Project Management Lead

The Centre for Population Genomics is a non-profit research organisation operating at the forefront of the new field of genomic medicine, at the intersection between biomedicine and data science. We are a joint initiative between two of Australia’s leading genomics research institutes, the Garvan Institute in Sydney and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, with a funding model that allows us to build large-scale, long-term resources. The Centre has already generated several of the largest sets of genomic and clinical data ever assembled in Australia, and has assembled a team of software engineers, data scientists, and specialists in community engagement and Project Management to drive projects focused on generating real-world scientific and clinical impact.

In addition to driving world-leading science, the Centre is also a hub for organisational innovation. We operate under a long-term remote-first model, with a geographically distributed team of nearly 40 staff based across Australia and New Zealand, allowing us to provide extreme flexibility in working location and conditions. Unlike most Australian academic organisations, we offer substantive career paths for non-academic roles such as software engineers, data scientists, and project managers. We design projects based on expected real-world impact rather than optimising for traditional academic metrics. Our genomic resources are built through deep engagement and co-design with under-represented communities, and we maintain a heavy focus on the quality, robustness, and scalability of our software.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the Project Management Lead for the Centre, you will be at the forefront of driving our diverse and impactful project portfolio towards completion. Your prior experience in developing a PM culture of execution, support and accountability will hold you in good stead, as this role will require you to build on the success of the PM group to date by introducing PM methodology across the group. The Centre enjoys a number of close partnerships with key organisations across the globe and maintaining oversight on external stakeholder relationships will also be an important focus area, as you work closely with senior leadership to develop the ongoing stakeholder management strategy for the Centre. Assessing risk, ensuring quality compliance and maintaining oversight on project budgets and reporting requirements will be second nature to you.

Salary: From $120,000 - $140,000 + 11% super + salary packaging (depending on experience)

Employment Type: Full time permanent

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS

Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)

Ample opportunities for on-going training and development

Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment

Flexible work arrangements e.g. start / finish times

18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation

A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave

Discounted Health Insurance

Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Lead the development of comprehensive project plans that align with key mission outcomes

Assess the current Project Management approach for the Centre and lead the implementation of a formal PM methodology

Serve as a key point of contact for all PM-related matters, communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders

Support the cross-organisational coordination of key external partnerships to align with strategic priorities

Define PM hiring needs and work closely with Centre leadership to grow your team, lead the onboarding process to settle new hires quickly, and facilitate ongoing performance management activities

Monitor project budgets and expenditure, providing insights and recommendations for cost management in a complicated funding environment

Working closely with other team leads, you will contribute to the Centre’s risk management approach, identifying areas of risk and developing contingencies

Provide input on key strategic decisions made by the organisation

ABOUT YOU

At least 5 years of experience in Project Management & people leadership, including experience leading the implementation of PM tools & methodology

Demonstrated experience leading & problem solving in a remote-first environment

Outstanding people skills, proactive in communication, and capable of fostering relationships across departments and externally

A genuine passion and enthusiasm for the Centre’s mission

Highly skilled in enhancing delivery efficiency, with a keen ability to pinpoint and resolve bottlenecks effectively

A high level of competency with Slack, Gsuite, and PM tools such as Atlassian products, Airtable etc

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Extremely strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a complex and dynamic workload, enhanced by a genuine enjoyment for the process of grappling with complex organisational challenges

Ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary team setting including biologists, data scientists, software engineers, community engagement specialists, operations and Project Management staff

Comfortable communicating with both technical and non-technical people at every level, including actively participating in meetings with senior institute leadership

Bachelor’s degree, ideally in business management or a related field.

ABOUT GARVAN

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia’s largest and most highly regarded MRI’s.

Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome.

We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease.

Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture ‘add’, not culture ‘fit’ and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please submit your application with a CV and cover letter as one document, stating why you are interested in this role. If you think you’re the right person for this role, we’d love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world leading researchers and clinicians, collaborating locally and globally, to improve human health. Our mission is to harness all the information encoded in our genome to better diagnose, treat, predict and prevent disease. From the individual patient with rare disease, to the many thousands affected by complex, widespread illness, we are pioneering discoveries across diseases that have the deepest impact on our community.

Through our key scientific strengths in data, genomics, cellular, translation and clinical science, we aim to catalyse research from fundamental discovery to transformational impact. Enabled by cutting-edge technology and world-class facilities, and the support of our passionate Garvan family; our researchers and professional staff strive, every day, to create a future where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.