Project Manager - Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient care, education, and research institute providing neurological and mental healthcare through more than 300,000 visits annually. The 300+ physicians and scientists of the RNI improve lives by pioneering advances in neuroscience, brain health, and therapeutics. The RNI team uses the latest technologies with academic, government, and industry partners to make tangible progress to combat public health challenges ranging from addiction to Alzheimer's disease.

The RNI's flagship facilities are located on the WVU Health Sciences campus in Morgantown, with more than 2,200 dedicated team members across seven departments, patient care units, and research laboratories. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.

About the Opportunity

Cognito Therapeutics, Inc. (Cognito) is a venture-backed startup company translating scientific findings from MIT into therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Cognito was awarded a Breakthrough designation by the FDA in December 2020 based upon their feasibility data that showed preservation of cognition and function in Alzheimer's patients. Cognito initiated a pivotal study for treatment of Alzheimer's in Dec 2022. Cognito has a fast-moving, highly motivated team of people with the ambitious goal of helping millions of patients and caregivers around the world who are burdened by neurodegenerative conditions. With their patented gamma stimulation technology, Cognito is committed to developing non-invasive device-based therapies

The Partnership Project Manager serves as the primary administrative and coordination liaison between Cognito and RNI. As a key player in a fast-paced environment the Partnership Project Manager is responsible for facilitating the day-to-day coordination of initiatives across the partnership in accordance with established governance structures and approved project plans. In this unique collaborative role, you will be an employee of RNI, and have a supervisor at the RNI IC, and will work closely with designated RNI program leadership, while interfacing with Cognito representatives for purposes of information sharing, coordination, and status reporting to support the day-to-day progress of joint initiatives. You will be responsible for coordinating timelines, tracking milestones, and facilitating communication regarding shared project activities.

Success in this role requires strong cross-organizational coordination, communication, and project governance skills.

What You'll Do

Program & Project Management

• Manage day-to-day project coordination across joint Cognito-RNI initiatives, including planning, scheduling, task tracking, and delivery.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, milestones, and dependencies for joint activities.
• Monitor progress, risks, and issues; proactively escalate and drive resolution as needed.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with partnership objectives.

Cross-Organizational Coordination

• Serve as the central point of contact between Cognito and RNI for operational project activities.
• Coordinate resources, inputs, and deliverables for joint activities.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among clinical, operational, technical, and administrative stakeholders, including regular "Sync" meetings and joint leadership reviews.

Governance & Reporting

• Support partnership governance structures, including working groups, steering committees, and executive updates.
• Prepare status reports, dashboards, and meeting materials for partnership leadership.
• Track decisions, action items, and approvals to ensure accountability and follow-through.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong working relationships with key stakeholders across Cognito and RNI.
• Align expectations, clarify roles and responsibilities, and manage competing priorities.
• Support change management and adoption of agreed-upon processes and workflows.

Process & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve coordination, efficiency, and execution across the partnership.
• Help establish and refine project management standards, tools, and best practices for joint work.
• Capture lessons learned and support continuous improvement of the partnership operating model.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain a centralized repository of all joint project documentation, contracts, and meeting minutes.
• Ensure that project activities comply with the data-sharing and intellectual property agreements established between Cognito and RNI.