Project Manager - Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

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

Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient care, education, and research institute providing neurological and mental healthcare through more than 300,000 visits annually. The 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.
The RNI’s flagship facilities are located on the WVU Health Sciences campus in Morgantown, with more than 2,200 dedicated team members across seven departments, patient care units, and research laboratories. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.

About the Opportunity

Cognito Therapeutics, Inc. (Cognito) is a venture-backed startup company translating scientific findings from MIT into therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Cognito was awarded a Breakthrough designation by the FDA in December 2020 based upon their feasibility data that showed preservation of cognition and function in Alzheimer's patients. Cognito initiated a pivotal study for treatment of Alzheimer’s in Dec 2022. Cognito has a fast-moving, highly motivated team of people with the ambitious goal of helping millions of patients and caregivers around the world who are burdened by neurodegenerative conditions. With their patented gamma stimulation technology, Cognito is committed to developing non-invasive device-based therapies

The Partnership Project Manager serves as the primary administrative and coordination liaison between Cognito and RNI. As a key player in a fast-paced environment the Partnership Project Manager is responsible for facilitating the day-to-day coordination of initiatives across the partnership in accordance with established governance structures and approved project plans.  In this unique collaborative role, you will be an employee of RNI, and have a supervisor at the RNI IC, and will work closely with designated RNI program leadership, while interfacing with Cognito representatives for purposes of information sharing, coordination, and status reporting to support the day-to-day progress of joint initiatives. You will be responsible for coordinating timelines, tracking milestones, and facilitating communication regarding shared project activities.
Success in this role requires strong cross-organizational coordination, communication, and project governance skills.

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%25 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

Program & Project Management
•    Manage day-to-day project coordination across joint Cognito–RNI initiatives, including planning, scheduling, task tracking, and delivery.
•    Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, milestones, and dependencies for joint activities.
•    Monitor progress, risks, and issues; proactively escalate and drive resolution as needed.
•    Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with partnership objectives.
Cross-Organizational Coordination
•    Serve as the central point of contact between Cognito and RNI for operational project activities.
•    Coordinate resources, inputs, and deliverables for joint activities.
•    Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among clinical, operational, technical, and administrative stakeholders, including regular "Sync" meetings and joint leadership reviews.
Governance & Reporting
•    Support partnership governance structures, including working groups, steering committees, and executive updates.
•    Prepare status reports, dashboards, and meeting materials for partnership leadership.
•    Track decisions, action items, and approvals to ensure accountability and follow-through.
Stakeholder Management
•    Build strong working relationships with key stakeholders across Cognito and RNI.
•    Align expectations, clarify roles and responsibilities, and manage competing priorities.
•    Support change management and adoption of agreed-upon processes and workflows.
Process & Continuous Improvement
•    Identify opportunities to improve coordination, efficiency, and execution across the partnership.
•    Help establish and refine project management standards, tools, and best practices for joint work.
•    Capture lessons learned and support continuous improvement of the partnership operating model.
Documentation & Compliance
•    Maintain a centralized repository of all joint project documentation, contracts, and meeting minutes.
•    Ensure that project activities comply with the data-sharing and intellectual property agreements established between Cognito and RNI.
 

• Bachelor’s degree in business, healthcare administration, project management, or a related field.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in the following:
  • Project or program management experience, preferably in healthcare, research, technology, or cross-organizational partnerships.
• 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

• Demonstrated experience managing projects across multiple organizations or complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong organizational, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to operate with ambiguity and navigate matrixed reporting relationships.
• Project Tools: Proficiency in cross-functional tools (e.g., Asana, Jira, Monday.com, or MS Project).

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with governance structures, steering committees, and executive reporting.
• Comfort working with both operational and senior leadership stakeholders.
• Diplomacy: Exceptional "soft skills" and emotional intelligence; the ability to navigate different corporate cultures and build trust on both sides of the fence.
• Communication: Ability to communicate complex technical or operational requirements to non-technical stakeholders in both organizations.