Senior / Technical Program Manager, Government Partnerships at Lila Sciences, Inc.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

04 May, 26

Salary

186667.0

Posted On

03 Feb, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Program Management, Government Partnerships, Cross-Functional Coordination, Compliance, Stakeholder Management, Documentation, Communication, Problem Solving, Technical Literacy, Project Management, Operational Execution, Interagency Coordination, Proposal Support, Risk Tracking, Bureaucracy Navigation, Team Collaboration, Post-Award Operations

Industry

technology;Information and Internet

Description

Your Impact at Lila Lila Sciences is hiring a Senior Technical Program Manager (TPM) to run government partnerships and contracts end-to-end once intent is established. This role is the operational backbone of our public-sector work — owning execution, coordination, and follow-through across complex, multi-stakeholder government programs. This is not a research role and not a pure grants role. It is a cross-functional, execution-first program manager who understands how government partnerships actually run: LOIs, MOUs, CRADAs, pilots, interagency coordination, compliance rhythms, and handoff to post-award operations. This role will be principally client-facing during contract execution, and when between client contracts will adopt a business development and proposal support role. The TPM allows the Head of Government Partnerships to focus on pipeline, strategy, and senior external engagement, while ensuring nothing drops on the floor once a partnership is in motion. What You'll Be Building End-to-End Program Execution Own government partnership programs from letter of intent through launch and steady-state execution Translate high-level partnership intent into workplans, milestones, owners, timelines, and artifacts Act as the single operational quarterback across legal, finance, science, product, AI, comms, and external partners Government Agreement Operations Manage the mechanics of CRADAs, pilots, user-facility access, MOUs, and partnership agreements Track dependencies across contracting, compliance, technical scope, and stakeholder approvals Ensure agreements move forward on schedule and align with internal operating constraints Cross-Functional Program Management Run internal operating cadence for active government programs (standups, reviews, risk tracking) Identify bottlenecks early and drive resolution without escalation where possible Maintain clear documentation and decision logs so programs don’t rely on institutional memory Partner & Agency Coordination Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for program-level coordination with agencies, labs, and partner organizations Prepare materials, agendas, and follow-ups for partner working sessions Ensure commitments made externally are feasible, resourced, and tracked internally Transition to Post-Award / Steady State Required Support clean handoff to Grants / Post-Award / Ops as programs formalize Help define what “good” post-award ownership looks like as the function scales Contribute to templates, playbooks, and repeatable program infrastructure Who This Role is For This role is ideal for someone who: Has project managed complex government or quasi-government programs, not just supported them Is a generalist operator who can be dropped into ambiguous, fast-moving environments Understands government bureaucracy without being slowed down by it Is comfortable interfacing with scientists, engineers, lawyers, contracting officers, and execs Wants real ownership and visibility, not a narrow swim lane Strong backgrounds include: Military program management (including SkillBridge or recent transition) Federal contractor PMs National lab, FFRDC, or government-adjacent operators Cross-functional PMs in regulated or public-sector-heavy environments What You’ll Need to Succeed 5–10 years experience in program management, government partnerships, or adjacent roles Demonstrated ability to run programs end-to-end Comfort operating across technical, legal, financial, and bureaucratic domains Excellent written and verbal communication — you turn chaos into clarity Strong judgment, follow-through, and bias toward action Nice to Have Experience with CRADAs, national labs, DOE, DoD, USDA, or international public-sector partners Technical literacy (STEM degree or equivalent experience) Familiarity with pre- and post-award government processes Experience building PM infrastructure from scratch Why This Role Matters This is the keystone role for making Lila’s government partnerships real. You bring structure, momentum, and execution discipline to work that is currently spread across senior leadership. If this hire works, it becomes the blueprint for scaling the entire public-sector operating model. About Lila Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science. We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method. We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before. Learn more about this mission at www.lila.ai If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you only have some of the experience listed below, we encourage you to apply. Compensation We expect the base salary for this role to fall between $108,000 – $186,667 USD per year, along with bonus potential and generous early equity. The final offer will reflect your unique background, expertise, and impact. Location This role is U.S.-based; Boston or DC-area preferred. Travel as needed. We’re All In Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy. A Note to Agencies Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

Responsibilities

The Senior Technical Program Manager will oversee government partnerships and contracts from intent to execution, ensuring smooth operations across multiple stakeholders. This role includes managing agreements, tracking dependencies, and facilitating communication between internal teams and external partners.