Associate Director, Alliance Management- Government ID- 9620

About the position

Ginkgo Bioworks is on a mission to make biology easier to engineer, addressing global challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. The Ginkgo Government team plays a crucial role in building and managing strategic relationships with government partners, collaborating closely with various Federal agencies to leverage Ginkgo's advanced synthetic biology platform. This collaboration aims to develop innovative solutions in health, climate, bioindustrials, and agriculture. The focus areas in health include medical countermeasures, advanced therapeutics, regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapies, biologics manufacturing, natural products, APIs and KSMs, enzymes, biocatalysis, and microbiome therapy, all aimed at supporting national health security and public health initiatives.

 As an Alliance Manager, you will serve as the primary contact and overall relationship manager for government-funded projects. Your portfolio will consist of strategically important projects, and successful execution will require a strong focus on strategic communication regarding technical, financial, and programmatic deliverables. You will advocate for our partners' needs while ensuring that Ginkgo's technical team delivers and communicates successful project outcomes. Your leadership will enhance our partners' confidence in Ginkgo, fostering sustained partnership development. Additionally, you will collaborate with the Government Business Generation team to outline broader account strategies, including stakeholders, goals, and priorities, thereby empowering the team to expand and deepen government partnerships. This role places you at the intersection of Ginkgo's mission and strategy, allowing you to create a significant impact for both our government partners and Ginkgo.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee a diverse and complex portfolio of government and commercial partnerships focused on regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapies, biologics manufacturing, defense health, and similar areas.
  • Responsible for successful cost, schedule, and technical performance of Government projects through collaboration with Ginkgo technical teams.
  • Identify, prioritize, and resolve key project and partner issues, ensuring smooth collaboration with internal teams and customers.
  • Offer guidance and counsel based on a deep understanding of projects and partners, building expertise regarding government partners' strategies and value drivers.
  • Build and sustain strong relationships with key personnel both within Ginkgo and with government partners.
  • Partner closely with the business generation team on overall partnership priorities, ideating and developing new alliances in alignment with the R&D strategy.
  • Act as the primary partnership liaison internally, providing proactive updates about the program to Ginkgo executive leadership.
  • Work with internal teams to build and improve processes and systems for customer success.
  • Partner closely with the government contracting and legal teams to navigate the contractual aspects of partnerships.

Requirements

Nice-to-haves

  • Ph.D. or Master's degree in science, policy, or technical field.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
  • Experience leading a Project Management Office (PMO) and familiarity with PMI best practices.
  • Experience and understanding of drug development and the life sciences industry.
  • Experience with program management for agencies such as HHS and DHA.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental & vision coverage
  • Health spending accounts
  • Voluntary benefits
  • Leave of absence policies
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • 401(k) program with employer contribution
  • 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off policy
Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...