Project Manager Research & Development

About Pivot Bio

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of the soil microbiome, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in agriculture. Our commercial products harness the power of naturally-occurring microbes to provide nutrients to crops. We provide new and sustainable ways for farmers to improve yield as they work to help feed the world’s growing population. Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour.

Position: Project Manager R&D, Remote

Pivot Bio is looking for a Project Manager to join our Research and Development (R&D) team at our main lab in Berkeley, CA or remotely. This role will be instrumental in ensuring that the team can continue to meet its research goals in a timely and effective manner as its projects scale in size and complexity. This person will report to the Research Strategy team but will serve as a key point of communication and coordination for cross- disciplinary teams both within Pivot and between Pivot and external collaborators. The ideal candidate will have an education background in a scientific discipline, experience in project management, ability to manage complex stakeholder interactions, and curiosity about Pivot’s science and mission.

Responsibilities:

• Driving forward multiple projects towards Pivot’s annual goals by providing tools, structure, visibility and support to help internal and external projects deliver against timelines and objectives
• Assisting cross-functional project teams by serving as a point of contact and lead for supporting, capturing, managing, and tracking deliverables, pain points, and learnings
• Proactively documenting and disseminating project information to relevant stakeholders across functional groups and project teams across all levels of the organization
• Support for rolling up resource, budget and performance metrics by project
• Becoming an expert in the Pivot’s core technology and assisting teams in research and
• development projects focused on Pivot’s guided microbial remodeling platform
• Serve as a point of contact for coordinating communications between R&D and the rest of the organization
• Lead OKRs and project management culture at Pivot
• Interacting with external development partners and serving as a point of contact for information and materials transfers between Pivot and its partners

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a life sciences field with work experience in project management, OR Bachelor’s degree in business or related field with 3+ years’ experience working with scientific teams
• 3-5 years’ experience in project or product management within a research organization supporting and enabling co-located, cross-functional teams and partners
• A vision and passion for project/product/program/process management
• Strong communication skills, with a commitment to clarity, openness, and accountability
• Strong organizational skills and high competence with computer skills - must know your way around spreadsheets, project management and other productivity/visualization tools
• Experience managing complex stakeholder interactions with a flair for humor, candor and creative engagement
• A desire to take risk, and a willingness to share successes and own mistakes
• Must be proactive, creative and have a bias for solution-seeking

Desired qualifications

• Advanced degree in a life sciences field
• 3+ years’ experience in project management within a research organization
• Experience supporting distributed teams
• Familiar with Asana or similar task management programs

What we offer:

• Competitive package in a disruptive startup
• Stock options
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance with employer-paid premiums
• Life, Short Term and Long Term Disability policies
• Employee Assistance Program with free referrals and discounts
• 401(k) plan, 3% match
• Commuter benefits
• Annual Training & Development support
• Flexible vacation policy with a generous holiday schedule
• Exciting opportunity to work with a talented and fun team