Sr. Program Manager, Research Partnerships

Do people naturally turn to you when something complex needs to get done Does bringing order to ambitious multi-stakeholder programs energize you Are you mission-driven with a passion for using human genetics to advance science and improve lives

23andMe Research Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization performing cutting-edge research with academic non-profit and industry partners. We are at the forefront of using human genetics to advance biomedical research and were looking for a Senior Program Manager to help us scale that mission.

Who We Are
We are a group of individuals passionate about genetic discovery. 23andMe Research Institute enables people everywhere to access their genetic information learn about themselves and participate in the worlds largest crowdsourced research initiative. The Institute aims to be the worlds most significant contributor to scientific advancement uniting people with the common goal of improving health and deepening our understanding of DNA the code of life.

The Opportunity
You will operate at the intersection of science commerce and partnership managing a portfolio of collaborations spanning biotech and pharma companies academic institutions and non-profits while ensuring that every deal we sign translates into real scientific and business outcomes. This role will grow with the organization. As deal volume increases and the team expands there is a path toward people management for the right candidate.

What Youll Do

• Serve as the first point of contact for incoming research partnership requests of varying complexity and partnership type academic institutions biotech and pharma companies non-profits and foundations.

• Evaluate feasibility define project requirements assess probability of technical success and translate inbound opportunities into actionable project plans.

• Partner with Corporate Development during early-stage discussions to inform deal structure and ensure operational viability before contracts are signed.

• Develop and maintain a scalable intake and scoping process to handle a growing volume of partnership inquiries without sacrificing quality or speed.

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of contracted research partnerships working cross-functionally with Scientists Statistical Geneticists/Bioinformaticians Cloud/Software Engineers Security/Ops Legal and Product teams to hit contractual milestones on time and within budget.

• Serve as the senior point of contact in partner meetings; maintain and deepen partner relationships post-contracting and escalate issues to leadership promptly.

• Manage vendor relationships including SOW review deliverable coordination and budget oversight.

• Ensure all actions and processes are standardized well-documented and comply with applicable SOPs IRB requirements and regulations.

• Mentor and provide operational direction to junior PMs executing on partnerships youve scoped ensuring continuity and quality of delivery.

• Synthesize lessons learned across partnerships to drive continuous improvement in how we scope structure and deliver research programs.

• Define and report on performance indicators; identify and implement process improvements across the CEReS team.

• Maintain close communication with 23andMe stakeholders across Data Collection Legal Product Marketing Communications Finance and Corporate Development to ensure program success.

• Communicate effectively with individuals of varying backgrounds scientists engineers legal and business stakeholders and external partners.

• Represent Research Services in senior internal forums and external partner engagements bringing credibility clarity and operational rigor.

What Youll Bring

• 10 years of program or project management experience with a significant portion in research biotech pharma or a related life sciences setting.

• Demonstrated experience scoping and managing complex multi-stakeholder research partnerships or data collaborations from initial inquiry through delivery.

• Bachelors degree in biomedical science or a related field; Masters or PhD preferred.

• Strong working knowledge of human genetics concepts (e.g. GWAS SNPs WGS) and the regulatory/ethical landscape for human subjects research.

• Proven ability to manage a portfolio of high-impact concurrent programs with competing priorities and deadlines.

• Experience working with Legal on SOW and contract development; comfort reviewing and managing vendor contracts.

• Track record of motivating and aligning cross-functional teams without formal authority.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; able to convey complex technical and operational concepts to diverse audiences.

• High comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action you create structure where there isnt any.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience managing or mentoring junior team members with an interest in growing into a people management role.

• Familiarity with Trusted Research Environments (TREs) data access frameworks or data licensing models.

• Experience with B2B marketing partner enablement or commercial strategy in a research or data context.

• Experience supporting grant applications or philanthropic funding processes.

• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g. Jira Asana) and partner-facing platforms (e.g. ZenDesk).

About Us
23andMe headquartered in California is a leading consumer genetics and research company. Our mission is to help people access understand and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has pioneered direct access to genetic information as the only company with multiple FDA authorizations for genetic health risk reports and has created the worlds largest crowdsourced platform for genetic research with 80% of customers electing to participate.

At 23andMe Research Institute we value a diverse inclusive workforce and provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race color sex gender identity gender expression religion age national origin citizenship disability medical condition family care status marital status sexual orientation genetic information military or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal state or local laws.

If you are unable to submit your application due to a disability or incompatible assistive technology please contact us at 23andMe will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.

Please note: 23andMe does not accept agency resumes and is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Pay Transparency

23andMe takes a market-based approach to pay and amounts will vary depending on your geographic location. The salary range reflected here is for a candidate based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The successful candidates starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills experience qualifications work location and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

San Francisco Bay Area Base Pay Range

$145000-$200000