R&D Program Planner

Thornton Tomasetti applies engineering and scientific principles to solve the world’s challenges. An independent organization of creative thinkers and innovative doers collaborating from offices worldwide, our mission is to bring our clients' ideas to life and, in the process, lay the groundwork for a better, more resilient future. We provide support and opportunities to our employees to achieve their full potential and cultivate a rewarding career.

About CORE Studio & CORE Lab 

CORE Studio is Thornton Tomasetti's technology and R&D engine, creating tools, workflows, and research that enable our teams to deliver efficiently, solve complex challenges, and push the limits of design and delivery. CORE Lab is our internal innovation pipeline—identifying ideas from across the firm and developing them into new methods, capabilities, and products through a competitive internal grant program and Innovation Tournaments. AECtech, our yearly conference series, brings that spirit of innovation to the broader AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) community, gathering technologists, designers, and engineers to explore the future of the built environment. Together, these programs drive the firm's commitment to being a global leader at the cutting edge of AEC technology. 

Your Role 

You will play a key supporting role across CORE's innovation programs—keeping R&D cycles running smoothly, bringing industry events to life, and making sure CORE's work is visible and engaging across the firm and beyond. This is not a traditional administrative role; it sits at the intersection of R&D program coordination, event strategy, and firmwide communications. You will work directly with the CORE studio leadership, the CORE Lab Oversight group, and the Director of AECtech, serving as a key interface between the CORE program and both internal partners and external clients. If you thrive in fast-moving, idea-rich environments and love turning complex logistics into seamless experiences, this role was built for you. 

What You'll Do 

• Coordinate multiple annual cycles of CORE Labs, our internal R&D grant program—managing submissions, reviews, awards, project tracking, and post-cycle reporting 
• Support the planning and execution of internal innovation events, including Innovation Tournaments and hackathons 
• Work directly with the Director of AECtech to plan and deliver AECtech and other external industry events, owning logistics from venue research and vendor coordination to on-site execution 
• Draft and distribute firmwide communications—calls for proposals, program updates, and event announcements—and support CORE's external presence through LinkedIn and other channels in coordination with Marketing 
• Develop post-event content, maintain the CORE Spark site, and contribute to branding and storytelling efforts across programs 
• Manage schedules, track action items, coordinate expenses with accounting, and provide operational support across all CORE initiatives 
• Travel domestically and internationally 5–10 times per year to support AECtech events and Innovation Tournaments 

What You'll Bring 

• Bachelor's degree preferred; prior experience in event planning, program coordination, or an AEC, innovation, or R&D environment is a plus 
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to juggle multiple concurrent initiatives and keep complex workflows on track 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfort drafting clear, engaging content for a wide range of audiences 
• Proactive, self-starter mindset with high attention to detail and strong follow-through, you take ownership and manage up 
• Proficiency with Office 365 and Google Workspace; comfort with scheduling, collaboration, and project tracking tools. Experience with graphic and video editing is a plus. 

Compensation

The rate for this position generally is $80,000 - $95,000 annually. This range is a good faith estimate provided pursuant to the New York Pay Transparency Law. It is based on what a successful New York applicant might be paid and assumes that the successful candidate will be in New York or perform the position from New York. Similar positions located outside of New York will not necessarily receive the same compensation. Actual pay rates may vary from the range, as permitted by New York Equal Pay Transparency Law. Compensation offers will be based on various factors, including operational needs, individual education, qualifications and experience, work location and comparison to employee already in the role, as well as other considerations permitted by law. A potential new employee’s pay history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits

Depending on your employment status, benefits may include:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, Disability and other voluntary benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical and Childcare

• Paid Time Off, Family Leave for New Parents, Volunteer Time

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Commuter Transit (where available)

• 401k retirement savings with Company matching on employee contributions and/or qualified student loan repayments

• Fitness Reimbursement

• And other various wellness, diversity/inclusion and employee resource programs and initiatives

 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Thornton Tomasetti is proud to be an equal employment workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Thornton Tomasetti are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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