Reporting to the VP Drug Discovery, the Program Manager, Drug Discovery will deliver a high-quality request for proposals process, from promotion, evaluation, to awards and recipient management, compliance, and support, and ensure the day-to-day management of these funded projects. Ideal candidates have excellent organizational skills with high focus on quality and thoroughness. They have a track record of successfully managing research grants and cross-functional projects.

In the first year, the Program Manager, Drug Discovery will:

• Collaborate on designing the request for proposal process

• Manage the logistics of the request for proposal process

• Manage the awards process, and support onboarding of project participants into the Conscience network

• Establish a milestones/deliverables plan for funded projects in collaboration with the VP, Drug Discovery and awardee researchers

Responsibilities

• Lead the request for proposals process

• Coordinate document reception and ensure its quality and compliance

• Manage review and evaluation process, working with review committee to maintain integrity and confidentiality

• Create and maintain procedures and process documents

• Communicate and coordinate with partners and participants during the RFP process

• Support network and communications leads in promoting the program, and respond to requests for information

• Maintain records for internal and external reporting requirements

• Monitor milestones and deliverables using Gantt chart and by conducting regular communication with participants

• Help identify and resolve issues and gaps in the program

• Support meetings, managing the agenda, and meeting minutes

Qualifications & Skills

• Strong understanding of drug discovery and development, with demonstrated experience and fluency in one or more aspects of the process. PhD in relevant areas of study may be an asset, but not required.

• 3+ years experience with proposal management/grant writing and project management

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage expectations across multiple projects

• Detail-oriented with excellent follow-through skills

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to interact and communicate with internal and external stakeholders

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as excellent grammar, spelling, proof-reading and composition skills

• Ability to manage and adapt to changes in a growing organization

• Interest in emerging technologies, open science, and radical collaboration, & AI

• Fluent in English, proficiency in French (written and spoken) an advantage

Job environment

Our team works virtually in a hybrid environment built around daily Slack, Zoom, collaborative docs, and email, along with structured in-person time as needed (regular staff retreats, working meetings). We do not have a central office, though eventually we may add that as part of our work environment. We provide every employee with the essential work tools like a laptop, headset, etc. Hybrid work allows for some work hour flexibility, which is helpful when managing life commitments and family. Most roles include some travel as needed.

While we're legally based in Canada, our approach to drug discovery and science is global. We believe that collaboration can happen in every corner of the world, from the most established leaders to also the most unlikely of partners. With that in mind, we invite candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, including those from historically marginalized or underestimated groups — women, indigenous people, people with disabilities, people of colour, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender nonconforming, first and second generation immigrants, and people from low-income families. A diversity of lived experiences makes our work, and our network community, stronger.

Salary and benefits

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $95,000 CAD, to be determined by the successful candidate's relevant skills, education, and experience. In addition, we offer a competitive benefits package that includes enhanced medical, pharmacare, dental, and disability coverage, along with annual matched RRSP contributions. We provide a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation annually, plus flexible work hours, as part of a hybrid work environment.

About Conscience

Conscience is a global non-profit based in Toronto, launched with support from the Structural Genomics Consortium, and a $49M grant from the Canadian government. We narrow in on areas of market failure – places where traditional models have left people behind with few options, and not enough support, like rare diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and pandemic preparedness.

Conscience will focus on two things:

• A global approach to open science that will bring new medicines forward for communities that otherwise would be left behind; and,

• Advancing the infrastructure to make AI a viable tool for drug discovery, using a competitive model that will benchmark predictions in the lab and share data openly.

Together, we think those two things can make medicines more accessible and affordable.

We're creating incentives to attract attention and investment in neglected areas that often go unnoticed due to market failures. The end result will be more and faster innovation in AI drug discovery, new medicines, and more equitable access to medicines for everyone, across Canada, and around the world.