Director of Scientific Meetings and Programs

The Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research is seeking a highly organized, hands\-on **Director of Scientific Meetings and Programs** to lead the planning and execution of our scientific meetings, annual symposium, educational programs, committee\-driven initiatives, and related live and virtual event activities. This is a remote position with required travel for site visits, live meetings, and onsite execution. The ideal candidate is a strong project manager, clear communicator, calm problem\-solver, and experienced meeting professional who can manage complex timelines, multiple stakeholders, vendors, speakers, committees, sponsors, exhibitors, and event technology platforms. This is not a passive oversight role. The Director will lead the department and supervise functional staff, but must also be willing and able to be hands\-on in the work: building timelines, running planning calls, updating trackers, following up on deliverables, managing deadlines, resolving issues, preparing reports, communicating with vendors, and stepping in where needed to ensure successful execution. **Reports To:** Executive Leadership / Chief of Scientific Meetings and Programs *Key Responsibilities* Department Leadership and Project Management * Lead the planning and execution of FSCDR’s scientific meetings, annual symposium, pre\-symposium sessions, Grant Writing Institute, committee\-driven programs, and related educational activities. * Create, maintain, and manage the master project timeline, milestones, task lists, and cross\-functional deliverables. * Lead regular internal and external planning meetings, including agenda preparation, action item tracking, follow\-up, and accountability. * Maintain and update project management tools such as Google and Smartsheet. * Supervise and coordinate the work of the Scientific Program \& Committees Specialist, Meeting Operations \& Event Technology Specialist, and Sponsorships, Grants \& Exhibits Specialist. * Serve as the central point of coordination across program, operations, technology, registration, sponsorship, exhibits, grants, speakers, committees, and vendors. * Identify risks early, recommend solutions, escalate issues appropriately, and keep leadership informed of status, decisions needed, and timeline concerns. * Develop and oversee department workflows, checklists, timelines, templates, and standard operating procedures. Scientific Meetings and Program Oversight * Oversee planning and execution of scientific program activities, including invited sessions, speaker workflows, abstract\-related processes, posters, oral presentations, and committee\-driven program development. * Support the recruitment, onboarding, and management of scientific planning committees and other planning groups. * Ensure committee meetings are well\-organized, including agendas, materials, minutes, action items, and follow\-up. * Oversee speaker invitation and confirmation workflows, presentation deadlines, disclosure re