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Lila Sciences · 10 hours ago

Senior / Technical Program Manager, Government Partnerships

Cambridge, MA

Full-time

Onsite

Mid, Senior Level

$108K/yr - $187K/yr

5+ years exp

Lila Sciences is hiring a Senior Technical Program Manager to manage government partnerships and contracts. This role is focused on operational execution and coordination across complex government programs, ensuring smooth transitions from partnership initiation to post-award operations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Foundational AILife ScienceSoftware

Responsibilities

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

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

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

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

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

Qualification

Program ManagementGovernment PartnershipsCross-Functional CoordinationCRADAs ManagementTechnical LiteracyJudgmentFollow-ThroughBias Toward ActionCommunication

Required

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

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