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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.
Position Description
MJFF takes a holistic approach to investing in Parkinson’s research, providing both intellectual and financial capital to accelerate therapeutic development. As part of this strategy, MJFF sponsors, implements, and manages large-scale, global clinical research cohort studies that address therapeutic development challenges, including the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). The Research Cohorts Officer position offers a unique opportunity for an experienced, highly organized project manager. This position will support the development and execution of projects that support our sponsored cohorts, with a particular focus on supporting global clinical research sites and the recruitment & retention of study participants. The Officer will report to the Associate Director, Research Cohorts, though it is expected that this position will afford opportunities to work cross-functionally with diverse internal and external leadership across projects.
More specifically, you will:
- Leverage experience in project management to support the successful coordination of complex, multi-stakeholder research projects
- Coordinate and manage project committees, task forces, and working groups, collaborating with internal and external advisors to develop agendas, coordinate logistics, prepare materials for discussion, circulate minutes, and support execution of next steps
- Provide relationship management of external collaborators and partners, which include other research funders, key opinion leaders, clinicians, researchers, and the patient & participant community
- Coordinate between internal research team and grantees to design and manage the operational lifecycle of a grant award, including developing milestones, overseeing payments, evaluating progress, and close-out.
Anticipated near term projects include:
- Relationship management and stewardship of clinical research sites within the PPMI program
- Management of multiple, ongoing awards, grants, and payments related to the PPMI program
- [AR1] Collaborative development & management of a Clinical Coordinator Community focused on supporting participant recruitment & retention
- Management and coordination of materials to be submitted to central institutional review board (IRB) and tracking of IRB approvals in PPMI
- Implementation of pilot programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion within PPMI
- Providing project management support for recruitment & retention pilot projects for PPMI and other MJFF-sponsored initiatives
Job Requirements:
Strong candidates must have undergraduate degree with established competitive academic achievement. Demonstrated project management experience with 2-3 years supporting complex projects is required. Work experience within non-profit research or healthcare sector is strongly preferred. This is a full-time position located in New York City, but candidates must also be willing to travel as needed. Ideal candidates will also possess:
- Strong interpersonal and people management skills; ability to work productively both independently and as part of team
- Keen ability to balance attention to detail within a bigger picture; proactively identifies and solves problems
- Excellent time management and work prioritization skills
- Excellent written, verbal communication, and presentation skills
- Capability in navigating collaboration tools and platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Share Point, and project management software applications (ex. experience with Blackbaud grantmaking or Smart Simple preferred, but not required)
- Comfort collaborating cross-functionally through matrix management
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter. We ask that you do not contact our staff directly and no phone inquiries please. Applicants who best match the position needs will be contacted. Submissions without cover letters will not be considered.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation strongly encourages 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.