Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is seeking a detail-oriented and process-driven HR Generalist (Contract) to join our HR Operations team. This role will serve as the execution backbone of our HR Operations function. The HR Generalist will handle the day-to-day administration of the employee lifecycle, systems management, benefits support, and cross-functional HR tasks. This is a high-execution role best suited for someone who takes pride in doing administrative work accurately and efficiently, thrives on process ownership, and is energized by bringing order and consistency to a growing organization.

What You'll Be Building

Employee Lifecycle, Onboarding & Offboarding

• Execute end-to-end pre-boarding and onboarding processes, including coordination of IT intake, systems access setup, and employee introduction materials
• Identify and implement improvements to pre-boarding workflows to increase consistency and reduce manual effort
• Support offboarding administration, including exit paperwork and required system updates
• Process administrative HR actions across the employee lifecycle: new hires, transfers, internal role changes, manager changes, and terminations
• Generate employment letters (transfer, termination, etc.) and manage signature request workflows
• Maintain and organize employee documentation in accordance with compliance requirements

Immigration & Benefits Administration

• Manage immigration paperwork and coordinate with external counsel or vendors on active cases under HR Operations Manager guidance
• Administer benefits tasks that cannot be automated, including enrollment support and data entry
• Provide leave administration support as needed, in coordination with HRBPs

HR Inbox & Employee Support

• Manage the HR team inbox: triage, respond to, and route inquiries related to onboarding/offboarding, immigration, benefits, and company policies
• Serve as a reliable first point of contact for employee and manager HR questions, ensuring timely and accurate responses, and escalating complex cases appropriately

Process & Compliance

• Own the I-9 compliance process end-to-end: complete Section 2 verification for all new hires, manage re-verification for expiring work authorization documents, maintain organized and audit-ready I-9 records, and coordinate E-Verify submissions where applicable
• Collaborate with HR Operations to document, standardize, and improve HR workflows and procedures

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 1–3+ years of HR experience with a focus on HR operations, administration, or HR coordination
• Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms; HiBob and/or ADP experience is a plus
• Strong attention to detail and a track record of accurate, high-volume administrative work
• Comfortable managing multiple competing priorities with minimal supervision
• Clear and professional communicator (written and verbal)
• Ability to handle sensitive, confidential HR information with discretion
• Demonstrated commitment to process improvement and operational consistency
• Local to the Cambridge, MA area; able to work hybrid (averaging ~3 days/week onsite based on need)

Bonus Points For

• Experience with ATS platforms (e.g., Greenhouse)
• Direct experience administering the I-9 process
• Experience with process documentation and process flow documents
• Familiarity with immigration processes and vendor coordination
• Experience supporting benefits administration or leave management
• Comfort with ambiguity in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Overview of the role:

As the Product Manager for Software / Applied AI at Lila, you will help build the first truly AI-native system of record for scientific discovery. We are looking for product leaders who can dive deep into a specific domain and own it completely.

Whether your strengths align best with our core software platform or our cutting-edge agentic science offerings, you will be embedded with a dedicated scrum team to solve complex, full-stack challenges. You will sit at the intersection of commercial, engineering, design, and scientific research, building the tools that accelerate the next generation of scientific discovery.

We are hiring for a wide range of function areas, and seniority levels — final title and level will be decided at the offer stage. Priority areas include 1) data, 2) ML / computational tooling, 3) scientific agents, and 4) harness & evals.

Location:

Ability to work from our San Francisco, CA; or Cambridge, MA office 3-5 days per week.

Responsibilities:

Deep Domain Ownership:

We will match your unique product strengths to a specific scrum team, where you will go deep, define the roadmap, and become the absolute subject matter expert for that product area. That said, we operate as one product team and collaborate closely.

Full-Stack Product Execution:

From designing user-facing scientific workflow tools to shaping the underlying data infrastructure that powers our AI models, you will define requirements and guide execution across the entire stack.

The intelligence platform for Science:

Build intuitive, powerful software that scientists actually want to use. You will be responsible for translating incredibly complex scientific workflows into scalable, elegant digital products.

Cross-Functional Orchestration:

Lead the dialogue between our research scientists (who push the boundaries of what's possible) and our engineering teams (who build robust, scalable systems), ensuring we ship high-impact, cohesive products.

