A Day in the Life of a PM

The PM Role

IARPA Program Managers develop new concepts to address an IC (Intelligence Community) problem, then manage the research from start to finish. They chart the course for their program, which includes:

• Identifying goals and objectives
• Developing rigorous test and evaluation criteria
• Specifying short- and long-term milestones to gauge the health of the program
• Managing all technical, procurement, and financial aspects of the program

IARPA PMs serve for limited terms (3-5 years is the length of a typical IARPA program), which ensures a constant infusion of fresh thinking and new perspectives.

“[I worked] with a diverse set of experts across the wide expanse of scientific endeavor. At IARPA, I had the chance to ask questions about Covid-19 to the virologist, about electric cars to the battery expert...Google translate to the language expert...”

-Dr. Paul Kolb, Former IARPA Program Manager