Director of Translational Biomarkers

About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). 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, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

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 therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients. In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families.

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately hold no endowment or excessive reserves. We instead seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 300 full-time employees. We offer a collegial and collaborative environment where optimistic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial, resourceful individuals can thrive and make a tangible difference for millions of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Position Summary:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its Director of Translational Biomarkers position. This role is responsible for initiating, executing and/or leading the Foundation’s strategic biomarker programs. This position actively contributes to high-level department decisions and is responsible for end-to-end oversight of high impact funding and non-funding programs that contribute to advancing a robust biomarker pipeline. This role collaborates with a diverse set of cross-functional stakeholders, including executives. This position actively contributes to recruiting, building and managing sub team(s) within the Translational group as well as internal and external stakeholders. This role contributes to the Foundation’s mission through developing high-impact funding and non-funding programs that advance a robust biomarker pipeline for Parkinson’s disease.

This position may be hybrid-flex with the opportunity to work from the Foundation’s office in NYC or based remotely from anywhere within the U.S.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Conceptualizes and leads a creative and solutions-focused scientific agenda for a major departmental program, leveraging input from the internal team and external advisors
• Oversees and ensures smooth execution of programs through all stages from concept development, review process, grants contracting and milestone management, troubleshooting and problem solving as issues arise
• Communicates research findings and impact of the Foundation’s biomarkers portfolio to internal and external stakeholders
• Maintains intelligence on scientific advances and challenges through attendance at meetings and reviewing the Parkinson’s disease (“PD”) scientific literature
• Builds strong relationships with key stakeholders in the PD biomarker, therapeutics, patient and external funder communities
• Works closely with team leaders to conceptualize and implement new initiatives that fill the PD biomarker discovery and translational biomarker knowledge gaps
• Supports department management in operational and budgetary planning, actively contributes to strategic planning efforts, assists with resource allocation and plays a key role in ensuring the successful execution of programs
• Ensures cohesive programmatic strategy which is aligned across sub-teams within the Translational Research Department, across other Research Departments within Business Unit and across external partner initiatives
• Manages a team of employees across multiple levels, sets goals for team members and is accountable for the overall results of the team

 Qualifications and Skills:

• PhD plus relevant experience in biopharma, healthcare consulting or nonprofit organizations
• Background in human fluid-based biomarker assay development pipeline (discovery, assay development and analytical/clinical validation)
• Experience with multiple biomarker platforms (immunoassays, multiplexed discovery platforms) and translational research workflows
• Strong understanding of fit-for-purpose biomarker studies to support biomarker adoption
• Relevant experience in scientific management of large programs and initiatives
• Relevant experience managing personnel and ability to lead and motivate a team
• Ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels

Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $165,000. In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums)
• Competitive dental and vision plans
• 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employer paid life and disability insurance
• 18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2 p.m.) and a summer holiday week over July 4
• Two ways of working: hybrid-flex, or remote work.  We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done. 

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events. 

How to Apply: 
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing through examples, their specific qualifications and interest in the position. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, please apply. Applicants who best match the position’s needs will be contacted.

MJFF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Diversity may refer to characteristics including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, geographic background, ability and disability, political ideology and age.