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The Autism and Neuroscience Division is comprised of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), Neuroscience Collaborations, and Informatics. The mission of SFARI is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders and the goal of the Neuroscience Collaborations is to bring together outstanding scientists to address fundamental questions about brain function. The Informatics team works across the division to operationalize its commitment to open science. The division funds innovative research, promotes field‑building and collaboration, data sharing and open science, and develops data, tools, and resources that accelerate discovery.

Reporting to the Executive Vice President (EVP) of Autism and Neuroscience, the Vice President and Senior Scientific Officer (VP/SSO) will serve as a member of the division’s leadership team and oversee a team of 3–5 Scientific/Senior Scientific Officers. The incumbent will manage a large grant portfolio covering research in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, including genetics/genomics, developmental biology, molecular and cell biology, circuit and systems neuroscience, and human subjects research. The VP/SSO will provide strategic input to the EVP on SFARI’s overall grants portfolio (currently including grants to 300 investigators) and on plans for new Request for Applications (RFA). The role complements the team’s scientific focus on basic science and computational approaches and partners closely with another SFARI VP/SSO who oversees SFARI’s autism cohorts and cohort‑related grant funding.

The VP/SSO will also support SFARI’s entire scope of activities, including clinical cohorts and biorepositories (e.g., SPARK, Simons Searchlight, Autism BrainNet), animal models (mice and rats), and induced pluripotent stem cells. SFARI operates with an annual budget of approximately $100million.

This is a full‑time position located at the Simons Foundation offices in New York City, and travel to conferences is expected.

• Serve as the scientific lead for the SFARI grants process, including RFA development, evaluation of progress of funded grants, leading scientific review panels, making funding recommendations, and analysis of the current portfolio.

• Lead process improvement efforts pertaining to the full grant‑making cycle.

• Manage a portfolio of funded grants, working directly with investigators and collaborating with the Simons Foundation’s grants team.

• Contribute to shaping and advancing SFARI’s strategic planning and scientific priorities in close coordination with the EVP and the second VP/SSO.

• Organize and lead working groups and workshops/meetings to refine SFARI’s scientific priorities and develop new scientific initiatives.

• Design strategies to increase inclusive excellence in autism research, advance scientific collaboration and data sharing, and identify partnership opportunities with other organizations.

• Provide leadership support for Autism BrainNet (ABN), including organizing scientific workshops, defining program goals, and coordinating the ABN Scientific Advisory Council.

• Partner with other funders in the autism space to ensure synergy and non‑duplication of efforts.

• Maintain a future focus on emerging fields that may bring new scientific tools, technologies, and approaches to autism research.

• Stay abreast of the field of autism research and related fields by reading the relevant scientific literature and attending relevant external scientific seminars and meetings nationally and abroad.

• Attend relevant scientific seminars, workshops, and courses hosted by the Simons Foundation, including the Flatiron Institute.

• Collaborate with the Simons Foundation’s communications team, making recommendations for areas of science to highlight on the website and newsletters and contributing content and reviewing draft articles.

• Oversee a team of Scientific/Senior Scientific Officers, providing support and guidance as needed.

• Perform other duties or tasks as assigned or required.

• Education: A Ph.D. and/or M.D. in a neuroscience‑related field, ideally relevant to the study of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Experience: 10+ years of post‑training experience, including 5+ years of strong operational management with a proven track record of leading, developing, and motivating high‑performing teams of experts.
• Strong scientific background and broad knowledge of neuroscience, complementing a senior team with expertise in genomics, molecular and cell biology, neural circuits, and human subjects research.
• Foundation in computational approaches to neuroscience, biology, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Ability to recognize and support the value of integrating theoretical and computational methods with experimental approaches in neuroscience.
• Deep understanding of academic neuroscience research and strong knowledge across human and animal model systems.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams of clinicians, neuroscientists, geneticists, and experimental researchers to address scientific questions.
• Experience with data‑sharing and open science initiatives.
• Experience working with neuroscientists resulting in strong connections across the field.
• Experience directing an independent research group is strongly valued.

• Ability to think broadly and critically about scientific problems and experimental approaches.
• Integrity and strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral).
• Resilience in making tough decisions.
• Strong commitment to enhancing scientific understanding of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
• A collaborative spirit, commitment to positive team culture, and flexibility.
• A commitment to inclusive excellence.
• A commitment to open science.
• Ability to travel to attend scientific meetings domestically and internationally.

The full‑time annual compensation range for this position is $275,000 – $350,000, dependent on experience. In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state, and local law.

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