Skills

Research Project Management Confluence Organizational Skills Analytics Databricks

Job Specifications

Project Manager – Early R&D Data Platforms

Location: Lake County, IL

Schedule: Hybrid (On-site Tuesday & Thursday | Remote Monday & Friday)

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours/week

Pay Rate: $60–$64/hour

Role Overview

We are seeking a Project Manager to support Early R&D data platform initiatives, with a strong emphasis on data management (not analytics or pipeline development). This role sits within discovery/early research environments and focuses on building project management foundations, coordinating cross-functional teams, and supporting platform rollouts such as Code Ocean.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience managing data projects in Early R&D, understands omics data flows and metadata, and is comfortable working closely with bioinformatics and IT teams—without needing to own technical execution.

Key Responsibilities

Build and maintain project management foundations from scratch, including charters, roadmaps, timelines, and tracking tools.
Lead active project execution, including near-term initiatives such as a Code Ocean rollout.
Support early planning and intake for upcoming year-long R&D data initiatives.
Coordinate cross-functionally with bioinformatics, IT, data platform, and research teams, translating technical discussions into clear project plans.
Establish and manage project workflows using tools such as Smartsheet and Confluence.
Ensure alignment around metadata requirements and early-stage R&D data flows.
Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and resource needs with minimal oversight.

Required Qualifications

3–5 years of project management experience (title less important than hands-on delivery).
Direct experience supporting Early R&D environments (non-negotiable).
Data management platform experience within Early R&D or discovery research.
Familiarity with omics data management platforms:
Code Ocean (strongly preferred)
Databricks or similar platforms considered acceptable alternatives
Ability to “speak the language” of bioinformatics, data platform, and IT teams.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to independently build structure and process.
Comfortable working with minimal supervision; proactive and solutions-oriented.

Preferred / Nice to Have

Prior exposure to omics data (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, etc.)
Experience setting up PM tools and workflows in Smartsheet, Confluence, or similar
Background in discovery research, early R&D, or bioinformatics-adjacent teams

About the Company

The Fountain Group provides Contingent Labor, Statement-of-Work, and Contingent-to-Permanent resources to clients with an internal/external Contingent Labor Managed Service Program or Clients without a program. The Fountain Group is committed to the belief that we all share in the responsibility to conduct our businesses in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. We base this on the premise that a company is much more than the products it offers. The effect a company has on the environment, the people and the c... Know more