Qualifications:

Core Product Experience:

Product Management experience building complex B2B SaaS, data-heavy platforms, or highly technical software products.

The Full-Stack Mindset:

You are comfortable navigating both the user experience of a complex workflow and the technical realities of the backend architecture required to support it.

Bias for Action in Complexity:

You thrive in ambiguous environments. You can take a vague, highly technical customer request and turn it into a clear, prioritized roadmap for your engineering team in days, not weeks.

Operational Rigor:

You care deeply about the "how" — how the product is built, how it performs, and how it directly impacts the end user's daily work.

Preferred Skills:

Scientific Background:

A degree or deep practical experience in the hard sciences (materials science, chemistry, biology, etc.).

Building for Scientists:

Direct experience building software, tools, or platforms specifically designed for scientific researchers or lab environments.

Startup DNA:

Experience as an early-stage product manager who knows how to move fast, iterate, and build from 0 to 1.

Your Impact at LILA

We’re seeking a Head of Supply Chain & Strategic Sourcing to design and scale the function that keeps our scientific platform moving. You’ll own sourcing, procurement, vendor management, inventory, and payments with responsibility for hundreds of millions in annual spend across scientific equipment, lab operations, consumables, and technology infrastructure.

This role sits at the intersection of science, engineering, and finance. You’ll work closely with R&D, engineering, and AI research teams to ensure material availability, supplier performance, cost optimization, and operational resilience. If you’ve built procurement functions in environments where the stakes are high and the pace is fast whether in biotech, AI infrastructure, advanced materials, or hardware this is the role for you.

What You'll Be Building

• Design and scale the end-to-end Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process: sourcing strategy, purchasing channels, vendor governance, and payment operations.
• Lead strategic sourcing: supplier selection, contract negotiations, and ongoing vendor management.
• Build scalable supply chain infrastructure to support complex labs, capital equipment programs, specialized materials, and evolving R&D needs.
• Implement and optimize ERP/P2P systems, automation, and operations (procurement tools, AP workflows, controls).
• Create KPIs and dashboards to drive cost savings, supplier performance, and working capital optimization.
• Establish governance, policies, internal controls, and scalable systems for compliance and audit readiness.
• Centralize procurement operations to align purchasing, payments, leasing, and working capital management.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in procurement, supply chain, or P2P operations.
• Experience building or transforming supply chain/P2P in a high-growth setting.
• Experience in biotech, life sciences, AI, advanced materials, or hardware-enabled environments.
• Deep knowledge of ERP and procurement systems (examples: NetSuite, Coupa, Ariba, Ramp; familiarity with Prendo if applicable).
• Proven success negotiating complex supplier agreements and driving cost optimization.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams through rapid growth in spend and headcount.
• Experience implementing modern procurement or ERP systems to replace legacy infrastructure.
• Experience overseeing leasing and equipment financing aligned with capital strategy.

Bonus Points For

• Familiarity with public-company readiness, SOX compliance, and audit environments.
• Experience developing equipment leasing and financing strategies to optimize capital deployment and cash flow.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., MBA, CPIM, CPSM) or equivalent experience.

Your Impact at LILA

Lila is building at the frontier of AI-driven science, and the quality of our team is the most important variable in our success. As Director of Talent Acquisition, you will lead a team of recruiters, sourcers, and TA Operations professionals maintaining a critically high talent bar across AI, Software, and Scientific hiring.

You will set the strategic direction for how Lila finds, attracts, and closes exceptional talent in some of the most competitive markets in the world, designing interview processes, developing bespoke sourcing strategies, and building the metrics infrastructure to track what's working. You will also coach and mentor your team, raising the overall craft of the function.

The right person is deeply curious about highly technical disciplines, well-networked across AI, Software, and Science talent communities, and driven to multiply the brilliance and culture of the company with every hire. You operate with high autonomy and are motivated by building a talent function that is itself a competitive advantage.

