Project Manager (Innovation-Focused)

Position Objective: Provide services as an Innovation-Focused Project Manager in support of the overall functions of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Office of Strategic Extramural Programs within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIA is seeking a Project Manager to oversee innovation-focused prize competitions and career development initiatives that enhance national competitiveness. The PM will lead efforts such as the NIA Startup Challenge, which has supported groundbreaking innovations, including AI-enabled solutions aligned with the Genesis mission.

By improving oversight, communication, and strategic alignment, the PM will help maximize the return on investment for these high-impact competitive programs and ensure they continue to advance national innovation goals and talent development.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Management Documentation

Prepare project documentation including charters, schedules, resource plans, and budgets.

Recommend and support routine project management meetings and prepare status reports and dashboards.

Assist staff in coordinating project management activities and development of reports.

Progress Monitoring & Reporting

Develop project materials, PowerPoint presentations, and facilitate stakeholder discussions.

Coordinate, track, and report on action items to project owners.

Support internal resources in implementing activities per project priorities and schedule.

Prepare project dashboards, milestone summaries, and work breakdown structure updates.

Track project expenditures against approved budgets and report financial risks.

Analysis & Upper Management Reporting

Prepare progress reports, summaries, and materials for internal and external stakeholders.

Develop project status and performance summaries for upper management review.

Measure project performance using designated systems, tools, and techniques.

Create and maintain a comprehensive project documentation library.

Present project updates at recurring staff and management meetings.

Budget Development & Tracking

Assist project owners with enterprise resource planning and annual budget formulation.

Monitor budgets, project future spending, and complete financial accounting documentation.

Log project expenditures and report balances to project owners.

Evaluate project cost and performance against metrics and recommend corrective actions.

Research & Best Practices

Research new trends in project management software and applications to improve efficiency.

Coordinate with other project managers to identify and share best practices.

Subject Matter Expertise & Staff Support

Review other project management plans and recommend improvements.

Facilitate project management practice working groups and professional development sessions.

Provide presentations on appropriate project management practices to non-project management staff.

Program Standards Development

Develop project management SOPs based on analysis of all program and project requirements.

Establish standardized tracking, review processes, meeting formats, and presentation approaches.

Coordinate with other programs to share best practices and improve project management efficiency.

Documentation Review & Evaluation

Evaluate project activities and documentation; implement corrections and improvements.

Review and improve project tracking, progress reporting, dashboards, and milestone status updates.

Review expenditure tracking and implement corrective actions to mitigate risks.

Monitor multiple ongoing projects and provide critical insights to project owners.

Interagency Liaison

Coordinate and participate in off-site meetings and discussions relevant to project goals.

Provide subject matter expertise on special cross-cutting and ad hoc projects.

Build and support effective communication strategies for the Division and public presentations.

Maintain coordination among research operations, program management, stakeholders, team members, and subcontractors.

Deliverables

Status and summary reports to OSEP staff pertaining to innovation-focused prize competitions (e.g., NIA Startup Challenge), entrepreneurial development, and career development initiatives that enhance national competitiveness - Weekly

Correspondence with prize competition and career development participants, including all relevant logistics - Weekly

Continual tracking and project management of prize competitions and career development initiatives, including compiled reports detailing progress, action items, and next steps - Weekly

Administrative tasks relevant to prize competitions, entrepreneurial development, and career development initiatives - Monthly

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required

Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint

Skilled in: Project management, Website content management, Meeting minutes/summary reports, Meeting coordination, Outreach activities, Data analysis

Preferred Qualifications:

Ability to multi-task and pay close attention to detail.

Excellent analytical, organizational and time management skills.

Strong communication skills, both oral and written.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required by this position.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

GAP Solutions provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to apply for a job us at recruiting@gapsi.com. You will need to reference the requisition number of the position in which you are interested. Your message will be routed to the appropriate recruiter who will assist you. Please note, this email address is only to be used for those individuals who need an accommodation to apply for a job. Emails for any other reason or those that do not include a requisition number will not be returned.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

This position is contingent upon contract award.