Program Manager, Center Operations

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Overview

The Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) seeks a Program Manager to lead the operational and programmatic infrastructure of a rapidly growing research center, and to serve as the principal operational partner to the Center Director.

This is a broad, high-autonomy role for an experienced research operations professional. You will own CSEI's programmatic calendar — its seminar series, conferences, workshops, and trainee programs — and manage the Center's external communications, membership, and institutional relationships. In parallel, you will manage the Director's institutional commitments, engagement portfolio, and travel program, exercising independent judgment daily on competing priorities across a research enterprise spanning multiple funded programs and collaborators on multiple continents.

Principle responsibilities

Center Program Leadership

• Own the design and execution of CSEI's programs, including the Center seminar series (chalk talks and research seminars, every two to four weeks), scientific workshops, and Center-led conferences.
• Lead the annual speaker nomination process: solicit and curate nominations from CSEI faculty and trainees, and work with Center leadership to finalize the slate. Manage speaker invitations, visit programs, and hospitality end to end.
• Develop and steward trainee-led programming, including the trainee speaker invitation program and the Center journal club, partnering with postdoctoral and graduate trainees to build durable, self-sustaining community programs.
• Direct logistics and delivery for Center conferences and multi-day scientific meetings, including venue, budget, registration, materials, and speaker coordination.
• Supervise student workers, temporary staff, and vendors engaged in support of Center programming.

Executive Operations for the Director

• Exercises independent judgment to resolve project commitment conflicts, sequence competing demands, and protect capacity for research leadership and strategic work.
• Conduct a daily coherence review across all projects, identifying and resolving conflicts.
• Negotiate and coordinate meeting agendas and commitments with senior collaborators, sponsors, and institutional leaders across US, European, Asian, and Australian time zones.
• Manage correspondence on behalf of the Director, exercising discretion and independent judgment in triage, prioritization, and drafting of responses to sponsors, collaborators, and institutional offices.

Research Administration and Compliance

• Manage the Center's regulatory compliance calendar, including IRB protocol renewals, amendments, and coverage across funded programs; alert program leadership well in advance of deadlines.
• Coordinate administrative deliverables across multi-institutional consortia, serving as the operational point of contact for partner institutions in the US, UK, Belgium, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, and Bangladesh.

Communications and External Relations

• Own CSEI's external communications strategy and execution, including the Center's professional social media presence, and grow the Center's visibility within the scientific community.
• Represent CSEI administratively with Yale University and School of Medicine offices, and coordinate the Center's participation in institutional initiatives and cross-program partnerships.

Financial and Resource Administration

• Administer the Center's programmatic budget, including seminar series, conferences, and events; track expenditures, reconcile accounts, and report on financial position to the Director.
• Manage vendor relationships and procurement for Center programming in accordance with University policy.

Human Research Protocol Oversight

• Hold accountability for the integrity and continuity of the Center's human subjects research protocol portfolio, spanning multiple funded programs and international cohort studies.
• Direct the preparation and submission of new protocols, amendments, and continuing reviews, working with investigators to translate scientific plans into regulatory submissions and resolving reviewer questions on the Center's behalf.
• Establish the Center's standards and procedures for protocol maintenance, documentation, and audit readiness, and hold the Center accountable to them.
• Decide and negotiate the Center's approach to single IRB and reliance arrangements for multi-site studies, coordinating with partner institutions.
• Monitor the regulatory obligations attached to each award and determine how they are met across the portfolio, escalating to the Director only where scientific or institutional judgment is required.

Required Skills and Abilities
1. Bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in research program management, clinical research operations, or academic administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

2. Demonstrated ownership of complex, concurrent projects with independent responsibility for timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder coordination in a research or academic setting. Experience managing high-volume, multi-source commitment portfolios for senior leadership, with proven capacity to exercise independent judgment on prioritization under shifting conditions
3. Experience coordinating across institutional boundaries, including with regulatory, compliance, or sponsor organizations. Budget tracking and financial reporting experience.

4. Demonstrated experience directing event and meeting logistics, including venue, speaker, and materials coordination.

5. Excellent written communication, with the ability to draft correspondence, reports, and public-facing materials representing an institution. Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment handling confidential information.

Preferred Skills and Abilities
1.Advanced degree in public health, policy, life sciences, health administration, or a related field.

2. Experience in an academic medical center, research institute, or university research setting.

3. Working knowledge of IRB processes, human subjects research regulation, or research compliance frameworks
4. Experience coordinating across international time zones and with global research partners. Familiarity with Yale, NIH, or comparable institutional financial, travel, and procurement systems
5. Genuine interest in biomedical science, global health, or research policy. This Center's work is mission-driven, and candidates energized by that mission will find the role most rewarding.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Oversees the advancement and growth of the program. Gives direction and leadership supporting the philosophy, mission, strategy, and annual goals and objectives. Assumes primary accountability for disseminating and publishing all program information to create public awareness and support of the program. 2. Works closely with leadership, internal and external colleagues, and community residents to further develop and implement strategic plans. 3. Identifies, solicits, and cultivates community partnerships and collaborations to assist in the development and growth of the program. Develops the metrics to identify and measure the success of the program. Responsible for measurements of grant success and related evaluation. 4. Assists in identifying and evaluating potential future funding sources, and contributes to the submission of grants and contracts supporting the program, including the annual submission and writing of all content areas and budgetary sections of grant applications. Develops and manages the program’s operating budget. 5. Develops the administrative infrastructure of the program. Manages human resource and administrative functions of the program, including staffing and hiring, supervision, performance development, counseling and discipline, if warranted. Oversees and manages information systems, facilities, and space needs. 6. Investigates, identifies, implements, and oversees the maintenance of systems to gather, track, and report information to support the initiatives of the program. Tracks all program activities and regularly informs leadership of progress on each initiative. Recommends structural or programmatic adjustments, changes or additions based on full knowledge of missions, goals, and objectives. 7. Initiates, designs, and manages the compilation of program communications; identifying outreach potential, and promoting philanthropic and collaborative support of the program. Contributes to the development and assists in the management of content on the program’s website and monitors all changes and additions to the editorial content. 8. May perform other duties as assigned. Required Education and Experience Bachelor's degree in a related field and four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Posting Date

09/22/2026

Job Category

Professional

Bargaining Unit

NON

Compensation Grade

Administration & Operations

Compensation Grade Profile

Supervisor; Senior Associate (P5)

Salary Range

$68,000.00 - $120,500.00

Time Type

Full time

Duration Type

Staff

Work Model

Hybrid

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.
Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.