What You'll Be Building

• Lead and develop a team of recruiters, sourcers, and TA Operations professionals, setting high standards for performance, craft, and candidate experience
• Own full-cycle recruiting strategy across the entire company, scaling the organization across multiple technical disciplines, functions, and geographies
• Design and continuously improve interview processes, sourcing strategies, and closing approaches for highly technical and competitive roles
• Build and deploy AI-powered tools and custom sourcing methodologies that raise the ceiling on how Lila recruits, and socialize best practices up to and including the C-suite
• Build and manage recruiting metrics and reporting infrastructure to track pipeline health, conversion rates, time-to-fill, and quality of hire
• Serve as a thought partner to senior leadership on talent market trends, hiring forecasts, and team-building strategy

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 10+ years of recruiting experience, with at least 3 years building and leading high-performing TA teams in a fast-growing company
• Demonstrated success developing recruiter capability, raising the bar on sourcing craft, candidate quality, and team-wide performance
• Deep technical recruiting expertise across multiple of the following: AI/ML, Software Engineering, Scientific research
• Proven ability to scale a recruiting function across disciplines, geographies, and role types as a company grows
• Track record of building and deploying AI-powered tools and custom sourcing methodologies that give the team a structural advantage
• Strong command of recruiting metrics and the ability to translate data into team priorities and hiring strategy
• Advises senior leadership and hiring managers on talent strategy and how to build world-class teams at scale

Bonus Points For

• Experience scaling TA functions at high-growth companies from early stage through significant organizational expansion
• Familiarity with the talent landscape in AI, biotech, or deep tech
• Experience recruiting internationally or building multi-region hiring pipelineS

Your Impact at LILA

As a Senior Accountant at Lila, you'll play a pivotal role in scaling and refining our financial operations during a period of rapid growth and innovation. You'll own core accounting functions, help implement best-in-class processes, and ensure timely, accurate financial reporting across the company. Partnering closely with Finance, Operations, and cross-functional teams, you'll bring rigor, insight, and systems thinking to support strategic decisions and maintain financial excellence. This is a high-impact opportunity to build and scale the accounting foundation of a company redefining the future of science.

What You'll Be Building

• Support the month-end close process, including preparing journal entries, reconciliations, and reporting
• Ensure accurate application of US GAAP, especially around fixed assets and leases
• Partner with lab ops, procurement, and other departments on fixed asset and lease workflows, tracking, and accounting
• Support audits and compliance efforts, including preparation of schedules and coordination with external auditors
• Drive improvements in accounting systems and processes (e.g., ERP optimization, automation of reconciliations)

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• CPA license
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• 4+ years of accounting experience, with at least 2 years in public accounting or a high-growth tech/life sciences company
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP
• Experience with accounting systems (e.g., NetSuite or similar ERP)
• Advanced Excel skills and a high degree of attention to detail

Bonus Points For

• Experience with Fixed Asset Accounting, Lease Accounting (ASC 842)
• Familiarity with internal controls and SOX compliance
• Exposure to FP&A or cross-functional business partnering
• Passion for Lila's mission and eagerness to support science at the cutting edge

Your Impact at LILA

Lila is looking for an HR Manager to join the HRBP team and serve as a reliable, day-to-day people partner to assigned managers and client groups. You will support the execution of people programs, help managers navigate employee relations and performance topics, and contribute to building a strong, consistent culture as the organization scales. This role is a strong foundation for growing into a broader strategic HR advisory capacity over time.

What You'll Be Building

• Partner with assigned managers to provide hands-on HR guidance on talent management, employee relations, performance management, and team effectiveness
• Coach managers on people leadership, navigating difficult conversations, and developing their teams
• Drive execution of core HR programs including performance review cycles, compensation planning, and engagement initiatives
• Identify trends in people data and employee feedback to surface insights and flag areas requiring attention
• Collaborate cross-functionally with HR, Legal, and Finance to ensure consistency and compliance across people processes

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 5–7 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 2 years in an HRBP, HR generalist, or client-facing HR role
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with managers and leaders across an organization
• Solid knowledge of core HR disciplines including performance management and employment law fundamentals
• Experience coaching managers through complex or sensitive people situations
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment where priorities shift quickly
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling confidential matters

Bonus Points For

• Experience supporting technical or scientific organizations, particularly in biotech, AI, or deeptech
• Familiarity with HRIS and people tools such as HiBob, Udemy, Greenhouse, or similar platforms
• Background in organizational development, change management, or culture-building initiatives
• Experience in a startup or high-growth company where HR processes and infrastructure were still being built
• Comfort using AI tools to improve and scale people processes and programs

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is the world’s first scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous lab for life, chemistry, and materials science.  We are pioneering a new age of boundless discovery by building the capabilities to apply AI to every aspect of the scientific method.  We are introducing scientific superintelligence to solve humankind's greatest challenges, enabling scientists to bring forth solutions in human health, climate, and sustainability at a pace and scale never experienced before.

