Science Officer, Research & Development Data Infrastructure

Background

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by the voters of California when they approved Proposition 71 in 2004, and renewed when Proposition 14 was approved in 2020, providing $5.5 billion to invest in cell and gene therapy research in California. CIRM’s mission, to accelerate regenerative medicine treatments to patients with unmet medical needs, is what drives us to succeed every day.

To meet this challenge, our team of highly trained and experienced professionals actively partners with both academia and industry in a hands-on, entrepreneurial environment to fast-track the development of today’s most promising regenerative medicine technologies.

General Statement

The mission of CIRM’s Research & Development (R&D) Data Infrastructure team is to accelerate the discovery and development of therapeutics by facilitating the sharing of data and knowledge, nucleating data science collaborations, and supporting grantees in employing cutting-edge technology. One of its chief goals is to maximize the value of the data generated by CIRM grantees by making it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). The team is responsible for data sharing across R&D programs and data science programs at CIRM.

The R&D Data Infrastructure team identifies, implements, and manages the most effective infrastructure for making discovery, preclinical, and clinical research data FAIR and for enhancing the management and patient-navigation of CIRM-supported clinical trials. Additionally, the team is developing novel data science programs and funding mechanisms to support stem cell science and genetic research. In collaboration with the CIRM Education team, the R&D Data Infrastructure team also manages and coordinates data science training workshops for CIRM’s workforce development programs to prepare a skilled pool of individuals for careers in regenerative medicine.

Job Functions

Managing a Portfolio of Awards

• Developing and implementing specific aims and/or project milestones during Pre-funding Administrative Review of awarded projects, i.e. grants.
• Monitoring the programmatic, scientific and/or technical progress of a grant, supporting milestone achievement in a timely manner.
• Working in partnership with grants management staff on pre-contracted and post-award administration to ensure funded research is in compliance with CIRM regulations.
• Assessing scientific progress, data management, and data sharing on funded awards through objective metrics and ensuring complete and up-to-date reporting on all projects in your portfolio.
• Leveraging internal and external resources to accelerate the progression of promising award outcomes or recommend appropriate action to suspend/discontinue projects when warranted.
• Working within and across CIRM teams to facilitate success of CIRM’s activities.
• Monitoring resources to ensure they are being used appropriately and efficiently.

Managing Internal Data Infrastructure

• System administration of CIRM Data Explorer, a central, interactive platform for exploring CIRM-funded research metadata, with a focus on transparency, accessibility.
• System administration of the CIRM Clinical Trial Information Platform, a portal for CIRM-supported clinical trial site coordination and public-facing clinical trial dashboard.
• Working in partnership with Patient Access, Programs, IT, and Grants Management staff on coordinating updates to internal data infrastructure.
• Training users and troubleshooting CIRM Data Explorer and CIRM Clinical Trial Information Platform.

Strategy for Advancing Data Science

Identifying and supporting approaches, tools, and infrastructure to accelerate discoveries at various stages of maturity: discovery, preclinical, clinical.

• Advancing collaboration and data sharing activities to support CIRM’s scientific ecosystem.
• Partnering with CIRM colleagues to develop, administer and improve research training and workforce development programs towards fostering a pipeline of workers and leaders in stem cell science, gene therapy, regenerative medicine and related technologies that reflect the diversity of California.
• Working with CIRM colleagues to support a highly competitive review process to ensure only the most promising and well-constructed projects are considered for inclusion into the CIRM portfolio.
• Providing scientific and funding guidance to investigators pre- and post-award.

Building, Advancing, and Communicating the Portfolio

• Staying up to date on trends and key developments in the stem cell and gene therapy research field, and data science and data sharing.
• Seeking new and innovative ways to improve on the conduct of science.
• Helping to connect scientists with potential collaborators, resources or programs that would advance an important scientific project or direction.
• Collecting data and helping to track progress across CIRM-funded portfolios to inform priorities and alignment of ongoing and future funding opportunities; creating and maintaining slides for reporting portfolio or R&D Data Infrastructure activities to different stakeholders and CIRM leadership.
• Contributing to the planning and organization of CIRM-sponsored webinars, scientific workshops and grantee/trainee conferences.
• Working with CIRM colleagues to improve existing concepts and inform the development of new concepts for advancing basic research and educational programs.
• Representing CIRM and the R&D Data Infrastructure team at appropriate scientific, medical, governmental, and industry meetings and events.
• Engaging with all stakeholders (scientific thought leaders, subject matter experts, patient advocacy groups) to build support for and advance projects.
• Working with colleagues to promote, support, and disseminate information about R&D Data Infrastructure programs and related activities to the public and other stakeholders, as appropriate.

Harmonizing with the CIRM Mission

• Demonstrating commitment to CIRM’s mission in your words and actions.
• Collaborating with others to generate efficiencies, enhance productivity, and develop competencies.
• Developing and organizing internal guidance and Standard Operating Procedures for CIRM processes in collaboration with other CIRM teams.
• Showing commitment to team decisions by supporting and working to achieve team objectives.

Supervision Received

• The Science Officer reports to the Chief Science Officer, with day-to-day mentorship and guidance provided by the Senior Science Officer, R&D Data Infrastructure (Lead).

Supervision Exercised

None

Qualifications and Skills

Education & Experience:

• Doctorate (MD/PhD, PharmD) in cell or molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or other area with relevance to regenerative medicine or stem cell biology, and a minimum of 3 years of relevant postdoctoral experience in a science-related discipline; OR
• Master’s Degree in biomedical research or a related area plus at least 6 years subsequent work experience in a science-related discipline.

Competencies & Skills:

• Data handling, management, and/or sharing.
• Proven track record in cross-team collaboration to deliver high-quality outcomes.

• Ability to effectively manage, organize and prioritize multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and demanding environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to make clear, concise, and impactful presentations.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.

• Integrity, honesty, and high ethical standards, with a strong sense of personal accountability.
• Proficiency in English, both written and oral, is essential.

Preferred Skills

• Stakeholder management experience.
• Digital infrastructure.
• Managing contracts.
• Technical skills and understanding of the computational science landscape and trends.
• Teaching and aiding others in following a conceptual and technological framework.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid environment, required to work two days in the South San Francisco office and three days remotely. In-person attendance of organizational meetings and board, subcommittee, and working group meetings as required.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be willing to work in a high-rise building.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment.
• Be available to work outside of normal business hours as needed.
• Occasional travel for work-related events.

Salary Range and Benefits

This position is expected to pay $133,673 - $150,000 which fits within the full salary range of $133,673 - $172,656 for the Science Officer job classification. It is uncommon for an individual to be offered a salary close to the upper end of the full range for a position. Salary for this position will reflect the final candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge, relevant education, and certifications, in addition to being aligned with the internal peer group.

Required Hiring Documents

Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Cover Letter detailing why the applicant is a good fit
• Resume

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the interview process should inform the interview scheduler at the time of scheduling.

For general questions regarding this position or inquiries specifically related to reasonable accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), please contact [email protected].

Additional EEO Contact Information

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Benefits

https://benefits.calhr.ca.gov/state-employees/

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free workplace. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.