Director of Operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Mindspan Institute

The Mindspan Institute is a new non-profit research institute in Cambridge, MA, aimed at building novel tools to analyze the human brain, and scaling them to study its molecules and wiring. We interpret how they contribute to brain functions and dysfunctions, and share our tools and discoveries as freely as possible, to advance human health.

This is a founding operations role. You will build the financial, legal, HR, procurement, and compliance scaffolding of Mindspan, from close to nothing, amidst a fast-paced scientific operation working in almost every discipline of science and engineering, and keep it running cleanly as we scale. You will coordinate and oversee these functions, working initially with external partners and key internal personnel; as Mindspan grows, you will help with hiring and strategy to bring key functions internally to Mindspan.

Be clear-eyed about what that means day to day. A lot of it may seem unglamorous, but is essential to the mission: setting up the monthly close, getting people onboarded and paid, matching invoices, keeping contracts moving, and making sure we stay compliant as a public charity. As needed, you’ll need to work with external contractors, and in-house staff, to make these things happen, so people skills and leadership skills are also important. None of it is optional, and all of it determines whether the science team can move fast. If you would rather build the machine than be the face of it, and you get satisfaction from turning early-stage chaos into systems that just work, this could be a good fit.

You will report directly to the co-CEOs of Mindspan. You will own the operational scaffolding end to end, and you will initially partner with outside contractors, and eventually hire and manage a small team to help run things, as we scale.

Finance and vendors. You are the internal owner of our outsourced accounting and CFO partner, running clean weekly and monthly close cycles and giving the board reporting they can act on. You manage our lab procurement platform and purchasing service to keep the supply chain and accounts payable moving, and own budget-versus-actuals. You oversee ordering, payments, and credit, and serve as the point of contact for outside vendors and contractors.

People. You manage our PEO for payroll, benefits, and onboarding, and our spend-management tooling for expenses and AP. As we hire employees you make sure onboarding is fast and that everyone completes appropriate paperwork. You help with compensation benchmarking so our offers are fair and competitive. You initially work with external contractors to achieve these goals, but over time hire and supervise a human resources officer to perform and execute these tasks.

Governance and compliance. You partner with the board and outside counsel to help keep us to the highest standards of ethical, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower, and document-retention policies, consistent with the public-charity rules that protect our tax status. You manage multi-party research contracts and material transfer agreements, as well as grants and gifts to external partners.

Safety, equipment, and ethics. You oversee our biosafety, chemical safety, animal use, and human subjects protocols, from all angles: writing, approvals, training, and inspections. You oversee equipment acquiring, maintenance, repairs, and replacement. You oversee chemical and material acquisition, storage, and disposal. You devise workflows, training of personnel, and enforcement of compliance. You initially work with external contractors as well as key internal personnel to achieve these goals, but over time hire and supervise a lab manager to perform and execute these tasks.

Documentation, publication, and IP. You oversee documentation of internal practices and data, for preservation as well as teaching of new employees. You oversee publication and patenting processes, including a brief pre-publication review which allows for the securing of IP as best benefits the world.

The disorders of the brain affect over 1,000,000,000 people around the world: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, and other conditions. We operate with a sense of urgency, even as we look to understand the brain at its most fundamental levels.

We are hypercollaborative, and focused on impact over short-term markers of productivity. Creativity and failure are the stepping stones to scale, and working together with “strong opinions, weakly held” is our style.

We solve real engineering problems the best way we can: inventing fast when we have to, and using good existing solutions where they exist. We believe hard problems only yield to many disciplines working together, so collaboration is not optional.

We expect people to explore the unknown, which means making mistakes daily, owning them, and learning from them to improve and excel.

We want a leader who models all these values.

You have stood up or scaled operations for a young organization, ideally a biological non-profit research institute or high-growth life-science company, and you have roughly 8+ years of progressive operations leadership behind you.

You know 501(c)(3) governance and public-charity compliance, and you are comfortable with the mechanics of grants and restricted funding. You have managed outside partners before: counsel, accounting and CFO advisory, PEO and payroll systems, procurement platforms. You have worked with human resources and lab management personnel, in a biological or biomedical context, and are aware of biosafety, chemical safety, and other regulations and practices. Above all, you have a track record of turning broad goals into structures that hold up.

You have a strong detail orientation and exceptional organizational, planning, interpersonal, and communication skills. You are good at writing, can work independently and lead and manage, and can prioritize and multitask as needed. Self-motivation, commitment to high quality standards, and a service-oriented mindset are all key. You have good judgment, balancing flexibility and focus, action and planning, speed and thoughtfulness, as appropriate. You are open to giving and receiving feedback, constructively and thoughtfully, to advance scientific missions and personal growth.

This is an in-person job. Flexible hours may be required at times.

An advanced degree (PhD in biology, bioengineering, or a related field; MBA, JD, etc.) is helpful, but real operating experience matters more to us than the credential. The ideal candidate solves problems before they happen, loves taking responsibility, and thrives by becoming integral to a team that is aiming for a world-changing goal.

The chance to build the operational core of a new research institute alongside some of the most adventurous scientists in the field, with real autonomy and a direct line to the people setting the scientific agenda. You will get to contribute to addressing one of the most important unmet medical needs of our time, as part of the initial team. You will learn lots of things that probably cannot be learned any other way, as you solve problems, build, and work with others. As Mindspan grows, we expect this role to grow with it. We are excited to invest in someone who wants to take on increasing responsibility over time.

Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and family benefits, and a matching retirement contribution.

Competitive salary ($220,000 to $320,000), depending on experience.

The Mindspan Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to a collaborative and scientifically rigorous environment for everyone who works here.