As a Head of Software Product you will serve as the primary architect of our software product strategy. You will lead the development of our “Agentic Superscience” software—the foundational platform designed to reinvent the scientific method through AI. Reporting directly to the Chief Revenue & Product Officer, you will be responsible for transforming complex scientific workflows into a scalable, world-class software ecosystem. You will set the roadmap, build the processes, and the culture necessary to deliver Lila’s most critical competitive advantage. As a member of the leadership team, you will play a critical role in shaping the culture, technical strategy, and therapeutic impact of our software.

What You'll Be Building

• The Agentic Platform: Lead the roadmap and build of our foundational software platform that enables AI agents to conduct, analyze, and iterate on complex materials, chemistry, and biology experiments.
• A Cross-Functional Engine: Create the integrated framework that allows Software, ML, and Wet-lab teams to work in a continuous, high-performance loop.
• Customer-Centric Interfaces: Deliver reliable, intuitive interfaces and high-performance endpoints that make scientific superintelligence accessible to diverse users.
• Operational Excellence: Own the product lifecycle from discovery to delivery. Implement robust frameworks for prioritization that balance rapid innovation with enterprise-grade reliability.
• The Product Org & Executive Voice: You will build the frameworks for high-level communication, serving as the authoritative voice for the software product and providing the strategic insights that will influence Lila’s overall trajectory.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 15+ years of experience in Product Management, with a track record of shipping complex, multidisciplinary software systems (0-to-1 and scaling phases) using a modern tech stack.
• Experience building software with AI at its core and must be AI-native.
• Deep understanding of the scientific method, either via schooling in a scientific domain or from experience building software for scientists
• Demonstrated experience building and leading large, high-performing teams in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
• A drive for impact against mission goals, with a high degree of comfort in the ambiguity of a ‘founding’ environment.
• Capable of communicating technical and scientific concepts to any audience, from engineers to investors.

Bonus Points For

• Experience with automated or self-driving labs.
• Experience building complex agentic AI strategies.

Your Impact at LILA

We are seeking a detail-oriented and highly collaborative Revenue Manager to own the operational execution of revenue accounting for licensing, collaboration, and other complex revenue agreements. This role sits within the finance function and focuses on ensuring accurate, timely, and scalable revenue processes, partner reporting, and billing operations.

What You'll Be Building

Revenue Operations & Execution

• Own day-to-day revenue accounting operations for collaboration, licensing, and other revenue-generating agreements
• Translate contract terms into operational workflows for revenue recognition, billing, and reporting
• Ensure revenue is recorded accurately and consistently in accordance with established accounting policies

Contract Interpretation & Application

• Review revenue agreements and summarize key accounting and operational terms (e.g., billing triggers, milestones, deliverables)
• Apply ASC 606 principles to support proper treatment of revenue, in partnership with technical accounting where needed
• Serve as a bridge between technical accounting conclusions and operational execution

Close & Reporting

• Lead monthly and quarterly close activities for revenue, including journal entries and reconciliations
• Maintain supporting schedules and ensure completeness and accuracy of revenue balances
• Support financial reporting and audit requests with well-organized documentation

Partner Billing & Reporting

• Own invoicing, cash application, and partner reporting processes
• Ensure billing and reporting align with contractual terms and timelines
• Track and manage milestone billing, cost-sharing arrangements, and other variable components

Process Improvement & Systems

• Build and refine scalable processes for managing revenue
• Partner with systems teams to operationalize revenue workflows in ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite)
• Develop templates, trackers, and documentation to improve efficiency and reduce risk

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner closely with legal, FP&A, business development, and scientific teams to ensure alignment between contracts and execution
• Proactively identify gaps or ambiguities in agreements that could impact revenue operations

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 6+ years of experience in accounting, with exposure to revenue recognition
• Strong working knowledge of ASC 606 and ability to apply it in practice
• Experience operationalizing revenue processes (billing, revenue tracking, reconciliations)
• Experience reviewing contracts and translating terms into accounting workflows
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple agreements simultaneously
• Excellent organizational and cross-functional communication skills

Bonus Points For

• Experience in biotech, life sciences, or deep tech environments
• Familiarity with collaboration agreements, licensing, milestone-based revenue, or cost-sharing arrangements
• Experience with NetSuite or similar ERP systems
• CPA
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Your Impact at LILA

Lila is looking for a Senior HR Manager to join the HRBP team and serve as a trusted people partner to assigned managers and client groups at our San Francisco office. You will lead execution of core people programs, advise managers on employee relations and team effectiveness, and help build a strong, consistent culture as the organization scales. You bring enough experience to work with meaningful independence and to start shaping how HR programs operate on the ground — with room to grow into a broader strategic advisory capacity over time.

What You'll Be Building

• Partner with assigned managers to provide hands-on HR guidance on talent management, employee relations, performance management, and team effectiveness
• Coach managers on people leadership, navigating difficult conversations, and developing their teams
• Lead execution of core HR programs including performance review cycles, compensation planning, and engagement initiatives
• Serve as the on-site HR presence for the SF office, supporting employee-facing touchpoints including onboarding, offboarding, and in-person HR needs
• Manage operational HR processes specific to the California office
• Identify trends in people data and employee feedback to surface insights and recommend action
• Collaborate cross-functionally with HR, Legal, and Finance to ensure consistency and compliance across people processes
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of people programs and processes as the HR function matures

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 7–9 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years in an HRBP, HR generalist, or client-facing HR role
• Experience handling HR operational tasks including onboarding administration, I-9 compliance, and new hire processes
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with managers and leaders across an organization
• Strong knowledge of core HR disciplines including performance management and employment law fundamentals, with familiarity with California employment law a plus
• Experience coaching managers through complex or sensitive people situations with minimal oversight
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment where priorities shift quickly
• Strong judgment and discretion when handling confidential matters

Bonus Points For

• Experience supporting technical or scientific organizations, particularly in biotech, AI, or deeptech
• Familiarity with HRIS and people tools such as HiBob, Udemy, Greenhouse, or similar platforms
• Background in organizational development, change management, or culture-building initiatives
• Experience in a startup or high-growth company where HR processes and infrastructure were still being built
• Comfort using AI tools to improve and scale people processes and programs

Your Impact at LILA

Origins is Lila's company and asset creation arm, where Lila's partners can turn scientific vision into molecules, materials, and real-world ventures. As a Senior Associate on the Origins team, you will work directly with leadership to evaluate and advance scientific opportunities. You will build analytical frameworks, partner-facing materials, and financial models that underpin how we identify, structure, and pursue these opportunities. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role for a builder who thrives in ambiguity and wants to be close to consequential decisions at one of the most ambitious scientific companies in the world.

What You'll Be Building

• Build and maintain financial models and projections to evaluate scientific opportunities and inform decisions
• Develop partner-facing materials, presentations, and analyses to support external conversations and deal processes, working alongside leadership and external partners
• Evaluate opportunities in the context of Lila's platform, assessing scientific, commercial, and strategic fit
• Support structuring and execution of ventures from early-stage diligence through deal close
• Synthesize complex scientific and financial information into clear, decision-ready outputs for senior leadership
• Collaborate across Lila's scientific, finance, legal, and product/revenue teams to advance active opportunities

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• Typically 4-6 years of experience, with a background in investment banking, private equity, or growth equity, and subsequent experience in venture capital, a startup, or a similarly fast-paced environment
• Bachelor's degree in a scientific or engineering discipline, or equivalent technical training
• Strong financial modeling and analytical skills, with the ability to build models independently from scratch
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality partner-facing materials and executive presentations under tight timelines
• Comfortable working in ambiguity with limited oversight, and able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex information for senior audiences

Bonus Points For

• Experience evaluating early-stage scientific or technology opportunities
• Familiarity with deep tech or life sciences sectors
• Ability to engage substantively with scientific concepts and translate them into business and financial terms
• Experience working directly with senior leadership in a high-growth or fast-paced environment
• Proficiency in tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization platforms

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is looking for a Director of Product, Life Sciences strategic and visionary product leader who will shape the future of our therapeutic research and development capabilities. Reporting to the Vice President, Life Science Product, you will lead the strategy, roadmap, and execution for products and platforms at the intersection of drug discovery, chemical synthesis, and scientific intelligence.

What You'll Be Building

• Drive the strategic direction for turning our AI capabilities toward breakthrough solutions in drug discovery, chemical synthesis, and molecular characterization
• Translate strategic objectives into target product profiles (TPPs) and development campaigns that guide science and engineering teams and enable breakthrough innovations in life sciences
• Lead customer and internal-user discovery, serving as the technical link to external customers and partners in the life sciences
• Identify and shape product opportunities grounded in real-world discovery challenges, partnering closely with collaborators, customers, and strategic partners to ensure relevance and downstream value
• Translate insights into clear product requirements, acceptance criteria, and experiment plans that guide engineering and science teams
• Drive product execution from concept to launch while leading cross-functional teams across science, machine learning, automation, and software engineering
• Manage resource allocations (budget, compute, lab access, people) and decisions against a complex set of priorities (e.g., focus of experiments between AI model training and near-term partnership requests)
• Define clear success metrics and milestones, and clearly communicate progress against them to the company, including executive leadership

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• MS, PhD, or equivalent experience in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, chemical engineering, biochemistry, or a related field, with a strong grounding in experimental science
• 7+ years in Product Management building new and/or experimental products in drug discovery, molecular profiling, machine learning, or scientific software development
• Deep understanding of drug development processes, molecular and cellular research tools, and wet and dry lab workflows
• Experience with small molecule discovery workflows (e.g., lead optimization, ADMET profiling, synthesis planning) is strongly preferred
• Experience defining and executing target product profiles (TPPs) for new drug products, life sciences research tools, or scientific data platforms
• Experience with managing extremely complex, multidisciplinary projects using project management best practices
• Relentlessly output-focused; driven by impact against our mission and program goals, not by doing tasks, owning decisions, or being in meetings
• Proven ability to influence without authority and lead cross-functional teams effectively
• Highly collaborative and empathetic
• High degree of comfort with ambiguity and able to adapt to changing teams and needs
• Able to create small, achievable units of work from large, complex, and ambiguous goals
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of conveying technical information to any audience

Bonus Points For

• Experience with automated/self-driving labs and experience working with (not necessarily having run) ML approaches relevant to drug discovery and molecular science
• Following the rapid evolution of LLMs and other AI solutions and have thoughts and opinions on how this will impact the future of scientific discovery and product development
• Background in partnering with biopharma or research organizations to define collaborative milestones and workflows

Your Impact at LILA

As a Senior Technical Recruiter at Lila Sciences, you will be the San Francisco-market-facing driver of our engineering and AI/ML research hiring. This role is built for someone who recruits like a technologist and a community builder: you’ll experiment with agentic recruiting tools, go deep in high-signal technical communities (X, GitHub, open-source, research circles), and build real-world relationships through coffee chats and meetups — then convert those relationships into exceptional hires.

What You'll Be Building

• Build and sustain a high-trust network of software engineers and AI/ML researchers in San Francisco through consistent relationship-building: coffee chats, warm intros, repeat touchpoints, and community presence.
• Develop non-traditional sourcing and discovery loops: identify high-signal talent via X, GitHub, open-source ecosystems, technical writing, niche communities, and research networks — not just LinkedIn searches.
• Build and iterate on agentic recruiting workflows/tools (lightweight automations, discovery agents, enrichment/triage helpers, outreach experimentation) to continuously improve how we find and engage the right people.
• Attend and host community touchpoints: meetups, dinners, office hours, and small events that strengthen Lila’s presence and create a durable “people know people” pipeline.
• Partner closely with our Senior Technical Sourcer to convert top-of-funnel into engaged candidates and maintain a high-quality, high-touch experience from first conversation through close.
• Run full-cycle recruiting for technical roles: intake with hiring managers, recruiter screens, interview loop management, candidate coaching, offer strategy, and closing.
• Develop compelling narratives tailored to technical audiences — why Lila, why now, why this role — and evolve messaging based on what you’re hearing in the market.
• Maintain operational rigor: clean pipeline tracking, stage hygiene, weekly updates, and clear next steps for candidates and hiring teams.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 3-5+ years of experience in full-cycle recruiting, with a demonstrated track record in highly technical or specialized environments (in-house, agency, or a mix).
• Track record of finding talent through high-signal technical channels (e.g., X, GitHub, open-source communities, meetups, research networks) — not only conventional databases.
• Comfort running a high-touch cadence (multiple in-person conversations per week), with excellent follow-up and relationship management.
• Demonstrated success recruiting for Software Engineers, AI/ML researchers and research-adjacent profiles (research engineers, applied scientists, etc.).
• Hands-on experience building and iterating agentic recruiting tools/workflows (scripts, automations, prototypes, or internal utilities) that improve candidate discovery, prioritization, and engagement; comfort operating in public technical ecosystems (e.g., GitHub/X) when appropriate.
• High ownership and operational discipline in a fast-moving environment where priorities may shift.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive hiring practices.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and enthusiasm for Lila’s mission of accelerating scientific discovery through AI.

Bonus Points For

• Experience hosting meetups/salons or building durable technical communities in SF.
• Experience recruiting for research-heavy or frontier AI organizations (or similarly high-bar technical environments).
• Familiarity with research signals (papers, citations, open-source impact) and how they translate to hiring decisions.
• Comfort experimenting quickly with new tooling/workflows and sharing learnings with a team.

Your Impact at LILA

Lila Sciences is looking for an Associate Director / Director, Program Management, Life Sciences — a senior operator who will drive the planning, execution, and delivery of therapeutic programs on Lila's platform. This person will provide direct project management leadership to the internal science, engineering, and automation teams developing molecules for our partners, owning timelines, resourcing, and progress tracking across complex, multidisciplinary programs. They will also serve as a senior operational interface with our pharmaceutical and biotech partners, ensuring that deliverables, governance, and communication are running smoothly.

These programs carry significant scientific complexity and commercial stakes. This role requires someone who can drive execution across fast-moving, technically demanding programs from the inside while maintaining the partner-facing judgment and presence to keep external stakeholders informed and aligned.

What You'll Be Building

• Own end-to-end project management for active therapeutic programs, including timeline development, resource coordination, milestone tracking, and dependency management across product, science, machine learning and automation teams
• Drive day-to-day execution discipline; ensuring that internal teams have clear priorities, deliverables, and decision points, and that blockers are identified and resolved quickly
• Manage resource allocation discussions and trade-off decisions across a complex set of priorities (e.g., balancing experiments between AI model training and near-term partnership deliverables)
• Establish and maintain program-level reporting, including status updates, milestone tracking, and resource utilization views for internal leadership and external deliverables
• Proactively identify, communicate, and manage program risks, escalating appropriately and ensuring transparency with scientific and executive leadership
• Structure and facilitate effective internal program meetings, decision forums, and reviews; ensuring the right information reaches the right people at the right time

Partner-Facing Delivery

• Serve as the primary operational interface with partner organizations, coordinating joint governance, managing deliverable timelines, and driving alignment on milestones and expectations
• Translate internal program status into clear, structured updates for external partners, ensuring transparency without overexposing internal complexity
• Support alliance obligations including joint steering committees, milestone reporting, and deliverable handoffs
• Partner closely with scientific and product leadership to ensure that program plans reflect both Lila's platform capabilities and partner-specific program goals and business objectives

Process & Scale

• Lead the development of scalable project management practices, templates, and tools as Lila's partnership portfolio grows
• Help build repeatable operating models for how Lila plans, tracks, and delivers partner programs

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 8+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry in roles associated with drug discovery or development, project management, or operations
• 5+ years in program management, project management, or a similar cross-functional coordination role with direct responsibility for timelines, resourcing, and tracking
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive execution across complex, multidisciplinary programs with significant scientific and commercial stakes
• Strong understanding of drug discovery and development processes; ability to engage credibly with scientific stakeholders and communicate at a high level across therapeutic and technical domains
• Experience managing programs with external partners, including milestone management, governance, and stakeholder communication
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to distill complex scientific and operational information for diverse audiences including executive leadership and external partners
• Proven ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across cross-functional teams

Bonus Points For

• Experience working at or partnering with AI-native or platform-based drug discovery companies
• Experience managing external collaborations in a discovery or preclinical setting (alliance management, CRO/CDMO oversight, or joint research programs)
• Familiarity with project management tools and methodologies (e.g., critical path analysis, scenario planning, resource management, portfolio reporting)
• Familiarity with the rapid evolution of LLMs and AI-driven science platforms and a perspective on how this will impact partnership models in drug discovery