Project Manager | Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language

Organization Overview

The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory (VGL) at The Rockefeller University leads international efforts in vertebrate genome sequencing, assembly, annotation, and evolutionary analysis. As a core laboratory of the Vertebrate Genomes Project and a major hub of the Earth BioGenome Project, VGL generates high‑quality, telomere‑to‑telomere genome assemblies across vertebrate diversity. The laboratory provides an end‑to‑end genomics platform spanning sample processing, sequencing, genome assembly, and downstream data analytics. It specializes in high‑molecular weight DNA extraction and long‑read genomic technologies, offering integrated library preparation and sequencing services for high‑molecular weight genomic DNA, long amplicons, and full‑length transcriptome sequencing (Iso‑Seq). These capabilities are tightly coupled with in‑house computational expertise for genome assembly, curation, annotation, and comparative genomics, and are supported by state‑of‑the‑art platforms including PacBio and ONT.

Project Overview

The Rockefeller University seeks an experienced Project Manager to lead day‑to‑day execution of a National Science Foundation Mid‑scale Research Infrastructure‑1 (Mid‑scale RI‑1) Design Phase award, in partnership with Arizona State University and the University of Kansas. The award will fund the design of the Scalable Community Infrastructure for Biodiversity Genomics (SCIBG), a national platform to produce high‑quality reference genomes at scale, strengthening the U.S. bioeconomy, biosecurity, and global competitiveness in genomics. The Project Manager will oversee design activities across all three institutions, including task management, timelines, budgets, risk mitigation, and cross‑site communications. This role also serves as the infrastructure development lead, coordinating the design of laboratory protocols, computational workflows, data management systems, and governance models that will underpin the future SCIBG platform. The Project Manager will serve as the primary point of contact for the NSF Program Officer, ensuring award progress is tracked and communicated in accordance with NSF requirements.

Responsibilities

• Manage day‑to‑day execution of project activities to keep the project within approved cost, schedule, and technical scope.
• Oversee the budget, schedule, change management, and risk management.
• Support implementation and documentation of project management systems, cost controls, and schedule milestones to assess project performance.
• Perform risk evaluation and management in accordance with the project's Risk Management Plan.
• Coordinate meetings of the Change Control Board and prepare Change Requests for review and final approval by the Principal Investigators.
• Oversee development of a Project Execution Plan (PEP) for the subsequent implementation project, a required deliverable under this Design Phase award, in coordination with the PIs.
• Perform other responsibilities as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, or management field.
• At least three (3) years of progressively responsible project management experience, including creating budgets and managing financial accounts.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills, with proficiency in database and spreadsheet software.
• Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal relationship‑building and a high degree of organization.
• Ability to work well with others under tight deadlines while maintaining a positive attitude.
• Ability to work independently and effectively manage workload.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD.
• Project management certification.
• Prior experience on an NSF Mid‑scale RI, MREFC, Major Facility, or comparable large federal infrastructure project, including familiarity with the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide, Design Execution Plans, and formal design review processes (CDR / PDR / FDR).
• Experience managing complex, multi‑organization projects with formal scope, schedule, and budget controls — including developing a WBS, an integrated schedule, and a risk register from scratch.
• Direct experience with federally sponsored research awards, including budget management, subaward administration, and/or agency reporting requirements.
• Proficiency with project management tooling (e.g., MS Project, Primavera, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent) and collaboration platforms.

Pay

Compensation Range: Minimum USD $90,000.00 per year – Maximum USD $105,000.00 per year.