Technical Project Manager at Prolific Machines (Emeryville, CA)Technical Project Manager

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology with light. Our first-of-its-kind optogenetic platform delivers unprecedented control, precisely guiding cellular behavior when and where it matters most. Unlike existing tools used to control biology, our technology enables dynamic, tunable control over virtually any cellular function in any cell type. We're enabling partners to unlock robust efficiency, quality, and reproducibility advantages across the most complex pharmaceuticals and therapeutic proteins. Prolific is supported by leading investors, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield and SOSV.

Accountabilities:

• Technical project scoping, planning, and schedule oversight of internal and client-facing projects.
• Resource planning with senior leadership to forecast project needs, scope alignment, and schedule coordination.
• Close collaboration with technical leads to ensure clear communication and efficient coordination.
• Adapting and taking on new responsibilities to help the company scale project management as the company grows.
• Creation and support of new project standards and practices and improvement initiatives with project management colleagues.
• Project reporting functions, such as monthly project updates, dashboard reporting, and critical project milestone/ data reports.

Collaborate and communicate with:

• Research & Development, cell line development, process development, analytics, hardware, business development and product development teams for cross-functional coordination to make key decisions on tech transfers and technical support.
• Client/ customer teams including technical leads, business development representatives, and senior leadership.
• Third-parties, suppliers and partners for necessary capital equipment to support our teams.

Some things about you:

• You have good verbal and written communication skills with a focus on clarity and conciseness in a team-oriented environment.
• You are willing to bring your technical acumen to help with team challenges and addressing technical obstacles.
• You care about attention to detail and ensuring that our operations and processes run in a repeatable and safe manner.
• You are able to prioritize and can balance between planning and being action oriented in order to move projects forward.
• You are a thoughtful coworker who cares deeply about the company's mission and culture.
• You thrive in a dynamic environment and can take on the plurality of challenges that are inherent to startups.
• You are able to adapt to changing priorities and can support others in times of change.
• You foster a team environment and you actively seek impactful feedback from your colleagues.

What you’ll need to succeed:

• Masters (5+ years) or PhD (2+ years) with project management in cell line development or process development in a biopharmaceutical or similar industry.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is desired, but not required.
• Direct technical experience with cell engineering, cell line development, or process development/scale-up is desired.