Program Officer, Research Operations

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 250 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:
This Program Officer (The Officer) position is focused on supporting the business process of the Foundation’s funding portfolios by playing a critical role on the Research team, defining and delivering strategic and tactical project management expertise. The Officer oversees and manages a portfolio of grants, ranging from one-year to multi-year projects, acting as a primary liaison between individual researchers and investigators, universities, private-public partnerships and multi-partner consortia. The Officer partners closely with the scientific staff to align delivery of scientific goals and business management procedures.

This is a full-time role with no expected travel.  The Foundation values workplace flexibility, with staff and leadership working together to determine when, where, and how programs and projects get done.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leverage project management experience to support successful development and ongoing management of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives as they merge and evolve.
  • Design, develop, manage and communicate funded project plans, schedules and related budgets.
  • Actively contribute to strategic planning discussions and processes around funding priorities and planning.
  • Ensure MJFF best practices and rigorous project management methods are employed in developing and executing projects.
• Relationship management of external partners, which include other research funders, key opinion leaders, individual researchers and investigators, universities and private-public partnerships.
  • Coordinate and manage MJFF project committees, working groups and multi-partner consortia by working closely with internal and external collaborators to develop agendas, coordinate logistics, prepare materials for discussion, circulate minutes, chair meetings as needed and support execution of next steps.
• Troubleshoot and problem solve as issues arise; exercise excellent decision-making and propose solutions for tough issues related to project administration.
• Serve as the business lead between the MJFF science team and grantees to design and manage the operational lifecycle of a grant or funded project.
  • Oversee grants to individual Investigators, universities, and other specialized partners; manage relationship and project delivery lifecycle from proposal process through post-award to close out.
  • Lead and support program evaluation initiatives during and post-grant.
  • Acts as liaison between internal and external stakeholders with internal links in the grants management process, including research partnerships, finance and other administrative support systems to ensure smooth operational management of the grants process.
  • Facilitate the processing for legal review and/or account setup of grant awards, contracts, supplements and other award instruments.
  • Provide support and act as a resource for issues occurring throughout the lifecycle of a grant.
  • Leverage grants management software and related applications to track and communicate project progress and to drive continual process improvement initiatives.
  • Proactively communicate foundation processes and procedures to grantees, applicants and other external stakeholders.
• Routinely review and recommend best practices to improve workflow and systems efficiencies.
• Serve as backup and short-term absence coverage support for Officer colleagues.
• Serve as educator, trainer and partner for new hires and existing colleagues on context and understanding around program portfolios.
• Engage in the wider Foundation-community on staff-driven projects and initiatives.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Demonstrated program and project management skills, with a history of successfully supporting complex projects; knowledge of and experience in project management tools and methodologies strongly preferred.
• Entrepreneurial mindset who has experience successfully developing, planning, implementing a new program or project.
• Ability to translate scientific concept and research goals into operational activities such as risk assessment, strategy setting and tactical planning.
• Excellent time and meeting management skills; demonstrated ability to prioritize work and information 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 a team, including reporting to cross-functional managers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Comfortable and capable of managing multiple communication and collaboration tools, platforms and grant management and project management software applications.
• Willingness to adapt when necessary; comfortable with ambiguity and flexible to changing business dynamics and priorities.

Salary and Benefits: 
The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $75,000.  In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: 

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with MJFF 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 days Paid Time Off (PTO); 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4.   

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. MJFF provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events. The Foundation values workplace flexibility, with staff and leadership working together to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done. 

Vaccine Statement: 
At The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the health and safety of our team and our community is a priority. MJFF has made the decision to require all staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Successful applicants for this position must be fully vaccinated by date of hire and proof of vaccine is required. Full vaccination is defined as two weeks after both doses of two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine has been administered. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, because of medical or religious reasons, can request a reasonable accommodation for consideration.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position.

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.