Job Summary
The Associate Research Project Manager contributes to the planning and execution of projects and program operations, working independently on core responsibilities while collaborating with team members to support successful delivery. Key responsibilities may include supporting project planning, tracking, reporting and documentation, and coordinating tasks, activities, and resources across multiple teams and service areas. Under the direction of a project management leader, this position will be responsible for collaboration with management and colleagues to define objectives, develop plans, and implement procedures, as well as communicate regularly with internal stakeholders through various channels and contribute to written project materials. This role will also perform essential project management functions such as milestone tracking, resource coordination, meeting and action-item coordination, and onboarding support by applying foundational knowledge relevant to the project domain to manage timelines and deliverables.
Key Role and Responsibilities
• Project leadership – Takes responsibility for understanding at a basic level the scientific aims of sponsor(s) and collaborator(s). Key duties includes taking ownership for keeping the project moving forward, including identifying any blocking issues, unclear priorities, and/or lack of sufficient resources.
• Project planning – documents at a high level the major objectives and milestones associated with a project, members of the project team and their roles and commitment level on the project and works with scientific/technical/program team lead(s) to map out tasks and timelines to achieve the goals.
• Project communication – Establishes and coordinates the events and methods associated with communicating project information. This includes regular team meetings and individual break-out meetings to address issues, and associated meeting minutes. May also include coordinating subteam meetings and daily standups. Maintains and distributes regular updates on project status to
collaborators/sponsors.
• Project delivery – provides ongoing monitoring and documentation of: research objectives and task priorities and their statuses, resources and their availability; this may include staff, funding, equipment, etc.; decision points, with a focus on ensuring they are made in a timely manner, and periodic and final review of sponsor satisfaction.
• Project administration – accounting activities associated with projects, including monthly reporting as required for grants accounting and services billing.
• Primary point of contact for daily task tracking, daily meeting facilitation, routine communications, and operational follow-through to maintain project momentum and handle routine tracking.
• Supports the preparation, maintenance, and distribution of regular project status updates for collaborators, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
• Under the direction of a senior project management leader, assists in developing communication plans and maintaining dashboards, reports, and other project reporting materials.
• Supports the senior project management leader in coordinating department-wide administrative and operational activities, including monthly financial and service billing reporting, intake and service request processes, and the maintenance of project, vendor, and program records.
• Supports the day-to-day coordination of team members associated with assigned projects and operational workflows.
Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Understanding of and experience in project management, particularly agile/iterative project management methods.
• Understanding of and experience in biological science, particularly genetics, genomics, and the scientific method, is preferred.
Understanding of and experience in computer science, particularly software
development/engineering, is preferred.
• Excellent oral, digital, written and listening communication skills
• Interpersonal relationship skills sufficient to allow incumbent to effectively lead others, to develop consensus among those holding disparate opinions and to work effectively with individuals and groups made up of people representing a diversity of levels and degrees of sophistication.
• Ability to manage expectations of collaborators and managers and motivate team members to execute and deliver.
• Ability to manage timelines through analytical and problem solving capabilities.
• Ability to organize, manage and monitor multiple projects to successful completion, adapting to shifting priorities in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to work effectively with technical teams and support the coordination and tracking of software development activities and related project tasks is preferred.
• Ability to track commitments, follow up on outstanding activities, and escalate delays or issues to appropriate project or program leadership when needed.
• Ability to identify schedule conflicts, dependencies, missing information, and other issues that may affect planned activities and communicate them to appropriate team members or leadership.
• Ability to maintain visibility of assigned activities, priorities, and deadlines and adjust coordination activities in response to changing project and program needs.
Educational Requirements: Bachelor's Degree Required
Education Level Preferred: Master's Degree
Degree & Specialization Requirements
Area of Specialization: Life Sciences
Project management certification preferred.
Pay Range: $49,163 - $82,311, salary is determined by years of experience
About JAX:
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Founded in 1929, JAX applies over nine decades of expertise in genetics to increase understanding of human disease, advancing treatments and cures for cancer, neurological and immune disorders, diabetes, aging and heart disease. It models and interprets genomic complexity, integrates basic research with clinical application, educates current and future scientists, and provides critical data, tools and services to the global biomedical community. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.
EEO Statement:
The Jackson Laboratory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, veteran status, and other classifications protected by applicable state and local non-discrimination laws.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree
- Life Sciences specialization or related background
- Experience in project management
- Experience with agile or iterative project management methods
- Master's degree
- Knowledge or experience in biological science, genetics, genomics, and the scientific method
- Knowledge or experience in computer science, software development, or software engineering
- Project management certification
- Experience coordinating and tracking software development activities
The Jackson Laboratory Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about The Jackson Laboratory and has not been reviewed or approved by The Jackson Laboratory.
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Retirement Support — Retirement contributions up to 10% and employer‑paid life and disability insurance indicate robust long‑term financial support. The retirement program is positioned as a standout element of the total package.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, fertility benefits, FSAs, EAP access, and onsite fitness centers point to strong healthcare support. These offerings contribute to a well‑rounded, reliable benefits foundation.
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Pay Growth & Progression — Entry‑level operations roles advertise site‑specific starting pay with regularly scheduled increases. Publicly posted entry rates and promised regular increases can help satisfaction early on.
The Jackson Laboratory Insights
What We Do
Cancer. Diabetes. Alzheimer’s. Heart Disease. Parkinson’s. The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) leads the search to cure diseases rooted in our DNA. Founded in 1929, we are an NCI-designated Cancer Center since 1983 and an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit research organization with over 90 years of experience in genetics and genomics research. JAX blends the brightest minds with state-of-the-art resources to accelerate discovery. Areas of Discovery (75+ Principal Investigators, >250 Ph.D.s, M.D.s, and D.V.M.s): • Cancer: We are a National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center focusing on cancer initiation, progression, prevention and therapies. • Developmental/reproductive biology: birth defects, Down syndrome, osteoporosis, fertility • Immunology: HIV-AIDS, anemia, autoimmunity, cancer immunology, immune disorders, lupus, transplant rejection • Metabolic diseases: atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, microbiome • Neurobiology: blindness, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, deafness, epilepsy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative diseases • Neurobehavioral disorders: autism, addiction, depression Supporting Global Research: • The JAX Mouse Repository and Scientific Services are among the premier resources available for biomedical research. Committed to Education: • Summer Student Program (undergrad & high school) • Teaching the Genome Generation Short Course • Ph.D. programs: U. Maine, Tufts University and U. Connecticut • Courses, Conferences and Workshops






