Project Lead - ARPA-H

BMNT is hiring a Project Lead to help us expand our program with the newly created Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to play an influential role in the creation of a brand-new agency that people are calling “the Manhattan Project of Healthcare.” If you've performed well at an ARPA, we want to talk to you!

BMNT is a specialized consultancy that helps the government build and run innovation programs. BMNT was founded in Silicon Valley and brings startup and product design methodologies to government problems. We don’t do innovation theater – we’re a team of expert practitioners in Lean Innovation and Human-Centered Design who apply these skills to hack bureaucracy and deploy tangible solutions.

Location: This is a Hybrid position with the expectation of being in the office two to three days per week.  Weeks with in-person engagements may require more time in the office or travel to other sites in the DC Area. 

About the Role:

The Project Lead is key to the success of the program. You will own large projects and lead the execution and development of key capabilities for the new agency. Examples of projects include developing ARPA-H’s first technology commercialization playbook, building ARPA-H’s industry ecosystem, and designing an internal accelerator for launching ARPA-H programs.

In this role, you will get to lead BMNT’s execution of tasks and coordinate a team of analysts and colleagues to deliver the best possible results for ARPA-H. You will also work directly with the customer on a daily basis and will regularly interface with senior leadership at the agency. Internally, BMNT is a flat organization, and this role has broad latitude to work independently with customers, to execute projects, and to set strategic priorities. You will also work with and mentor a small team of junior employees.

To succeed in this role, you must be a fast learner, capable of independently executing projects and knowing when to bring in clients for feedback. You won’t design or develop projects in a vacuum. You’ll work closely with customers, collaboratively interviewing stakeholders to collect data and understand needs, and you’ll iteratively develop solutions and test them through well-scoped experiments. You’ll have a meticulous eye for details and logistics but won’t let that get in the way of your overall vision for what a project “can be.” And if you don’t already have experience with the ARPA-model, you will have to learn it quickly! This is a fast-paced startup environment – and it’s all hands on deck to build an agency from the ground up.

BMNT’s main customer is ARPA-H’s commercialization and technology transition office. Many of our projects are geared towards improving the rate of technology adoption, building relationships with relevant stakeholder communities (which may include travel), and using Lean Innovation to design efficient internal processes. We also take on numerous special projects at the request of ARPA-H leadership.

What You Will Be Doing (Responsibilities):

• Execute major projects for ARPA-H and coordinate a team of support;
• Market research on a broad range of health topics, reviewing academic literature;
• Conduct industry engagement and develop an ecosystem of partners;
• Develop and implement ARPA-H strategy;
• Design, oversee, and facilitate workshops for ARPA-H;
• Skillfully conduct government and industry stakeholders to collect data;
• Create high-quality deliverables and strategic communication materials;
• End-to-end project management beginning with concept and strategy development through execution and transition;
• Track the overall status of projects;
• Contribute to business development strategy;
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Experience and Qualifications You’ll Need to Thrive in the Role:

• Passion and excitement for BMNT’s mission and desire to make an impact. The work we do is bigger than any of us. 

• Project Management Experience. 8+ years of work experience – at least 3-5 years leading projects to operational success. Proven project management experience, knowledge, and skills.

• Relationships Building: Strong ability to establish and maintain trust and credibility with the customer, even under times of stress, crisis, errors, and challenges.  Can work with a diverse team – building rapport with designers, technical staff, and other non-technical persons.
• Attention to Detail. Able to think through logistics and manage quality control. 

• Creative Thinking.  Capitalizes on the opportunity to develop original ideas, create streamlined processes, implement new solutions, and innovate.

• Deeply curious:  You are a project-based learner and research the problem space before making implementation decisions but are also capable of coming up with novel solutions.

• Collaborative Communication Skills. You have strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to facilitate and present in both large and small group settings.

• Tech Savvy: Ability to quickly absorb new technical concepts and think analytically about them. You are adept at translating technical ideas to a non-technical team and approach desired project outcomes with optimism. 

• Growth Mindset. Passion for continuous learning and commitment to self-awareness, including proactively seeking and welcoming constructive feedback.  Investigating and learning new things that foster innovation, productivity, agility, and collaboration across your work. 

• Subject Matter Expertise: Ideally you have extensive experience in biomedical and healthcare technology but we are also interested in talking to successful consultants and recent MBA grads who are familiar with life sciences.

• Acquisition Fluency: Have a foundational understanding of government acquisition processes. Experience with non-traditional government acquisition programs, such as Other Transactions (OTs) or SBIRs, Advanced Research Project Agencies (ARPAs), or medical-related acquisition experience.

• Bonus: Experience with Human Centered Design, Lean Innovation, Lean Six Sigma, or other similar innovation methodologies.

• Must be a U.S. citizen.

If you are a self-starter with an obsession for outcomes, not activities and a history of achievements, and enjoy working on projects with collaborative and creative teams, this could be the right role for you!

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.