Materials Technical Program Manager

Lila Sciences is applying its autonomous science platform to some of the hardest materials discovery problems in the world - from next-generation structural materials and extreme-environment coatings to clean energy catalysts and carbon capture. The Materials Science experiment team is running programs where the pace of autonomous experimentation demands real operational rigor, and we’re looking for a Technical Program Manager to provide it. You’ll work closely with the Materials Science domain leads who set scientific strategy and direction, while you own the execution layer: the project plans, the cross-functional dependencies, and the blockers that need to be surfaced and resolved before they become problems. You won’t be directing scientific work - you’ll be creating the conditions for it to happen at speed and at scale. This is a role for someone who genuinely loves the craft of program management in complex, technical environments.

What You’ll Be Building

• Own day-to-day program execution within the Materials Science experiment team - maintaining project plans, tracking milestones, and ensuring agentic science programs are delivered on time and with rigor
• Serve as the primary operational interface between the Materials Science team and platform partners (Automation, ML, Engineering) - communicating needs, aligning on priorities, and keeping dependencies visible and resolved
• Translate scientific program goals into structured workstreams that enable autonomous experimentation to run efficiently and at scale
• Run program rituals including sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives with a bias toward purposeful meetings, documentation, and follow-through
• Partner with the Materials Science domain leads to surface blockers, risks, and interdependencies early and drive them to resolution
• Support the delivery of commercial contracts by working with the Product & Revenue team to ensure program commitments are well-scoped, tracked, and clearly communicated to all stakeholders
• Contribute to capacity planning and resource coordination in partnership with scientific leadership

• 10+ years of program or project management experience in a materials science, advanced manufacturing, or deep tech environment
• A Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• A track record of managing multiple concurrent programs in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and energized by building programs from the ground up; early-stage start-up experience is a strong plus
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across scientific and operational stakeholders and manage complex cross-functional dependencies
• Sufficient scientific fluency to understand Materials Science program goals and communicate them clearly to partner teams
• Experience supporting commercial program delivery and working with external partners or customers
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills - able to break complex goals into clear, achievable units of work and keep stakeholders consistently well-informed

Bonus Points For

• Familiarity with project management tools such as Smartsheet, Asana, Jira, or similar
• PMP, PgMP, or agile certification (e.g., CSM, SAFe) is a plus

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market. Expected Base Salary Range $156,000-$208,000 USD

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you’d love to work in, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.