Data Program Officer

About Us
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease in our lifetime. The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research worldwide, having funded more than $800 million in research projects in academic and industry labs worldwide. We exist to put ourselves out of business, so we deliberately hold no endowment but instead spend what we raise quickly and efficiently; 88 cents of every dollar spent goes directly to research programs. Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various treatment ideas and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients.

As part of our strategy to accelerate therapeutic development for Parkinson’s disease, the Foundation sponsors cohort studies to generate data resources, such as the landmark Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and Fox Insight studies. These resources are leveraged by the research community to better understand disease progression and to make novel scientific discoveries. To support these efforts, we are excited to welcome a full-time Data Program Officer to work with us on the Data Partnerships team. Within MJFF, the Data Partnerships team plays a key role in enabling the Foundation to meets its strategic goals by more effectively leveraging our research data resources. Data Partnerships manages and cultivates relationships with external collaborators and partners to democratize research data to accelerate discovery and therapeutic development.

Job summary
This position will be accountable for supporting projects related to Data Partnerships’ strategic initiatives to strengthen and scale the Foundation’s sponsored research by increasing its usability and interoperability, as well as building our community of contributing data scientists. You will be part of the effort to democratize research cohort data and analytics by shepherding funds to grantees to accelerate critical analyses.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Liaise with internal scientific staff and external researchers to guide them through our available data resources.
• Assist in the design of data flows and distribution mechanisms, sourcing feedback from study leadership and advisory board members.
• Oversee the operational lifecycle of data-related grant awards and ensure awardees/partners are operationally and financially accountable towards their goals.
• Analyze operational performance and budget tracking for sponsored research
• Steward the review and approval of data governance agreements (e.g., data transfer/use agreements) through the internal Research Contract Working Group and external study and engineering teams.
• Review and approve data use applications for MJFF-sponsored study data.
• Manage relationships with external partners (other research funders, key opinion leaders, investigators, universities, vendors, and private-public partnerships) by managing working groups & consortia
• Leverage project management experience to support successful development and ongoing management of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives as they emerge and evolve
• Recommend technology investments, statistical methods, and process improvements related to data products and strategies
• Engage in the wider Foundation-community on staff-driven projects and initiatives

Qualifications and skills
This is a full-time position located in New York City. The Program Associate must also be willing to travel as needed.

• Bachelor's degree in data science, data analytics, business intelligence, bioinformatics/neuroinformatics, technology management, or related coursework
• 0-3 years of experience in data science, analytics, business intelligence, technology consulting, product management, or related field
• Proficiency in R, Python, or comparable data science programming languages
• Proficiency in Tableau, PowerBI, Domo, ggplot2, plotnine, or other data visualization tools
• Familiarity with data management best practices, including quality assurance
• Proficiency in reading logical and physical data models, understanding database data types, understanding table structures, and building queries.
• Domain knowledge or interest in research participant data across patient-reported outcomes, ‘omics, imaging, and wearables

• Action-oriented, diplomatic, agile, and proven team-advocate
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills to derive insights from complex data
• Proven understanding of information sythesis and effective presentation of data
• Ability to balance short-term urgency with long-term strategic priorities
• 10% estimated travel

Ideal candidates will also possess:

• 0-3 years of experience supporting complex projects, including elements of project and budget management
• Passionate about data and technology, with an ability to assess, formulate and deliver data driven solutions
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to convey complex technical topics to a wide variety of audiences
• Excellent time management skills; demonstrated ability to prioritize work at hand and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to maintain exceptional attention to detail while considering how those details impact the big picture
• Strong interpersonal and people management skills; ability to work productively both independently and as part of team
• Keen ability to connect dots, think strategically, see the big picture, and proactively and constructively identify and solve problems
• Willingness to adapt when necessary; comfortable with ambiguity and flexible to changing business dynamics, priorities, and timelines; strong sense of pace and urgency
• Comfort collaborating cross-functionally through matrix management    
• Positive attitude, creative, resourceful, entrepreneurial, and solution-oriented
• Able to multi-task and deliver under tight deadlines

How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position. Submissions without cover letters will not be considered. Please, no telephone inquiries and do not contact our staff directly. Only applicants who best match the position needs will be contacted.