About MassBioEd

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation (MassBioEd), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is in its third decade of growing and developing talent in the Massachusetts life sciences workforce which in turn, develops innovations that save and improve lives.  Please visit www.massbioed.org/about-careers to review all open positions.

Founded in 2001 by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, MassBioEd has evolved into a key link connecting students, educators, and professionals to the exciting opportunities within the life sciences industry. Our mission is to build a sustainable life sciences workforce in the region through educational and training programs that engage and excite teachers, inspire and propel students, and illuminate the pathway from the classroom to career with a focus on expansion, opportunity, and diversity.

Position Summary

Through BioTalent, our workforce development arm, MassBioEd illuminates the many pathways into careers in the life sciences and strives to build a diverse and talented workforce. For many years, the demand for talent has exceeded the supply, which is both a challenge and an opportunity. BioTalent’s activities tackle this challenge in multiple ways. Career exploration activities engage those about to enter the workforce and students thinking about the future. Apprenticeships offer a pathway into new careers, particularly for historically underrepresented populations. BioTalent conducts real time research on industry development, employer needs, and projected hiring trends, utilizing the information to build partnerships and initiatives that align traditional and non-traditional training with industry needs. In addition, BioTalent provides courses to incumbent workers for professional development in technical and leadership skills.

MassBioEd seeks a visionary leader to oversee and grow MassBioEd’s workforce development arm. The VP will lead employer partnership building including for the Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program and develop a new Life Sciences Career Hub. The Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program, which trains people for careers in the life sciences, was launched in 2021 with two career pathways, one for biomanufacturing technicians and one for clinical trial associates. It more than doubled in size in 2022, expanding in size and scope, including regionally across Massachusetts. It will continue to expand in 2023, including adding a new career pathway of Lab Support Specialist. The Life Sciences Career Hub will be launched in 2023 to provide services and career information to guide residents into life sciences careers, including informational workshops on careers, soft skills training, career counseling, and referrals to education and training programs. The VP will report to the CEO, serve on MassBioEd’s senior leadership team, and lead a team.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead BioTalent, MassBioEd’s workforce development arm, overseeing current programs and services and developing new ones based on needs of the industry and community.
• Generate strategy and solutions to Massachusetts’ life sciences workforce development’s most vexing problems.
• Hire, supervise, and mentor program staff.
• Lead the planning, development, and launch of the Life Sciences Career Hub.
• Identify, initiate, and maintain long-term relationships with senior leaders of potential employer partners.
• Secure commitments from employers to hire apprentices and Career Hub participants.
• Work collaboratively with employers, academia, K-12 education, and community partners to accomplish goals together.
• Expand the Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program horizontally to multiple regions in MA, and vertically, by creating apprenticeship programs in additional occupations.
• Create pre-apprenticeship program focused on English, math, and soft skills with the staff team and community partners.
• Convene industry and academic coalitions to develop solutions to solve recruitment, retention, workforce, and training issues that are of highest impact to the industry.
• Assist development team to seek and obtain new sources of funding.
• Develop program budgets, including alignment with provisions of grant funding.
• Increase visibility of MassBioEd by serving as one of MassBioEd’s spokespeople on the needs of the life sciences workforce.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of fifteen years’ relevant work experience in human resources, talent acquisition, and/or workforce development.
• Experience working with employer partners.
• Expertise in the life sciences industry including understanding of careers in the industry.
• Experience in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Supervisory experience and proven success managing and developing staff.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with community partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• A team player that is flexible and adaptable to a fast-paced, growing organization with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience building and maintaining a program budget, including the ability to access community grants and new sources of funding.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred.

Salary and Benefits

Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401K, long and short-term disability, life insurance, healthcare savings account, and paid time off.

Interested applicants should submit the following to careers@massbioed.org:

• Resume/CV
• Detailed cover letter outlining how your qualifications meet those sought in this post

MassBioEd Culture

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We strive for diversity and equity in all the work we do. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views to best serve our communities. View our diversity, equity, and inclusion statement here: https://www.massbioed.org/dei-statement/.

Employee Values

At MassBioEd, we value:

• An inclusive, open, inviting, and diverse work culture.
• Building our team and interpersonal rapport.
• Maximizing both productivity and collaboration.
• Work/life balance.

MassBioEd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression or Veteran status. 

Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation
255 Main Street, 8th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
www.massbioed.org