Programs & Operations Manager

The Many Brains Project | employment@manybrains.net
Remote (U.S.-based. Eastern Time Zone Required) | Full-Time

About The Many Brains Project

The Many Brains Project is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing cognitive and behavioral science through scalable digital assessment tools, scientific infrastructure, and open research resources. We develop and support the TestMyBrain platform, including TestMyBrain cognitive assessments, public educational and research resources, and the TMB Digital Lab on TestMyBrain.org. Our work supports researchers, clinicians, educators, and organizations around the world through scientifically rigorous cognitive testing, large-scale behavioral data collection, and research collaboration.

We also serve as the technology lead for major research initiatives, including the Open Measurement Network Initiative for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (OMNI ADRD) — a major project funded by the National Institutes of Health that spans 50 research teams across 25 sites nationwide, focused on developing the next generation of digital tools for early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Projects like OMNI ADRD depend on the kind of open, scalable infrastructure we specialize in building.

We are mission-driven, collaborative, and deeply committed to rigorous science, long-term thinking, and meaningful real-world impact. We believe scientific infrastructure matters, and we are building tools that help advance research and improve understanding of human cognition and behavior.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly organized, adaptable, and proactive Programs & Operations Manager to help expand the organizational capacity of Many Brains.

We are currently a small and growing team. As a result, every team member has meaningful ownership, significant autonomy, and opportunities to contribute across many aspects of the organization. We are actively expanding our team and organizational capacity, creating opportunities for individuals who enjoy helping shape systems, processes, and the future direction of a growing mission-driven organization.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys helping organizations function effectively, takes pride in solving a wide variety of problems, and wants to play a meaningful role in a small mission-driven team. Candidates may come from backgrounds such as nonprofit operations, program management, project management, research administration, startup operations, academic administration, partnership management, or related fields.

As a small nonprofit organization, we rely on team members who are versatile and willing to contribute across a wide range of activities. No two weeks are exactly alike. One day you may be coordinating a custom research study, the next you may be updating website content, preparing materials for a conference, improving an internal workflow, assembling grant documentation, or helping solve an unexpected operational challenge.

This role is designed for someone who finds that variety energizing, takes pride in helping organizations succeed, and is motivated by accomplishing meaningful work regardless of whether a task is strategic, operational, administrative, or logistical.

The Programs & Operations Manager will work closely with organizational leadership and will play a central role in supporting researcher partnerships, developing research studies, public resource dissemination, organizational operations, and a variety of evolving organizational priorities. We are looking for someone who can independently own complex work, exercise sound judgment, identify what needs to happen next, and help ensure that important organizational priorities move forward without requiring detailed day-to-day direction.

Our most successful team members combine initiative with humility. They are willing to lead projects, take responsibility for outcomes, and contribute wherever needed. No task is considered beneath anyone. Success in this role requires someone who is equally comfortable leading a new initiative, coordinating a complex research project, preparing Board materials, updating website content, organizing documentation, or handling routine administrative and logistical work.

Successful candidates will be thoughtful, detail-oriented, resourceful, and comfortable working independently in a collaborative environment that values flexibility, communication, continuous improvement, and a strong team-first mindset.

Who thrives here

Successful team members at Many Brains tend to:

Enjoy solving a wide variety of problems
Take initiative without needing detailed instructions
Value mission and impact over hierarchy and titles
Adapt comfortably as priorities evolve
Take ownership of outcomes rather than specific tasks
Exercise good judgment when managing competing priorities
Find satisfaction in helping a small organization succeed
Are equally willing to tackle strategic projects and routine operational work

Responsibilities

Research Programs & Partnerships

Manage research studies from initial inquiry through project completion
Serve as a primary point of contact for external researchers and organizational partners
Coordinate project timelines, deliverables, communications, and documentation across multiple stakeholders
Monitor study progress and proactively identify potential issues or delays
Support implementation of new research collaborations and organizational initiatives

Public Resources & Communications

Support dissemination and maintenance of public-facing educational and research resources
Coordinate website updates, announcements, newsletters, and outreach materials
Assist with conference preparation, presentations, and organizational communications
Help ensure public-facing materials remain accurate, current, and accessible

Operations & Organizational Support

Develop, improve, and maintain internal systems, workflows, and operational documentation
Help ensure organizational priorities and projects move forward effectively
Support grant administration, reporting, and compliance activities
Coordinate vendors, contractors, and external service providers as needed
Assist with board and governance support activities
Draft, review, and manage a variety of organizational documents and communications
Help maintain organizational records, documentation, and administrative systems
Identify operational challenges and propose practical solutions
Contribute to organizational initiatives and special projects as needs evolve

In Your First Year, You May:

Become the primary coordinator for custom research studies and external researcher relationships
Improve project tracking, documentation, and communication systems across the organization
Expand and streamline dissemination of Many Brains educational and research resources
Develop new operational processes that reduce administrative burden on leadership
Support grant reporting, compliance tracking, and administration activities
Assist with preparation of Board materials, meeting logistics, and governance support activities
Improve organizational systems, documentation, and workflows
Coordinate conference, partnership, and outreach activities
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, communication, and collaboration across the organization
Take ownership of additional organizational functions aligned with your strengths, interests, and organizational needs

