Our goal at Data4Life is to make the world a healthier place. Our Product and Project Management team makes sure we move toward that goal with focus, rigor and speed -translating research ambition into software that generates real impact in healthcare, in Germany and beyond.
We're looking for a Senior Project Manager to lead the projects of our Impact Program - Data4Life's flagship partnership initiative for advancing real-world evidence generation across healthcare. The Impact Program runs in successive calls: individual partnerships with early-career researchers, solutions partnerships co-developing in therapeutic areas like oncology, neurology, and cardiovascular disease, and data partnerships building federated multi-site networks. The first call, Collect for Impact, currently funds projects across the globe -spanning topics like post-stroke rehabilitation and multi-wearable research. The second and third calls are in active preparation.
In this role, you'll do more than shepherd these projects. As a tech company, Data4Life contributes through software development -and every Impact Program project is an applied research instance that should sharpen our platforms: Data2Evidence, our RWE platform built on the OMOP Common Data Model, and D4L Collect, our sensor data collection platform for digital health studies. You'll work closely with our Scientific Evidence Group on protocol refinement, analysis, and manuscripts; with engineering and product on platform development; and with our partners and the Hasso Plattner Foundation on program-level reporting.
This is a full-time position based in Potsdam / Berlin. You'll report to the Head of Product and Project Management and partner across software engineering, scientific evidence, design, legal, and business development teams, as well as with international partners spanning academic medical centers, public health systems, and foundations.
Lead the end-to-end delivery of the Impact Program portfolio, from call design coordination and applicant selection through project kickoff, execution, and dissemination, across the program's three streams (individual, solutions, and data partnerships).
Drive cross-functional delivery for each funded project across software engineering, design, the Scientific Evidence Group, and our partners -aligning Scrum and Kanban delivery cadences with the milestone-driven timelines typical of clinical and academic research programs.
Translate what each Impact Program project teaches us back into platform evolution. Surface concrete signals into the Data2Evidence and D4L Collect roadmaps -new sensors, new languages, new data integrations, new validation needs- such that our platforms strengthen through the program's work.
Partner with awardees as collaborators and mentees. Help early-career researchers and senior investigators refine study protocols, scope feasible analyses, navigate Data4Life's infrastructure, and ship publications and open datasets that strengthen their careers and our visibility.
Coordinate with the Scientific Evidence Group on protocol refinement, analysis feedback, and manuscript contributions -bringing rigor and pace to the scientific deliverables without becoming the bottleneck.
Own the program's operating model within Data4Life: planning, risk and dependency tracking, decision and assumptions logs, and reporting cadences for leadership, the Hasso Plattner Foundation, and external partners.
Communicate progress as impact -turning scientific and engineering milestones into stories that resonate with funders, clinicians, the research community, and the public.
Help mature the Impact Program across successive calls. Each call sharpens selection criteria, the support model, and what the program delivers for awardees and for Data4Life's mission.
4+ years of project or program management experience, with at least 2 of those years managing scientific, research, or academic projects.
Hands-on experience coordinating projects in a software development context, comfortable with software delivery cadences, technical scoping conversations, and how product and engineering decisions affect a research project's success.
Demonstrated experience working with academic researchers, principal investigators, and early-career scientists, including navigation of IRB/ethics approval processes, study protocol refinement, and the rhythms of academic timelines.
Experience managing projects across time zones, cultures, and organization types (academic medical centers, public health systems, foundations, NGOs, industry partners).
Working knowledge of managing sensitive patient and research data under GDPR; familiarity with HIPAA where relevant.
Scientific literacy in health-adjacent domains: enough to engage substantively with study protocols, statistical analysis plans, and manuscript outlines, even when you're not the primary author.
Familiarity with open science practices: FAIR data principles, open-access publication, public code and data repositories (e.g., Zenodo, GitHub), and reproducibility-aware analysis workflows.
Mastery of Scrum or Kanban, with the flexibility to interface with the milestone-driven, often waterfall-flavored timelines common in clinical and academic research.
Strong leadership and mentoring skills in a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder research environment.
A Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Public Health, Biomedical Engineering, Health Informatics, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience managing complex research or software projects.
Languages: You're fluent in English. German at B2 level is a plus; a third language is a plus.
Nice to have:
A Master's degree, PhD, or MD in a relevant field; or a PMP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or related project management certification.
Working understanding of real-world evidence concepts and standards, the OMOP Common Data Model and OHDSI tooling, HL7 FHIR, and CDISC.
Prior experience running a grants program, research network, or foundation-funded research portfolio.
Personal scientific output (publications, datasets, conference contributions) demonstrating scientific maturity.
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High level of personal responsibility and creative freedom
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Work on socially impactful projects in the healthcare sector
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Collaboration with leading partners from research, technology, and healthcare
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A diverse, interdisciplinary, and international team working across three locations (Potsdam, Berlin, and Singapore)
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Flexible working models with the option to work from home
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Permanent employment contract with 30 days of vacation
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Attractive employee benefits, e.g. private supplementary health insurance, public transport ticket
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We especially welcome applicants from the LGBTQI+ community, people with a migration background, people of color, and individuals with neurodiversity, disabilities, or chronic illnesses to the team.
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If you need support or special assistance during the application or interview process due to a disability, please feel free to let us know and we are happy to accommodate you as much as possible.
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Please enclose your complete documents (CV, Github Account, Work sample) with your application.
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For this position it is important that you are able to regularly be present in our Potsdam and/or Berlin office.
Data4Life ist eine gemeinnützige Organisation mit der Vision, die Welt gesünder zu machen. Mit einem internationalen Team arbeiten wir gemeinsam an der Mission, die Gesundheitsforschung zu digitalisieren. Durch die Verknüpfung von Technologie und Forschung machen wir Gesundheitsdaten umfassend, digital und sicher für die Forschung nutzbar.
Unser interdisziplinäres Team in Potsdam, Berlin und Singapur vereint Expert:innen aus Bereichen wie Produktentwicklung, Softwareentwicklung, Datensicherheit und Wissenschaft. Data4Life wurde 2017 gegründet und wird von der Hasso-Plattner-Stiftung finanziert.
Vielfalt ist uns wichtig: Verschiedene Lebens- , Entwicklungs- und Karrierepfade führen zu Data4Life. Wir heißen in unserem internationalen Team Expert:innen mit den unterschiedlichsten Hintergründen und Erfahrungen willkommen und bieten allen die gleichen Chancen, sie selbst zu sein und sich bei uns bestmöglich zu entfalten. Vielfalt, Gleichheit und Inklusion sind bei uns nicht nur schöne Worte, sondern werden in aktiven Taten und Projekten konkretisiert, mit dem Ziel, diese in unserem Alltag umzusetzen und zu leben. 2022 haben wir deshalb die Charta der Vielfalt unterzeichnet.
