Associate Director, Science Ecosystem

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.

The Milken Institute’s events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, the Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world and featuring 900+ speakers across 200+ sessions. 

About Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy and SPARC

One of four pillars at the Milken Institute, Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy advises individuals, corporations, and foundations on the most strategic ways to ensure their philanthropic investments make an equitable, transformative impact, and offers tools and recommendations for making philanthropy more effective. Since its launch in 2015, the pillar has influenced more than $3.1 billion of philanthropic capital. In addition to in-depth research, reports, and guides, we design and build programs including funding initiatives, research collaboratives, large-scale innovation programs, and high-level events. Finally, we foster peer learning communities to accelerate knowledge-sharing and promote partnership. Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy’s three portfolios of programmatic work include SPARC (Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration), Environmental & Social Innovation (ESI), and Philanthropy Leadership Collective (PLC). Within Strategic Philanthropy, our SPARC portfolio facilitates investment across a range of scientific focus areas—including mental health, oncology, neuroscience, rare disease, and the science ecosystem. 

About the Position 

The Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy team seeks a talented professional with expertise in biomedical, cross-disciplinary, and health research to lead the development of new strategies, programs, and initiatives within the SPARC portfolio’s science ecosystem programmatic area. We are looking for an individual with deep knowledge and expertise in the biomedical ecosystem to move core initiatives forward in medical research philanthropy in collaboration with Milken Institute teams and partner organizations.

We are looking for a thoughtful, collaborative, detail-oriented, and energetic individual with excellent communication, management, organization, and research skills to join our team. The ideal candidate will be passionate about advancing cross-cutting areas of science and strengthening the biomedical ecosystem through strategic philanthropic investment and systems innovation. This team member will work with private foundations and nonprofit organizations to develop strategies to channel philanthropic capital to expand the resources, infrastructure, and talent necessary for systems-level change via SPARC-managed initiatives in close collaboration with our partners. Recent areas of focus have included: computational biology, health equity in science, early-career biomedical workforce, and strategic and organizational planning. 

Successful team members are able to comfortably dive into broad, cross-cutting health topics while also delving deep into the science of a particular research field. Knowledge and interest in integrating a health equity lens into initiatives are welcome. Applicants should have experience thinking about the breadth of challenges facing the biomedical ecosystem, as well as strategic and operational planning for a variety of organizations. Additionally, team members should be able to thoughtfully engage with stakeholders and communities across a variety of sectors and synthesize and summarize key areas for investment for executive-level philanthropic partners. 

Responsibilities 

Requirements 

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of three (3) days per week reporting in-person to the Washington, DC office location (Tuesday – Thursday), with the remaining two (2) days working remotely. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute’s sole discretion. 

This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world. 

Note

The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer. 

We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.

Please submit resume and cover letter illustrating how your experience and skills will contribute to the department and any unique qualities you bring to the position. If applying via Indeed, please upload your resume and any supporting documentation as one attachment. Any application that does not include both a resume and cover letter will be rejected. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact our Human Resources department to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Our Culture

The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran. 

Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences. We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone. 

Benefits