(Remote) Program Director - Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a (Remote) Program Director.

About the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient care, education, research, and innovation institute providing neurological and mental healthcare for 330,000 patients annually. More than 300 physicians and scientists of the RNI improve lives by pioneering advances in neuroscience, brain health, and therapeutics. The RNI team uses the latest technologies with academic, government, and industry partners to make tangible progress to combat public health challenges ranging from addiction to Alzheimer's disease. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.

About the Opportunity

This position will lead the strategic operations and translational program for the RNI Innovation Center (RNI IC), serving as the central point of coordination and execution across clinical research, translational development, and commercialization initiatives. The role bridges strategy and execution-translating leadership priorities into actionable plans, aligning multidisciplinary teams, and supporting the advancement of innovations from research through commercialization. This individual partners closely with RNI leadership and external collaborators to provide visibility into performance, risks, intellectual property strategy, and resource needs across the portfolio.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:
* 37.5-hour work week
* 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
* 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
* 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
* WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
* 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
* Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Support the planning, coordination, and execution of RNI's clinical, translational, and applied research initiatives, ensuring alignment with institutional and commercialization priorities.
• Translate strategic objectives into structured project plans, timelines, and deliverables that advance technologies from research through validation and commercialization.
• Coordinate across RNI, WVUH, HSC, and WVU teams to align clinical research, translational development, and commercialization activities.
• Facilitate project governance processes, including tracking milestones, identifying risks, and supporting prioritization decisions across the research-to-commercialization continuum.
• Monitor initiative progress and proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and dependencies; escalate issues as appropriate.
• Support portfolio-level visibility by tracking key initiatives, synthesizing updates, and maintaining centralized reporting across clinical, translational, and commercialization efforts.
• Prepare executive-level presentations and materials summarizing progress, risks, intellectual property considerations, and commercialization pathways.
• Analyze operational and research data to generate insights that inform decision-making, development strategy, and go-to-market planning.
• Assist in coordinating intellectual property activities, including invention disclosures, patent filings, and alignment with institutional IP and licensing strategies.
• Support commercialization efforts, including coordination with industry partners, evaluation of partnership opportunities, and alignment of development milestones with market needs.
• Assist in the development and refinement of standard operating procedures and best practices to enhance efficiency across research, development, and commercialization functions.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure alignment on deliverables, timelines, and expectations.
• Support budget tracking, resource planning, and operational coordination across initiatives.
• Ensure adherence to institutional policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and intellectual property frameworks.
• Drive day-to-day execution of strategic initiatives, managing multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.
• Serve as a key operational point of contact for assigned initiatives, ensuring clear communication and follow-through across stakeholders.
  

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related field required.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in the following:
  • Project management, strategic operations, program management, or venture/program support within healthcare, life sciences, MedTech, or a related environment.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience supporting cross-functional initiatives spanning research, product development, or translational programs.
• Exposure to commercialization activities, such as product development, go-to-market planning, industry partnerships, startup/spinout formation, or technology transfer processes.
• Exposure to early-stage venture environments, venture studios, incubators, or innovation programs preferred.
• Experience supporting grant development, writing and/or submission, including coordination of proposals (e.g., NIH, DoD, foundation, or industry-sponsored funding), preferred
• Experience working in complex, matrixed organizations (e.g., academic medical centers, universities, health systems, startups, or industry environments).
• Understanding of translational research pathways (bench clinical commercialization) preferred.
• Experience with grant development and submission, including coordination of multi-investigator proposals.
• Familiarity with MedTech commercialization, including product development, regulatory pathways (e.g., FDA 510(k), PMA), and early market development.
• Working knowledge of intellectual property strategy, including invention disclosures, patent coordination, and licensing.
• Ability to support market evaluation, partnership development, and commercialization strategy.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including development of grant applications, executive materials, and investor-facing content.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize clinical, technical, and business inputs.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives across research, clinical, commercialization, and funding stages.
• Effective stakeholder coordination across clinicians, researchers, executives, and external partners.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; proficient in project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Asana, Trello).
• Self-directed and comfortable operating in a high-ambiguity, fast-paced environment.
  

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.