Technical Program Manager - Federal Science Partnerships

About Astera

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward an abundant future for all. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to dramatically accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive scientific progress. We are searching for visionary leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving transformative change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming at astera.org/vision.

Position summary

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Technical Program Manager to work on new Astera initiatives focused on partnerships with the federal government. In this capacity, you will work with federal agency partners, researchers from many different fields of science, maintain a horizontal view across many different scientific projects, and champion open science and FAIR data principles. In this Washington, DC-based role, you will also help to maintain partnerships with different parts of the federal scientific research ecosystem. The ideal candidate brings expertise in program management, technical scientific knowledge, experience working with federal partners, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to open science.

Key Responsibilities

Government Partnerships

• Serve as a point of contact for Astera's federal partnerships with departments and agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

• Work to initiate and maintain partnerships with the federal government to help promote and promulgate open science across the federal landscape.

• Consult with Astera's Partners to understand the current state of their projects, and work to figure out solutions that might address key bottlenecks or challenges that different partners are facing.

• Evaluate technical documentation and work directly with partners to ensure data policies are followed, navigating both routine compliance and utilizing creative problem-solving for inevitable issues that arise, while knowing when to loop in leadership for guidance on particularly complex or sensitive data situations.

Project Management

• Conduct technical reviews of documentation associated with project solicitations, proposal selection, and project updates from federal partners and funded projects.

• Maintain a high-level working knowledge of all the projects in Astera’s government partnerships portfolio and ensure that the projects Astera funds provide expected deliverables.

• Maintain detailed documentation to keep up with project, funding, deadlines, and other details.

• Write reports and memos that summarize decision-making for a particular project, the purpose behind new or existing collaborations, ideas for new collaborations, or new solicitations.

• Help to coordinate separate scientific projects that are part of a larger initiative to ensure that data, methods, practices, code, and key results are shared and built upon in a useful and open way.

• Analyze and draft memoranda of understanding, cooperative agreements, contracts, or other types of agreements between Astera and outside parties

• Define and track metrics of success, such as whether data is shared, reused and AI-ready, and report these metrics to leadership

General Responsibilities

• Collaborate across the organization, especially with data experts and software engineers, to identify and address technical gaps in infrastructure, ensuring researchers have the tools and support needed to manage their data effectively.

• Provide training and guidance to new partners on data management best practices, fostering a culture of early and effective data sharing that maximizes scientific impact.

• Maintain a working knowledge of different government programs and funding opportunities and understand where Astera would be uniquely positioned to serve as a partner.

• Foster working relationships with other organizations such as philanthropic funders, nonprofits, private companies, and third party providers who could be involved in future Astera partnerships.

• When appropriate, attend meetings, workshops, and events on behalf of Astera, capturing context, decisions, and next steps.

Qualifications — Required

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific field such as biology, chemistry, physics, math, computer science, data science, or related field; advanced degree preferred.

• 3-5+ years of experience managing technical scientific projects such as contracts, studies, funding portfolios, or other relevant scientific work.

• Deep familiarity with at least one area of science with the ability to learn and have a good understanding of many different scientific disciplines.

• Experience with initiating and maintaining partnerships with outside organizations, especially federal government partners.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to translate between technical data requirements and researcher needs.

• Strong organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining high standards.

• High agency self-starter with the ability to work independently, identify opportunities for process improvement, and drive initiatives forward without constant oversight.

Qualifications — Preferred

• Project management training and experience

• Experience with running a scientific funding portfolio.

• Working knowledge of FAIR data in practice including metadata standards, research data repositories, and persistent identifiers.

• 1-3+ years of experience working for or with the federal government.

• Familiarity with the AI/ML data landscape and understanding of how to structure data for machine learning applications.

• Knowledge of open science initiatives and experience with open data publishing platforms.

• Track record of developing data management policies, procedures, or training materials.

Location

This role is in-person in Washington, DC.

Compensation

The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience.

• Benefits summary

Astera Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.