Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.

The Team

CZI supports the science and technology that will make it possible to help scientists cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. While this may seem like an audacious goal, in the last 100 years, biomedical science has made tremendous strides in understanding biological systems, advancing human health, and treating disease.

Achieving our mission will only be possible if scientists are able to better understand human biology. To that end, we have identified four grand challenges that will unlock the mysteries of the cell and how cells interact within systems — paving the way for new discoveries that will change medicine in the decades that follow:

• Building an AI-based virtual cell model to predict and understand cellular behavior
• Developing state-of-the-art imaging systems to observe living cells in action
• Instrumenting tissues to better understand inflammation, a key driver of many diseases
• Engineering and harnessing the immune system for early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease

CZI’s work in science includes grantmaking programs, open-source software development, and close collaboration with the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. The CZ Biohub Network includes the San Francisco, Chicago, and New York Biohubs as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute. CZI also collaborates with institutional partners like the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural & Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University. Join us in accelerating science.

The Opportunity

As Director, Technical Program Management (TPM) in the Science Technology organization, you will lead a strategic operations function that accelerates our mission to build a software platform that advances and accelerates science . This role will serve a dual-focused purpose: 1/ strategically aligning cross-disciplinary stakeholders across the CZI ecosystem, serving as the strategic thought partners to the Head of Science Technology while 2/ also driving execution by implementing cutting-edge project management tools and practices to ensure transparency, predictability, and scalability in execution. The person in this role will need to be able to influence across CZI at all levels of leadership and within the Science Technology organization, bridging the two through execution of our roadmap.

You will work closely with a collaborative team of product managers, engineers, designers, user researchers, scientists, and computational biologists to create software products that accelerate the pace of biological science. You will also work across the CZI ecosystem, working with our scientific leaders across CZI and driving complex cross-functional projects with our Biohub network.

What You'll Do

Strategic Alignment - Lead our strategic planning process in Technology

• • Create and maintain strategic alignment between priorities and the needs with stakeholders across Science, including our scientific leaders across the Biohub network
  • Be a strategic thought partner for the Head of Technology in Science
  • Facilitate clear and consistent communication of project goals, timelines, and progress to all stakeholders to keep teams aligned and informed on progress
  • Facilitate effective collaboration between diverse teams of scientists, engineers, and leadership
  • Identify and proactively address potential conflicts or misalignments between different teams or priorities

Execution Excellence - Lead and support overall organizational execution and team culture by designing and directing program management practices and processes that enable our strategic goals, tactical work, and the culture and values we need and desire.

• • Establish and maintain standardized project management processes, tools, and templates, leveraging AI to automate and streamline as much as possible; develop detailed project plans, timelines, and budgets
  • Track project progress, identify and mitigate risks, and ensure timely completion of deliverables; drive continuous improvement in project execution through data-driven insights
  • Serve as a central point of contact for all project-related information and communication.
  • Drive the adoption of best practices in project management across the organization.
  • Develop and own processes that enable efficient decision-making, communication, delegation, and accountability
• Team Excellence - Build and manage a small but mighty team of technical program managers from the ground up

What You'll Bring

• 15+ years leading complex technical programs, with 3+ years deploying AI/ML in project execution (biotech/life sciences preferred)
• Proven success scaling AI-driven PM systems in environments with:
  • High technical uncertainty (e.g. early-stage research programs)
  • Diverse stakeholder ecosystems (academia, pharma, regulators)
• Familiarity (ideally in practice) with modern AI project tools (e.g. AI schedulers)
• Deep understanding of techbio development
• Knowledge of and curiosity about the latest scientific advancements in the life sciences, particularly genomics / molecular biology / cell biology
• A demonstrated history of achieving alignment across, high-performing, cross functional teams of engineers, product managers, and designers, within the life sciences
• Ability to speak with scientists and engineers at all levels of an organization to bring alignment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a scientific discipline or MBA
• Experience at a leading AI-first biotech company
• Familiarity with bio-specific PM challenges

Compensation

The Redwood City, CA base pay range for this role is $225,000 - $338,000. New hires are typically hired into the lower portion of the range, enabling employee growth in the range over time. Actual placement in range is based on job-related skills and experience, as evaluated throughout the interview process.

Benefits for the Whole You

We’re thankful to have an incredible team behind our work. To honor their commitment, we offer a wide range of benefits to support the people who make all we do possible.

• CZI provides a generous employer match on employee 401(k) contributions to support planning for the future.
• Annual benefit for employees that can be used most meaningfully for them and their families, such as housing, student loan repayment, childcare, commuter costs, or other life needs.
• CZI Life of Service Gifts are awarded to employees to “live the mission” and support the causes closest to them.
• Paid time off to volunteer at an organization of your choice.
• Funding for select family-forming benefits.
• Relocation support for employees who need assistance moving to the Bay Area
• And more!

If you’re interested in a role but your previous experience doesn’t perfectly align with each qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply as you may be the perfect fit for this or another role.

Explore our work modes, benefits, and interview process at www.chanzuckerberg.com/careers.

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