Program Specialist III

DEI&B            ·             Seattle, WA            ·             Full time

Program Specialist III – BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) – Brain Science/DEI&B

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating innovative ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Allen Institute for Brain Science is to accelerate the understanding of how the human brain works in health and disease. Using a big science approach, we generate useful public resources, drive technological and analytical advances, and discover fundamental brain properties through the integration of experiments, modeling, and theory.

The Allen Institute and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are committed to promoting diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in science, and an opportunity to advance these goals has emerged through a major NIH initiative called the NIH BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN). The Allen Institute has received several large grants through BICAN, including a scientific program call the Human Mammalian Brain Atlas (HMBA) and several BICAN Consortium-wide informatics and consortium management awards called CUBIEs. Through these programs, the Allen Institute is helping to lead a major international consortium effort to create a comprehensive cell atlas of the human and non-human primate brain. This project aims to make the most detailed map of the human brain ever produced, linking cellular and molecular phenotypes to brain imaging and functional architecutre.

Allen Institute and BICAN are firmly committed to fostering diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in the research community for underrepresented minorities (URM), defined by the NIH here https://diversity.nih.gov/about-us/population-underrepresented. The large scale of these projects provides ample opportunity for engagement, and a correspondingly substantial impact on the scientific community and beyond.

We believe that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogeneous teams. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse scientific workforce, including fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underrepresented and underserved populations participate in, and benefit from research, and enhancing public trust.

This position will support the Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), defined by the NIH here: https://braininitiative.nih.gov/about/plan-enhancing-diverse-perspectives-pedp, this BICAN work outlines the activities that consortium members will execute, encourages the research community to broadly consider how diverse perspectives advance the proposed specific aims and are integral to equity and inclusion in the science they perform. Through these collective efforts, we can bring about the culture change necessary to address the inequities and systemic biases in biomedical research, and advance scientific innovation and excellence through the inclusion of all voices. The BICAN PEDP will require active leadership, facilitation, collaboration, and management to optimize success and maximize impact.

The ideal candidate has a strong scientific and program management background, though no existing expertise in the Allen Institute’s research programs is required. They will have an interest in and commitment to developing opportunities and partnerships and will be uniquely positioned to further our scientific reach to local, national, and international audiences who have not always been included.

This dedicated role will report to the Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (“DEI&B”), who will provide guidance and oversight on collaborations with consortium sites for organizational and strategic opportunities to educate, elevate, and supply diverse, equitable, and inclusive resources to create a sense of belonging that Allen Institute is committed to. They will also interface with the Education and Engagement team.

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences, and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

Essential Functions

• Create strategic plans, develop, and execute activities across the HMBA and CUBIE PEDPs
• Coordinate, plan, execute, and facilitate live and virtual training events
• Plan annual meetings, both independently and in collaboration with other consortium teams (which may be up to 18 different sites)
• Represent HMBA, CUBIE, and the BICAN consortium to the scientific community online and at conferences
• Assist in the production of intern mentor training
• Assist in production of materials for the general public on research outcomes and metrics of success
• Plan, execute, and evaluate all aspects of the PEDP for the HMBA consortium and for the BICAN consortium’s CUBIE coordinating center at the Allen Institute
• Create and manage a PEDP dashboard/tracking tool (such as Smartsheet) for coordination and transparency of work being done across all consortium sites
• Develop and maintain strong familiarity with the scientific background and technical use of open resources from the consortium teams to help support presenters in trainings and other events
• Regularly consult with, collaborate with, and report outcomes to Education and Engagement stakeholders to plan, execute, and facilitate new and/or existing training and engagement opportunities, and to coordinate regarding ongoing Education and Engagement program activities and expertise
• Collect, analyze, and help implement feedback on outcomes from training, education, and outreach programs and resources
• Provide support in planning, coordination, evaluation, and communication for consortium teams’ internal and external stakeholders
• Serve as a representative on committees and working groups, focusing on areas outlined in the consortium PEDPs for programmatic expertise
• Provide additional programmatic support as needed

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of degree and experience
• 3 years of research experience in the life sciences field (or equivalent combination of graduate education and experience)
• At least 1 year of experience in science communication and/or science education, which may be part-time/volunteer in conjunction with other work

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master’s or PhD in a life science field, or PhD experience
• 5 years research experience in the life sciences field
• Experience with scientific events and/or conferences
• Formal training in science communication or education
• Meticulous attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage many concurrent projects and budgets
• Strong MS Office 365 experience – Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint
• Basic knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software or similar software
• Basic knowledge of Python, R, and/or GitHub
• Strong work ethic, sense of urgency, and self-motivation, including the ability to follow through to complete tasks independently
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people at all levels of the organization and from a wide variety of backgrounds

Physical Demands

• Occasional lifting, up to 30 pounds
• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment
• Push/pull up to 40lbs of equipment on a cart

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Occasional evening and weekend work
• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State

Travel

• Travel to meetings/conferences up to 4-6 times a year

Annualized Salary Range

• $85,871 – $125,944*

* Final salary depends on required education for the role, experience, and level of skills relevant to the role, along with work location, where applicable.

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outline in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Please click here to apply.