Project Manager Lead; term

Location:

Evanston, Illinois

Department: CSB - Ctr for Syn Bio

Salary/Grade: ITS/83

Responsible for the coordinated management of multiple related projects, and in many cases, ongoing operations, which are directed toward a common objective. Works with constituent Project Managers to monitor cost, schedule, and technical performance of component projects and operations, while working to ensure the ultimate success of the program. Determines and coordinates the sharing of resources among constituent projects to other overall benefit of the program.

Partners with stakeholder management to ensure project success.

The AI-Driven, Rapid, Experimental Automation Machine (DREAM) Cloud Lab for Protein Engineering aims to be a national user facility that will accelerate the engineering of proteins for a range of important biotechnology applications spanning manufacturing, materials, medicine, waste recycling, agriculture, food, mining and more. Through creating and operating an automated cell-free protein synthesis and characterization wet-lab, connected through an AI-directed protein design-build-test-learn framework, DREAM will enable users from across the U.S. to engineer custom proteins in rapid, automated, accessible and reliable steps instead of the months to years required with current practices.

DREAM will be housed in the Northwestern Center for Synthetic Biology (NU CSB), a world-renowned center for engineering impactful biotechnologies.

DREAM is seeking a full-time Project Manager who will work in close partnership with the Node Director, Professor Julius Lucks, to manage the budget, schedule, and scope of the DREAM project. This role will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the Node's Project Execution Plan, a comprehensive document that defines project governance, development approaches and tailoring, stakeholder engagement and communications, scope, schedule, cost strategy, risk and issue management, compliance requirements, and related information.

The Project Manager will also play an active role in addressing scientific, engineering, and management challenges to increase DREAM's operational efficiency and scale. The position will help drive seamless execution across several core areas, including cell-free protein synthesis, wet lab workflows, robotic automation, computational protein design, data infrastructure, and biosafety/biosecurity systems. The Project Manager will supervise DREAM's scientific and computational staff and collaborate closely with NU CSB faculty leads, trainees, and staff across core areas to track progress, coordinate activities, and ensure achievement of project milestones.

The ideal candidate combines expertise in cell-free synthetic biology, protein engineering, and experience with machine learning with strong formal project management expertise, enabling them to work across multidisciplinary teams to build and scale DREAM.

This is a one-year term position with an opportunity for renewal based on performance and available funding.

• Collaborate with organizational leadership to ensure projects and programs are executed in accordance with area's priorities and mission.
• Provide consultation to prospective customers.
• Coordinate with functional managers for resource planning.

• Oversees development and maintenance of project documentation.
• Oversees management of resources and project progress; generates reports, requirement specifications, contracts, schedules, communication, records, meeting agendas, minutes and status reports.
• Create and maintains appropriate level of rapport with stakeholders

• Maintains overall program or project repositories for lessons learned, templates, and…