Senior Director – Scientific Program Officer

Howard Hughes Medical Institute•Headquarters, KY

7d•$246,093 - $399,901•Onsite

About The Position

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) advances the discovery and sharing of scientific knowledge to benefit us all. As a biomedical research organization and philanthropy, HHMI supports a vibrant community of academic researchers, educators, students, and administrative professionals. Together, we’re unlocking the fundamentals of biology and building an open, inclusive future for science. HHMI’s Headquarters is located on a beautiful 40-acre campus in the greater Washington DC metro area that is home to over 300 employees with strong cross-departmental collaboration between biomedical, legal, human resources, communications, information technology, investments, science education, and more. The HHMI Science Department supports and augments the groundbreaking research conducted in HHMI labs across the nation, and you can be sure that your contributions while working here are making a difference. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) seeks an academic scientist interested in an outstanding professional opportunity to serve as a Senior Director – Scientiﬁc Program Ofﬁcer at HHMI to support our early career Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program and Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program. Applicants must hold, or have previously held, a tenured academic position or equivalent role, and must have a minimum of 10 years of experience as a lab head overseeing basic biomedical research. This is a full-time appointment that requires weekly on-site work at HHMI’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD. Senior Directors – Scientiﬁc Program Ofﬁcers are members of the HHMI Science Department and play a key role in HHMI’s efforts to evaluate and advance science as well as to reshape the scientiﬁc ecosystem to make it more inclusive and supportive for mentees. All aspects of this position draw on your scientific experience and administrative management skills with a strong focus on excellent scientific judgment, interest in supporting early career scientists, commitment to inclusive mentoring, and a collaborative working style. Relocation to the Washington DC area is expected. Candidates who do not relocate should live with reasonable commuting distance to allow regular travel to HHMI headquarters for at least 3 days of on-site work per week. Scientists who are currently running academic research laboratories are welcome to apply, but should plan to close their labs within two years of being hired as a Senior Director – Scientific Program Officer so they can be fully engaged with the responsibilities of this role. HHMI will provide direct support to your lab during the time that you are winding down operations. The opportunity to use your scientiﬁc expertise and broaden impact across the scientiﬁc landscape through this uniquely positioned role The chance to work with and support outstanding early-career scientists at HHMI Generous salary and benefits package

Requirements

M.D. and/or Ph.D. (or equivalent) plus signiﬁcant experience overseeing research in basic biological and biomedical sciences in an academic research setting is required
Minimum of 10 years of professional research experience (following ﬁrst appointment as tenure-track assistant professor or equivalent) and received tenure or equivalent.
Experience as a Principal Investigator with current or past funding from nationally competitive grants or contracts from NIH, NSF, and/or other federal agencies or private funders.
At least 5 years of administrative experience leading major academic programs or departments, or in comparable roles at research institutes, professional societies, conferences, or scientific journals.
Experience in offering effective and inclusive mentoring to scientists at all career stages
Interest and experience in mentoring early career scientists
Passionate about bringing and inclusive mindset to mentoring in HHMI labs
Broad scientiﬁc interests and excellent scientiﬁc judgment evaluating scientific impact
Demonstrated leadership ability and administrative management skills
Effective decision-making, negotiation, communication, and mediation skills
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to be collegial and work with a team
Excellent analytical and organizational skills to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
Strength in scientiﬁc, programmatic, and policy writing
Interest in administrative work to support the work of Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, including collaboration with legal, ﬁnance, communications, and human resources teams at HHMI
Available to travel to host institutions as needed, including overnight stays during the work week
Available to participate in evening activities associated with Science Department and other HHMI events including meetings, workshops, retreats, conferences, and program orientation

Responsibilities

Participate in the evaluation of current and future HHMI Scientists, including HHMI Investigators, Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, Hanna Gray Fellows, Gilliam Fellows, and Cech Fellows
Support the early career scientists in the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program and the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program
Liaise with HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars at universities and research centers across the U.S. regarding scientiﬁc and administrative matters
Coordinate programmatic and operational initiatives by developing policies for the Science Department that focus on promoting the best possible institutional framework for groundbreaking science that focuses on people, not projects
Join the team of Senior Director – Scientific Program Officers who oversee all of HHMI’s early-career scientist programs
Work with the Vice President and Chief Scientiﬁc Ofﬁcer to design and implement early career scientist competitions and Freeman Hrabowski Scholar Midpoint Progress Evaluations to ensure that they align with HHMI’s overarching mission, values, and internal policies.
Serve as an impactful leader by developing and vetting ideas in collaborative sessions with the Vice President and Chief Scientiﬁc Ofﬁcer and other senior leaders at HHMI to implement actions designed to transform the scientiﬁc ecosystem.