Job Description
We’re looking for a seasoned operator who can navigate the intersection of breakthrough science, institutional design, and federal policy. As a Partner primarily based in DC, you’ll lead our initiatives on the Hill, grow our government funding portfolio, represent Convergent in policy circles, and ensure our FROs (Focused Research Organizations) have the strategic partnerships and resources they need to succeed. You’ll sit on FRO boards, mentor founders, hang out with the coolest scientists in the world, interface with NSF/OSTP/agency leadership, and translate ambitious science into the language that unlocks sustained public support. If you’ve built things, can speak fluent bureaucrat-ese without losing your soul, and believe that government funding for moonshot science shouldn’t require selling out to incrementalism, you’ll fit in great here.
WHY JOIN NOW?
Convergent Research exists to bring entirely new scientific institutions into the world: Focused Research Organizations (FROs). These are purpose-built, mission-driven orgs designed to solve technological bottlenecks, unlock whole new fields, and lead to scaled revolutions. Think: “What if Bell Labs, but for single-cell proteomics?” We’ve launched more than 10 FROs and proven that the model works. We’ve raised over $350 million and catalyzed $300+ million in follow-on investment.
Now we’re scaling our relationship with the federal government, including responding to the NSF Tech Labs Initiative and potentially similar future programs, and we need someone who can own that growth while maintaining our standards for ambitious, high-integrity science.This role is critical because government funding represents both massive opportunity and massive operational complexity. We need someone who can grow a portfolio of cutting-edge projects while ensuring each one maintains the speed, ambition, and scientific rigor that defines a Convergent FRO.
You’re joining at a time that is neither all risk nor all rote—we have momentum, relationships, and a proven model, but tons of room for design and impact. You’ll also be joining a team that is ambitious, irreverent, and deeply committed to enabling breakthrough science. If you’re excited about institutional design, federal science policy, and helping founders build lasting institutions without drowning in bureaucracy, this is your role.
About This Role
- As our As our DC-based Partner, you’ll be part strategic operator, part policy translator, part founder boss, part science nerd, part diplomatic envoy. You will:
- Identify new FROs: Contribute to our FRO pipeline by identifying and sourcing breakthrough moonshot concepts, recruiting stellar founding teams, and shepherding them from concept to launch through federally funded programs
- Grow the government funding portfolio: Identify new federal funding opportunities, build relationships with program officers and agency leadership, and position Convergent as the trusted operating partner for ambitious public-good science
- Represent Convergent in policy circles: Interface with NSF, OSTP, DOE, DARPA, ARPA-H, and other agencies. Attend the right meetings, build the right relationships, and ensure Convergent’s voice shapes how government thinks about funding breakthrough research
- Provide board governance: Serve as voting board member on multiple FROs (with emphasis on government-funded projects), bringing strategic oversight, removing blockers, and ensuring milestones align with both scientific ambition and funder requirements while aiding in strategy development
- Shape Convergent’s government strategy: Work with leadership to refine our approach to federal partnerships, identify opportunities that align with our model and mission, and help us scale government relationships without scaling bureaucracy
A Non-MECE Overview of a Day In Your Life
- Executing Federal Programs: Own the operational execution and strategy for Convergent’s response to the NSF Tech Labs Initiative and other programs. Manage the RFI/RFP process, coordinate with potential co-applicants, mentor selected projects, and ensure smooth transitions from selection to launch.
- Government Relations: Build and maintain relationships with NSF program officers, OSTP staff, and leadership at other agencies funding high-risk research. Identify upcoming federal funding opportunities. Position Convergent FROs for success in competitive processes. Translate FRO impact into the stories and metrics that unlock sustained federal support.
- Board & FRO Governance: Represent Convergent on the boards of multiple FROs, particularly those with government funding. Bring strategic oversight, ensure compliance with federal requirements, call bullshit when needed, and help founders navigate the unique challenges of operating within government-funded frameworks while maintaining FRO speed and ambition.
- Policy Translation & Advocacy: Serve as Convergent’s voice in DC. Speak at conferences, brief Congressional staff, publish in policy outlets, and ensure the FRO model is understood and valued by policymakers. Help shape federal science policy to better support the kinds of institutions we’re building.
- Partnership Catalyst: Work with public and private funders to de-risk government-backed projects through blended funding. Help FROs leverage federal dollars to unlock additional philanthropic and commercial support. Maintain high-trust relationships across funding ecosystems.
- Strategic Operations: Collaborate with Convergent leadership to scale systems for supporting government-funded FROs. Work with the FRO Success team to develop playbooks for federal compliance, reporting, and partnership management. Ensure we can handle 20+ government-backed projects without becoming the bureaucracy we hate.
About You
- You’ve operated in both the startup world and the policy world, and you’re frustrated by the false choice between moving fast and working with the government. You’re equally comfortable whiteboarding with a synthetic biologist and navigating agency RFIs. You know how to get things done in DC without losing your mind or your integrity. You’ve shipped real things. You understand that “government-funded” doesn’t have to mean “slow and mediocre,” but you also know it requires different operational muscles. You’re comfortable with ambiguity and able to evolve and shape the role as our federal partnerships develop. We believe the NSF Tech Labs initiative is highly aligned, but scope may shift based on which relationships prove most fruitful. You might be:
- A former AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow or OSTP staffer who wants to help scientists build impactful new institutions
- An ex-DARPA director or program manager who misses working directly with ambitious technical teams
- A startup operator who did a stint in government and learned to love (or at least excel at) the policy game
- A science foundation program officer who wants to fund breakthrough research without the constraints of traditional institutions
Bonus Points
- Experience as a program officer, program manager, or senior staffer at NSF, DARPA, ARPA-E, ARPA-H, or similar
- Track record of securing large federal grants or contracts for unconventional research models
- Published work on science policy, research funding, or institutional design
- Experience with SBIR/STTR, cooperative agreements, or other alternative funding mechanismsCongressional relationships or experience briefing Hill staff
$200,000 - $350,000 a year
We’re committed to offering competitive, mission-aligned compensation that reflects the value you’ll bring. For each role, we set a salary range using market benchmarks and internal leveling, and we place offers within that range based on relevant experience, skills, and scope. As a nonprofit, our compensation practices are designed to align with our compensation philosophy and IRS requirements.
We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law or company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