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience
4+ years of relevant professional experience in program or project management, research administration or operations, software/technology project management, nonprofit management or a related field
At least 2 years of experience independently owning complex projects, programs, or workstreams from planning through completion
Demonstrated experience managing projects or programs involving research, software/technology development, or other complex technical work
Experience coordinating work across technical and non-technical stakeholders, such as software engineers, researchers, project leads, external partners, or organizational leadership
Demonstrated experience simultaneously managing multiple projects or workstreams with competing priorities and deadlines
Demonstrated experience serving as a primary point of contact for external stakeholders, such as clients, researchers, partners, collaborators, or similar groups
Demonstrated experience creating, redesigning, or substantially improving an organizational system, workflow, or process
Excellent professional written and verbal communication skills
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and identify what needs to happen without detailed day-to-day direction
Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing challenges
Comfort working across diverse responsibilities and adapting to changing priorities
Willingness to contribute across both high-level and routine administrative, operational, and logistical responsibilities in support of organizational goals

Nice to Have

Experience managing research projects that involve software development, digital tools, data collection systems, or other research technology
Experience supporting academic researchers or research programs
Familiarity with federally-funded and/or grant-funded projects
Experience managing external partnerships or client-facing projects
Experience with project management and collaboration tools
Experience developing operational workflows and standard operating procedures
Familiarity with cognitive science, behavioral science, education, or health research environments

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: approximately $75,000–$95,000 depending on experience and qualifications
Fully remote work environment (U.S.-based; Eastern Time Zone required)
22 vacation days, 11 organization-wide holidays, 1 floating holiday, 2 paid personal days, 8 paid sick days
401(k) retirement plan with employer matching after 6 months of employment
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits for full-time employees, including employer-supported dependent coverage
Flexible and supportive remote work culture with established core collaboration hours
Opportunities for professional growth and long-term career development
Meaningful ownership and autonomy within a mission-driven nonprofit organization

Growth & Long-Term Opportunity

This role is intentionally broad and designed to evolve alongside both the successful candidate and the organization.

Because we are a small team, individuals often have opportunities to shape parts of their role around their strengths, interests, and emerging organizational needs. Over time, successful candidates may take increasing ownership of organizational operations, grant administration, partnership management, governance support, research programs, communications, and other critical functions.

We are especially interested in candidates who enjoy learning new things, improving systems, and helping organizations grow thoughtfully and sustainably.

Potential areas of growth may include:

research operations
nonprofit operations and administration
grant administration and management
partnership development
organizational strategy
product and program development
people and team operations

We care deeply about initiative, adaptability, intellectual curiosity, humility, sound judgment, and long-term growth. This role is especially well suited for someone who enjoys solving a wide variety of problems, contributing across many areas, and having a meaningful impact within a mission-driven organization.

How to Apply

Please submit the following materials to employment@manybrains.net:

1. Resume or CV

Please include your current resume or curriculum vitae.

2. Responses to the Application Questions

Rather than submitting a traditional cover letter, please provide brief responses to the four questions below. Please limit each response to 150 words or fewer.

- Mission, Motivation & Fit

After reading this posting and learning about Many Brains, what specifically makes this role a good fit for what you want next in your career? What aspect of the role do you think would be most challenging for you?

- Building Better Systems

Tell us about a system, workflow, or process you personally created or substantially redesigned, ideally in a research, technical, or similarly complex environment. What wasn't working, what did you change, and what was the result?

- Ownership & Initiative

Tell us about a time you noticed something important needed to be done that wasn't clearly your responsibility. What did you do, why did you decide to step in, and what was the outcome?

- Prioritization & Judgment

Imagine you begin your workday and discover the following:

A researcher is waiting for an urgent response.
A grant report is due tomorrow.
Your supervisor asks for help preparing materials for an upcoming Board meeting.
A conference submission deadline has unexpectedly been moved up.

Briefly describe what you would do first, what could wait, what additional information you would seek, and what you would communicate to others. We are less interested in a single "right" answer than in understanding how you think through competing priorities.

3. Writing Sample

Please include one writing sample of no more than two pages that reflects your own professional writing.

This does not need to be a formal publication. We are interested in seeing an example of clear, organized, professional writing relevant to the kinds of work performed in this position. Examples might include:

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) or process documentation
Internal documentation or guidance
Project plans
Meeting summaries or minutes
Research coordination documents
Training materials
Grant administration materials
Reports or proposals
Communications intended for researchers, collaborators, partners, or colleagues

If necessary, confidential or identifying information may be removed or redacted. If the sample was collaboratively written, please briefly describe your contribution.

Application Requirements

Applicants must be:

Authorized to work in the United States without current or future employment visa sponsorship
Available for full-time employment
Able to regularly work during Many Brains’ established core collaboration hours (9am-5pm ET)
Comfortable with the posted salary range for this position

Applications that do not include all requested materials or substantially exceed the stated response limits may not be considered. Due to expected volume, we will be unable to respond to every application.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled.

We recognize that strong candidates may not match every qualification listed above. If you are excited about the role and believe your background could contribute to our work, we encourage you to apply.

The Many Brains Project is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, and we are committed to building an inclusive and collaborative workplace.