Project Manager Demonstrator Projects – Oncology Patient Cohorts

As Project Manager Demonstrator Projects, you operate at the forefront of new research collaborations. You are often among the first to become involved in a new idea or a concrete question from a company or academic research group. During this initiation phase, you provide structure: you explore the scientific question, translate it into a clear scope, and investigate how the available cohorts can jointly contribute. In doing so, you carefully balance opportunities, practical feasibility, and the conditions of all involved stakeholders.

You act on behalf of all affiliated oncological cohorts and ensure that their combined capacity is deployed in a consistent and well-considered manner within the Demonstrator Projects of Oncode Accelerator.

Initiation and set-up of Demonstrator Projects

• Identify and translate questions and needs from incoming Demonstrator Project proposals into a clear scope for the cohorts.
• Match project requirements with cohort capabilities (data, biomaterials, expertise) and assess feasibility.
• Coordinate with Demonstrator Project applicants and Oncode Accelerator business developers.
• Contribute to the development of project plans, including budgeting and alignment of contracts.
• Prepare project start-up and organize the kick-off to the executing cohort(s).

Representation of the oncological cohorts

• Act as a liaison between the affiliated oncological cohorts within Oncode Accelerator.
• Actively maintain relationships with cohort principal investigators (PIs) and cohort managers and organize alignment.
• Work closely with DICA–IKNL.
• Ensure consistent positioning of cohort capacities towards internal programme partners and external stakeholders.
• Build and maintain an up-to-date overview of available data, biomaterials, and expertise within the cohorts.

Collaboration with consortium programme management

• Contribute at programme level to identifying which Demonstrator Projects align with the consortium’s objectives.
• Support the further development and positioning of the consortium and its value proposition to the field.
• Act as a back-up for the programme manager when needed.

• You hold a completed Master’s degree (WO level) in a biomedical field, such as Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, or Life Sciences.
• You have completed a PhD.
• You have substantive knowledge of preclinical drug development and relevant (laboratory) techniques.
• You have experience in setting up research projects, preferably within oncology.
• You have experience with, or a demonstrated affinity for, collaboration with the life sciences industry, including biotech companies and start-ups.
• You enjoy taking on a coordinating role: bringing people together, maintaining oversight, and ensuring progress.
• You are able to work independently and take initiative.
• You have an excellent command of the English language, both written and spoken, given the international working environment.

Do you recognise yourself in the above profile and are you enthusiastic about this position? We look forward to receiving your application. Job interviews will take place on 3 March, 5 March, or 9 March in the afternoon.

If you have any questions, please contact the contact person by email. We are not easily reachable by phone.

There is no closing date for this vacancy. As soon as we have received a sufficient number of applications, we will close the vacancy.

The maximum salary for this position (32 - 36 hours) is € 4.818,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

Oncode Accelerator is a national Growth Fund programme in which 35 public and private organisations collaborate to accelerate and improve the preclinical development of oncological therapies. By placing patients at the centre and deploying innovative technologies—such as patient data and biomaterials, organoid models, and artificial intelligence—Oncode Accelerator aims to create a more efficient development process and bring new treatments to patients faster.

The Patient Cohort Consortium is a core component of Oncode Accelerator. Within this consortium, ten high-quality oncological patient cohorts collaborate nationwide to make clinical data, biomaterials, and expertise available for preclinical research. By connecting and jointly positioning these cohorts, scale, consistency, and reusability are achieved. This combined capacity is deployed in so-called Demonstrator Projects: research collaborations in which companies or academic researchers use the Oncode Accelerator infrastructure to accelerate the development of new oncological drugs.

A strong initiation phase at the front end of these Demonstrator Projects is essential: identifying promising questions, matching them with the right cohorts, and carefully setting up new collaborations. This is your role in this position.