Portfolio Manager, Government Partnerships (DARPA & ARPA-H)
Cambridge, MA$168k - $272kFull-timePosted 3mo ago
About the role
Portfolio Manager overseeing end-to-end government partnerships with a focus on DARPA and ARPA-H, translating Lila's autonomous-science capabilities into executable engagements, building relationships, and sustaining funding pipelines.
Responsibilities
- Own Lila's relationships across assigned agencies, program offices, and international counterparts (starting with DARPA and ARPA-H).
- Build and maintain a structured pipeline of RFIs, RFPs, BAAs, FOAs, NOFOs, and similar mechanisms with strategic pursue/no-pursue decisions.
- Lead opportunities from identification through award and execution handoff, collaborating with Product Managers, Principal Investigators, and proposal teams to convert meetings into pilots, CRADAs, user-facility access, and procurements.
- Translate Lila's scientific thesis and autonomous-science workflows into compelling federal/international narratives in collaboration with communications, policy, and technical teams.
- Develop durable sponsor relationships with DARPA and ARPA-H program managers and office directors to unlock recurring funding and large procurements.
- Contribute to and refine public-sector capture engine (qualification rubrics, narrative kits, capability libraries, operating rhythms) for scale across Government Partnerships.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in federal or international government capture, business development, or partnerships with a track record of winning major awards or programs (FOAs, BAAs, NOFOs, CRADAs, etc.).
- Working fluency in at least one major public-science ecosystem, with strong preference for DARPA and/or ARPA-H; other ARPA-*, DOE, NIH, NSF, NIST experience valued.
- Ability to manage end-to-end capture from opportunity identification through qualification, shaping, proposal, award, and execution handoff.
- Experience translating complex science and AI into clear, credible narratives for non-technical, senior, and policy-facing audiences.
- Strong cross-functional leadership across scientists, product managers, communications, policy, and legal under tight timelines.
- Excellent written communication; comfortable operating with ambiguity in a founding-team environment.
- Willingness to travel regularly.
Skills
Required:Federal government captureStrategic pipeline managementTechnical storytelling for policy audiencesCross-functional leadership
Benefits
- Competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity.
- US Benefits: medical, dental, vision; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off and holidays; paid parental leave; educational assistance; commuter benefits; subsidized lunch program.
- International Benefits: regionally tailored programs; USD salary ranges apply to US-based positions.
Last updated Aug 5, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
About Lila Sciences
Pioneering Scientific Superintelligence
Pioneering Scientific Superintelligence to solve humankind’s greatest challenges.
Scientific SuperintelligenceAIAutonomous LabsLife SciencesChemical SciencesMaterials Sciences
More open roles at Lila Sciences
- Staff IT Systems Engineer, Endpoints4d agoCambridge, MA · Business Operations
- Principal Network Engineer4d agoCambridge, MA · Business Operations
- Contractor, P2P Specialist4d agoCambridge, MA · Corporate Development
- Staff / Principal Research Engineer, AI Safety Mitigations4d agoHybrid (Cambridge, MA; London, UK; San Francisco, CA) · AI
- Specialist / Senior Procurement Specialist4d agoCambridge, MA · Corporate Development