Project Manager - DiffUSE Project

About the role

This role manages the DiffUSE Project, a cross-institutional effort to build open infrastructure for studying protein dynamics. The position coordinates multidisciplinary teams, aligns strategic goals, and maintains project visibility across Astera, national labs, and academic partners.

Operations teams keep a business running smoothly. They manage processes, vendors, and logistics across the company. The work includes planning, coordination, and continuous improvement. Strong operators are organized, pragmatic, and comfortable with change. Operations teams run on routines, checklists, and clear escalation paths. Most companies expect operators to document what they do so anyone can step in.

Key facts

What you'll do

Project plans are executed and monitored with detailed timelines, milestones, and resource allocation to keep the DiffUSE Project on track. Project alignment is maintained across teams, academic leaders, and members to ensure strategic goals are consistently pursued. Project risks and issues are identified early and resolved to protect delivery and minimize impact on outcomes. Stakeholders receive clear, regular updates on project progress to maintain transparency and shared understanding. New collaborators and team members are onboarded and offboarded smoothly to support evolving project needs. Internal and external events are facilitated to support collaboration and knowledge exchange across the project.

Requirements

Project management experience of 2-5 years is required to operate effectively in this role. A PhD in biology, chemistry, or a related field is highly preferred for this position. Fluency in scientific program management is necessary to navigate complex research workflows. High agency and comfort in ambiguity are required to drive progress without full clarity. Written and verbal communication skills must serve technical and non-technical audiences. Strong operational skills and extreme organization are required to manage interdependent tasks. Clear communication and insight into tone, audience, and escalation paths are required for stakeholder management.

Practical notes

This role is based in person at Astera in Emeryville, California. This is a full-time position. Typical interview steps

Operations interviews usually include a process scenario, an analytics question, and behavioral rounds. Candidates may be asked to improve a workflow or plan an event. Attention to detail and clear communication are tested throughout. Interviewers often ask how you would fix a process that is failing. Walking through diagnosis, a plan, and measurement is the winning structure.

Good to know

Project managers in research settings coordinate schedules, risks, and communications across technical teams. Scientific program management practices help align diverse collaborators around shared objectives. General tools for planning and tracking work support visibility into timelines and dependencies. Clarity in tone and audience awareness helps tailor messages for partners, executives, and technical staff.

Questions to ask

Good questions to ask the employer in the interview: what does success look like in the first six months, how is the team structured, what is the current biggest challenge, and how are decisions made. Asking about growth paths and the review process is also well received. Employers expect questions, and good ones show preparation.

Career growth

Operations careers grow from coordinator to manager, director, and chief operating officer roles. Some people specialize in supply chain, facilities, or program management. Success depends on reliability and on improving the systems you own. Operations careers reward reliability and continuous improvement. Operators who quantify the impact of their fixes move into leadership fastest.

About the company

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward an abundant future for all. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to dramatically accelerate innovation.