Respiratory Protection Program Officer

Role Description

We encourage you to apply by August 7, as early applicants may be considered first. Applications will close on August 21.

One of the most impactful ways to suppress pathogen transmission and save lives in a future outbreak is to ensure that highly protective respiratory PPE can be deployed to millions of critical workers on day one. Despite this, if a pandemic occurred tomorrow, U.S. stockpiles and supply chains would not be able to meet the demand. This problem motivated the development of the Blueprint for Pandemic PPE and has shaped our efforts to mobilize tens of millions of dollars toward advancing its goals.

To build upon this momentum, Blueprint Biosecurity is hiring multiple Program Officers to expand our PPE team. These program officer roles are structured into two distinct tracks:

• Research Management
• Grant Evaluation

Each successful candidate will be hired primarily into one track, although all Program Officers will collaborate across the portfolio and may take on some responsibilities from the other track as program needs evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Research management:
  • Shape and drive our technical research portfolio.
  • Address the central question, “what do we need to answer to advance our goals?”, and translate it into a coherent, high-impact roadmap of research projects.
  • Scope and oversee active research grants.
  • Run collaborator meetings, scrutinize study design, and clear blockers to keep projects on track and yielding actionable data quickly.
  • Run RFPs — own the process from concept ideation through proposal review to final recommendation.
  • Recruit the right researchers — identify and build relationships with teams and individuals best equipped to address our most pressing questions.
• Grant evaluation:
  • Identify and vet new funding opportunities — build a deep understanding of our mission, our priorities, and the reasoning behind them, then proactively scout for opportunities with the highest potential for impact.
  • Evaluate potential proposals — perform rapid feasibility analyses, assess cost-effectiveness, and rigorously identify potential risks to help us make sound, data-driven funding decisions.
  • Structure grants — work with our Operations team to determine the scope of funding, set clear milestones, and define reporting requirements.
  • Monitor grantee progress — work with other program officers to steward grant relationships and flag when to renew, expand, modify, or discontinue funding.

There is anticipated overlap between these tracks, with some responsibilities shared or transferred depending on the needs of the program over time. In addition to track-specific responsibilities, all Respiratory Protection Program Officers will:

• Contribute to Blueprint's public-facing research – shape research reports, strategy roadmaps, white papers, and other materials that inform how governments (focused on the U.S.), funders, and manufacturers think about respiratory protection.
• Engage with, and shape, the field – represent Blueprint at conferences, workshops, and convenings where relevant PPE priorities are set, using sound judgment to navigate these spaces independently.
• Build strong relationships across the PPE ecosystem – develop trusted connections with experts and stakeholders in government, industry, academia, and philanthropy.
• Build deep PPE expertise — track the full picture of PPE, including innovation, production, regulation, stockpiles, and adoption, to become a go-to reference point.

Qualifications

• Excited to navigate complex systems and bring new perspectives to systemic challenges.
• Excel at building relationships with diverse stakeholders to advance common goals.
• Work autonomously in a fast-moving environment, identifying what needs to be done and driving it forward without waiting for perfect guidance.
• Prioritize learning that enables action and chase down the insights most likely to drive impact.
• Strong intellectual curiosity with the ability to stress test ideas and respond to new evidence.
• Inspired and motivated by creating a more secure world, reducing the risk of pandemics, and saving lives by expanding access to highly protective PPE.

Requirements

• Research Management:
  • Degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or technical field; advanced degrees are a plus but not required.
  • Prior experience in academia, industry, or government, including leading or scoping projects.
  • Experience managing grantees or external contractors.
  • Domain depth in a relevant technical field (e.g. aerosol science, occupational respirator use, or public health).
• Grant Evaluation:
  • Prior experience in grantmaking, philanthropy, impact evaluation, investment analysis, or similar fields.
  • A track record of making and defending prioritization calls across competing options.
  • Experience investigating opportunities and pressure-testing whether the plan holds up, if the budget is realistic, and what could go wrong.
• General Qualifications:
  • Typically 4+ years of relevant professional experience, although we will consider candidates with less conventional backgrounds who can demonstrate comparable judgment, ownership, and accomplishment.
  • Experience working on teams with a wide breadth of responsibility, and/or with startups or similarly fast-moving environments is preferred.
  • Excellent research skills, including literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, technical deep dives, and use of emerging research tools (e.g. LLMs) where appropriate.
  • Strong quantitative and analytical reasoning with comfort interpreting data, judging evidence quality, and working with simple models.
  • Strong communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate technical and nuanced topics to a range of audiences.

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO + paid holidays.
• Generous health and wellness benefits through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) for you and your family.
• Fully paid family leave.
• Annual 401(k) contributions equal to 10% of your base salary.
• $5,000 annually to support professional development and productive remote work.
• Access to multiple state-of-the-art LLMs.