advisors, and cohort‑based working sessions where hierarchies are put aside and egos are checked at the door. This model has achieved an exceptional ~50% success rate at advancing academic discoveries through the translational phase.

How do I know if the role is right for me?

This role may be a strong fit if you:

• Have 10–20+ years in biotech, pharma, or closely related life‑sciences environments with a strong record of execution in translational, IND‑enabling, or early‑development settings.
• Have at least 7 years of direct people‑management experience leading scientific or R&D‑focused project/program managers (typically 6–10+ people), with full responsibility for their performance, development, and ways of working—not just coordination of a technical PMO outside life sciences.
• Are an experienced people leader, not making your first move from peer to manager, and know how to step into an established senior team and raise the bar on expectations and results.
• Communicate effectively with senior executives, synthesizing complex portfolios into focused, action‑oriented updates and constructively challenging assumptions when needed.
• Are equally comfortable engaging with senior scientists and PIs, translating operational insights into clear options and trade‑offs that support scientific and strategic decision‑making.
• Bring high emotional intelligence and a current view of what positive, healthy teams need, including candid feedback, early recognition of stress, and support that keeps people effective in a demanding environment.
• Hold at least a bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or a related field; an advanced degree (MBA, PhD, PharmD) is preferred.
• Are proficient with Smartsheet (or similar tools) and like using it to coordinate work, visualize the portfolio, and drive decisions—not just to track tasks.

What You’ll Lead

A high‑caliber PM team

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 10 PhD‑trained Project Managers who partner with academic PIs, CROs, and internal stakeholders across SPARK NS cohorts from selection through key translational milestones.
• Build on an already strong, collaborative culture by setting clear expectations, creating space for healthy debate, and ensuring PMs feel supported as they take on complex, high‑stakes work.
• Provide structured feedback, coaching, and performance reviews, helping PMs see a clear line from their growth and day‑to‑day decisions to patient impact.

Own translational operations across the portfolio

• Ensure effective execution of project‑management processes across a portfolio currently 24+ translational neuroscience projects focused on Parkinson’s disease and autism.
• Oversee timelines, milestones, and resource allocation so key deliverables are met and operational risks/issues are identified early and addressed constructively.
• Guide PMs on how they collaborate—with each other, with PIs, CROs, and with advisors—so issues surface early and are resolved in ways that maintain trust and momentum.

Be the operational partner to TRD

• Partner closely with the Managing Director of TRD to align on portfolio priorities, risk areas, and resource needs across cohorts and disease areas.
• Ensure that timelines, risk assessments, and data summaries are in place ahead of go/no‑go, extension, and termination reviews.
• Work with PMs and investigators to keep Drug Development Plans, milestone definitions, and risk/mitigation plans current so TRD and scientific leadership can make well‑informed decisions.

Improve systems, not just status

• Lead the development, standardization, and refinement of project‑management methodologies, tools, and best practices that support SPARK NS’s cohort‑based model while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Own portfolio reporting and analytics (e.g., in Smartsheet), turning milestones, risk, and resourcing data into concise summaries and recommendations for senior scientific and executive audiences.
• Drive continuous improvement based on learnings from cohort meetings, TRAC interactions, and milestone reviews, sharing insights with TRD and the broader organization.

Shape capacity, hiring, and culture

• Oversee workload distribution and capacity planning for the scientific PM team and support future hiring plans as cohorts and initiatives expand.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and training for new Project Managers, selecting for both scientific depth and the interpersonal skills needed to thrive in a highly collaborative, creative, feedback‑rich environment.
• Champion a day‑to‑day culture where people feel respected, informed, and able to speak up—reflecting SPARK NS’s values of working together, removing ego from the process, and keeping patients at the center.

Why you’ll love this role at SPARK NS

• Direct impact on patients. You sit at the operational core of a program with an exceptional ~50% success rate at advancing academic discoveries through the translational phase in neurological disorders.
• High‑caliber, cross‑disciplinary environment. You will work daily with PhD‑level Project Managers, senior scientists (including the Managing Director of TRD and scientific advisors), and dozens of industry expert advisors spanning every stage of drug discovery and development.
• Chance to shape how a strong team scales. You are stepping into a function that is already central to SPARK NS’s model; your task is to help this team grow with the portfolio, tightening practices, deepening collaboration, and making it easier for people to do their best work.
• Compensation and structure that match the mandate. This full‑time, exempt role is based in Menlo Park, CA (onsite 4 days/week) with a base salary range of 220,000–250,000 USD (depending on qualifications and experience) and 100% employer‑paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.

If this sounds like the next step in your leadership path—and you want your work to matter to patients living with neurological disorders—SPARK NS would be glad to hear from you.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs