Consortium Operations Manager

RTI International is an independent, scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world’s most challenging problems.

We believe in the promise of science and technical solutions, and we push ourselves every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses in the US and around the world. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you.

RTI/TechWerx supports the management and execution of the Genesis Mission Consortium under the programmatic direction of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The consortium brings together industry, academia, National Laboratories, and other partners to facilitate collaboration and resource sharing in support of the Genesis Mission, a whole of government initiative to harness artificial intelligence and advanced computing to accelerate scientific discovery, advance energy innovation, and strengthen national security.

The Consortium Operations Manager leads the day-to-day operational execution of the Genesis Mission Consortium, translating strategic priorities and contractual commitments into coordinated workplans, staffing and resource plans, and timely delivery. Reporting to the Consortium Lead, the Manager serves as the consortium’s operational lead and is responsible for integrating execution across workstreams, managing operational performance, and ensuring appropriate financial oversight, contractual compliance, and project delivery that meets RTI’s internal quality standards. This position has no direct reports and exercises operational leadership through coordination, priority-setting, and follow-through across project teams.

Within the approved project plans, budgets, and assigned authority, the Consortium Operations Manager establishes operational priorities, directs program coordination activities, coordinates project teams and RTI business partners, and resolves routine operations issues. The Manager serves as a key operational point of contact for federal sponsors and ensures the Consortium Lead has timely visibility into performance, risks, and decisions requiring escalation.

The Consortium Lead retains overall accountability for RTI’s delivery of consortium activities, including implementation strategy, governance support, strategic sponsor relationships, major programmatic decisions with RTI’s authority, and overall performance. The Operations Manager owns the processes and follow-through required to execute that direction, enabling the Consortium Lead to focus on overall project leadership and sponsor relationships.

To qualify, candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.). Preference will be given to candidates located in the DC or RTP areas, with flexibility to consider remote candidates based on qualifications.

Program Execution and Integration

• Translate strategic direction and sponsor priorities into integrated workplans, ensuring activities and deliverables have clear owners, milestones, deadlines, and dependencies, and that workplans are updated regularly.
• Coordinate execution across consortium functional leads, sponsor/agency leads, program and project coordination staff, and RTI business partners to ensure cohesive delivery and clear accountability.
• Provide day-to-day direction and priorities to program/project coordination staff and coordinate delivery with workstream leads.
• Oversee the integrated consortium workplan, schedules, deliverables, actions, decisions, risks, and status reporting, ensuring follow-through on agreed actions and timely completion of milestones and deliverables.
• Maintain visibility across workstreams, dependencies, priorities, risks, and issues; work with functional leads to resolve execution challenges and escalate significant delivery, resource, strategic, governance, or sponsor matters to the Consortium Lead as appropriate.
• Establish and maintain effective program management processes and operating rhythms appropriate to the size and complexity of the consortium.

Sponsor and Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a primary day-to-day operational point of contact for federal sponsors, in coordination with the Consortium Lead and designated sponsor/agency leads.
• Support the preparation and delivery of briefings, status updates, decision materials, and other program information for sponsor and RTI leadership audiences.
• Support the Consortium Lead in the preparation of senior sponsor engagements, strategic discussions, and major programmatic decisions.
• Support integration of additional federal sponsoring agencies, working with agency leads and functional teams to accommodate sponsor-specific requirements while leveraging common Genesis Mission Consortium services and processes.
• Coordinate follow-up on sponsor requests and agreed actions, ensuring clear ownership and timely responses, and escalating matters requiring Consortium Lead direction or contractual review.

Financial, Staffing & Operational Management

• Lead program budgeting, forecasting, staffing, and resource planning in collaboration with the Consortium Lead, Financial Analyst, and functional leads.
• Monitor and manage program expenditures against the budget, supported by the Financial Analyst, and assess actual and forecast costs against the contract values to identify emerging financial risks.
• Track labor charging and resource utilization against staffing plans and budgets; assess staffing needs as workload evolves and recommend adjustments to priorities, assignments, processes, or staffing.
• Track contractual billing milestones and coordinate with responsible parties to ensure invoices are submitted promptly when billing requirements are met, including any required deliverable acceptance. Monitor expenditures against amounts invoiced and coordinate resolution of billing delays or discrepancies.
• Coordinate with contracting, subcontracting, finance, billing, and other RTI business partners to support effective program execution and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Support operational planning for new or expanded sponsored activities, including anticipated staffing, operational, financial and other internal resource requirements.

Operational Improvement and Scaling

• Identify and implement opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, or otherwise improve recurring Genesis Mission Consortium processes and workflows.
• Develop and implement scalable operating approaches for supporting growth in consortium membership, programs, working groups, and federal sponsorship.
• Assess operational implications of additional initiatives and sponsoring agencies and develop appropriate implementation approaches in coordination with functional and sponsor leads.
• Support longer-term workforce, capacity, and operational planning in coordination with the Consortium Lead and functional leads to ensure the Genesis Mission Consortium can scale efficiently while maintaining program quality and sponsor responsiveness.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience, Master’s degree and 6 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• US Citizenship required.
• At least 4 years relevant experience managing the day-to-day operations and delivery of complex federal programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading program execution across multidisciplinary or cross-functional teams, including establishing clear ownership, securing commitments, and driving follow-through where contributors may not directly report to the position.
• Demonstrated experience managing workplans, schedules, deliverables, risks, staffing requirements, and competing priorities. Demonstrated experience managing project budgets and forecasts, monitoring expenditures and labor utilization.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with U.S. government sponsors and senior program stakeholders.
• Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to independently resolve operational issues while recognizing matters requiring leadership or sponsor escalation.
• Outstanding critical thinking skills and proven ability to identify issues and opportunities, provide solutions, and build consensus among multiple stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing concise program updates, briefings, and decision-support materials for senior audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities, stakeholders, and requirements, navigate ambiguity, and translate incomplete information into clear next steps while meeting deadlines.
• Experience developing or implementing scalable program management processes, operating models, workflow improvements, or automation.
• Experience with workforce planning, resource allocation, and management across multidisciplinary teams or multiple workstreams.
• Periodic domestic travel may be required based on program needs.
• Some assignments may require the ability to meet applicable U.S. Government access, suitability, or security requirements.

Preferred

• Experience managing multi-stakeholder initiatives, research programs, consortiums, partnerships, or comparable activities.
• Experience supporting consortium, public-private partnership, research collaboration, or ecosystem-based program models.
• Experience managing programs involving multiple federal agencies or sponsor organizations.

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.