Research Associate, Scientific Advising

About RTW Foundation (RTWF)

RTW Foundation (RTWF) was founded in 2018 as the philanthropic arm of RTW Investments, LP a biotech investment firm. RTWF has two major focuses: improving health equity in New York City and advancing ultra-rare disease research. Our overarching goal is to improve the health of underserved communities, whether that be from historically underinvested communities in New York City (including communities of color and migrant populations) to patients and families facing ultra-rare diseases.

Role Overview

The Research Associate, Scientific Research role will support and enhance our rare disease foundation research-focused scientific advising services, play an active role in the review of research grants, and contribute to the development of new strategies to support rare disease foundations. This role requires a detail-oriented, proactive individual with strong communication skills and a collaborative approach to complex research-focused projects.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific Advising Services:

• Assist with the intake process for new rare disease foundations, helping to identify gaps in research-readiness of partnered rare disease foundations.
• Conduct preliminary literature reviews and landscape analysis, gathering critical scientific data and publications related to specific rare diseases.
• Identify key researchers, foundations, or companies working within specific rare diseases or areas and assess any past and current drug development efforts.
• Collaborate with the Director of Research to develop detailed research roadmaps and plans related to the specific goals of our partnered rare disease foundations.
• Identify opportunities to scale the scientific research program, to better serve the needs of the rare disease community and partner foundations.

Grant & Engagement Support:

• Provide logistical and administrative support for ongoing and new grants.
• Assist in reviewing grant proposals, seeking to flag scientific concerns, and suggesting research specific improvements to proposals, and improving grant application and review processes.
• Contribute to the development of future RTWF scientific advising & research strategies.

Program Support:

• Manage CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce), scheduling and meetings (e.g. Outlook, Teams, Zoom, etc), and track budgets & expenses (e.g. Concur).
• Provide communications support as needed.

Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (BS or BSc) degree required; master’s degree (MS or MSc) preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 1-2 years of experience in rare disease specific laboratory-based research, program/grant management, scientific research or due diligence efforts, or rare disease research planning.
• Familiarity with non-profit foundation operations or awareness of rare disease research needs is preferred. Experience in drug development processes is a plus.
• Highly detail-oriented, proactive, and organized.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong collaboration skills, with a team-oriented mindset.
• Proficiency with Outlook, SharePoint, Concur, or similar administrative systems.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM systems.
• Must be able to work from our New York City office.

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time.

Compensation & Benefits

• In accordance with New York City’s Pay Transparency Law, the base salary range for this role is $60,000 to $70,000. Base salary does not include other forms of compensation or benefits.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Healthcare concierge service
• FSA and HSA savings plans
• 401(k) plan and company match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Corporate fitness and wellbeing benefit (Gympass)
• Pretax commuter benefits
• Hybrid work policy offering one day work from home. Some community events will require a commitment outside of typical working hours, for example our quarterly Days of Action are typically held on Saturdays.

To Apply

Please submit a resume and a personal statement highlighting any previous non-profit or rare disease research experiences that might be relevant to the role outlined above.