Senior Program Manager - R&D

We’re on a journey to Grow the Future of Materials. How? By unlocking the unique properties of mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. Our patented technology, Fine Mycelium™, unleashes a new class of materials crafted from nature, engineered for performance, and built for a resilient future.We’re seeking passionate learners to join us in pioneering a materials revolution and creating an epic place to work. MycoWorks offers competitive equity and benefits programs to support the health, well-being, and financial empowerment of all our employees.We root our relationships with our partners and one another in our core values: Be Mycelial, Cultivate Quality, and Grow the Future, and we're committed to building a diverse team and an inclusive environment where all employees belong. Women, gender expansive individuals, people of color, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Program Manager to join our Innovation Center team, focusing on driving the company’s development strategy. This person will work closely with the VP of Technology Development and the Director of Program Management to ensure that our development plans are aligned with company goals and the internal Innovation Center strategy. They will develop comprehensive and concise project plans, securing buy-in from key stakeholders to drive projects to completion. This role will involve managing the entire Innovation Center workflow, from the initial design of experiments through execution, data summary, and tech transfer to our production plant.

Key responsibilities include measuring project progress and performance using appropriate KPIs, strategically summarizing project status, learnings, and help requests for R&D Leadership, and providing visibility for decision-making. This role  will also be expected to escalate project risks and gaps, working with team members to develop clear mitigation plans and processes for smooth execution. Additionally, they will manage vendor relationships for R&D development projects, ensuring effective collaboration and testing of non-standard materials. Your ability to summarize project statuses, key learnings, and next steps for external stakeholders, such as investors, customers, and vendors, will be critical to our success. This person’s strategic oversight and coordination will drive our Innovation Center’s success in achieving our R&D priorities.

Responsibilities:

• Work with Director of Program Management and VP of Technology Development and Innovation in order to ensure plans are aligned with Company Goals and internal Innovation Center strategy 
• Drive Innovation Center strategy and workplan according to the priorities set by R&D Leadership
• Develop comprehensive and concise, project plans and get buy-in from the key stakeholders to drive projects to completion
• Schedule and moderate key meetings to drive work plan execution, learnings, and next steps.
• Consistent follow-up on open action items, ensuring all loops are closed.
• Escalate project risks and gaps, working with team members to develop clear mitigation plans and outline processes for smooth team execution
• Measure project progress and performance using appropriate KPIs
• Strategically roll-up status, learnings, and help requests in clear and consistent format to give R&D Leadership visibility for decision making; Manage Innovation Center workflow from initial design of experiment, through experiment execution, data summary, and through to tech transfer in Production Plant
• Summarize project status, key learnings, and next steps for external parties (e.g. Board of Director, Investor, Client presentations)
• Vendor relationship management for R&D development projects

Qualifications:

• 3+ years working in project/program management
• Minimum Bachelor's Degree 
• Bachelor's Degree - scientific discipline or business degree highly preferred
• Proven track record in leading large technical projects and building collaborations between teams with different expertise
• Exceptional data and file organization, spreadsheet/task management skills (Google Suite), and ability to work with PM software (Monday.com, Smartsheet), Slack, and cloud storage systems
• Strong people management and communication skills are required
• Flexible working in a dynamic environment remote/onsite
• Experienced in a fast-paced startup environment
• Ability to constructively give and receive feedback
• Flexible employee that can juggle competing priorities and navigate ambiguity
• Strong soft skills to engage stakeholders 

MycoWorks offers world class benefits an