Associate Director/Director, Program Management

Protagonist Therapeutics; Newark (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care benefits

401(k) Plan

Flexible vacation policy

Life Insurance

Short/Long Term Disability

Company paid lunch

Job summary

Protagonist Therapeutics is seeking an Associate Director/Director, Program Management to lead and coordinate activities advancing a program from Ph1 through Ph3. You will work with project teams and stakeholders to shape strategy and drive timelines, budgets, and decision points.

The role requires 10+ years in program management within biopharma, strong collaboration, and hands-on execution. On-site at our Newark, CA office, with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific or business discipline.
• 10+ years of program management/project leadership in biopharmaceuticals.
• PMPP certification is a plus.
• Strong organizational, facilitation and presentation skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, PowerPoint, Excel capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate activities to advance a program from Ph1 to Ph3.
• Define project strategy and guide cross-functional teams to deliver program and corporate objectives.
• Develop and ensure timely execution of complex project plans with timelines and budgets.
• Present strategic issues and recommendations to Senior Management.
• Ensure adherence to time, resources, budget, and scope.
• Identify risks and drive contingency planning and issue resolution.

Skills

Program management

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Presentation skills

Advanced MS Project

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science or business

Tools

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

About Us

Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery-through-late-stage development biopharmaceutical company with a proprietary technology platform that enables de novo discovery of peptide therapeutics. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are at or near commercialization. ICOTYDE™ (icotrokinra), licensed to Johnson & Johnson company Janssen Biotech, Inc., is the first and only targeted oral peptide that precisely blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor. ICOTYDE was launched in the U.S. in March 2026, is approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age or older and is in Phase 3 development for psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. ICOTYDE was jointly discovered by Protagonist and Johnson & Johnson scientists, with Protagonist having primary responsibility for the development of ICOTYDE through Phase 1, and Johnson & Johnson assuming responsibility for further development and commercialization. Protagonist also discovered and led development through Phase 3 of rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide licensed to Takeda Pharmaceuticals. An NDA for rusfertide for the treatment of polycythemia vera is under priority review with the FDA. The Company also has a number of clinical and preclinical programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including an oral IL-17 antagonist peptide, obesity dual and triple agonists, an oral hepcidin functional mimetic, and the recently announced IL-4 and amylin programs.

More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates, and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at https://www.protagonist-inc.com.

Position Summary

The Associate Director/Director, Program Management is a critical function and will be responsible for leading and coordinating all activities associated with advancing a program through Ph1 to Ph3 clinical trials. The individual will be a key member of project teams, working closely with the stakeholders and contribute to the definition of project strategy and guide the project and functional teams to deliver on program and corporate objectives. This position will be accountable for steering core teams through internal processes and manage the integration of preclinical, clinical, cmc, and regulatory execution. Develop and ensure timely execution of complex project plans, as well as manage project timelines, budget to achieve key milestones and timely decision points.

We are committed to a thriving in-office culture. This role requires being on-site at our office in Newark, CA 4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Create timelines and utilize planning tools such as creation of project dashboards and Gantt charts including Smartsheet. Ensure team objectives are clearly established and communicated. Ensure that responsibilities are understood, risks are identified, progress is measured and plans are updated and adapted as necessary.
• Organize and conduct project team meetings. Provide concise meeting minutes in a timely fashion, including key decisions and actions.
• Work with respective functional leaders to drive the Ph1 and Ph2 programs including clinical timelines in collaboration with the clinical lead that optimize value, time, resources and risk while ensuring that Program strategy is aligned with business objectives.
• Accountability for ensuring adherence of project planning and activities to agreed time, resources, budget and scope.
• Accountability for project team documentation and for identifying issues and risks and leading contingency planning. Identify and track the project's critical path, formulate and monitor corrective courses of action
• Ensures conflict resolution at project team or higher level.
• Presenting strategic issues, project updates and options, and recommendations to Senior Management team.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific or business discipline and 10+ years of relevant Program Management / Project Leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry or equivalent. PMPP certification a plus.
• Strong organizational, facilitation and presentation skills
• Advanced Microsoft Project, Smart Sheet, PowerPoint, Excel capabilities
• Prior experience working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial development stage company is highly desirable.
• In depth knowledge and experience of the global drug development to enable robust and efficient project plans
• Experience in more than one therapeutic area would be a plus.
• An ability to take hands-on, “roll up your sleeves” approach toward achieving business results.
• An ability to achieve results with colleagues of diverse functional expertise, skills and priorities. This would include the ability to challenge the status quo where relevant, and resolve conflict within the team while maintaining clear focus on business objectives. It also requires the ability to lead by influence rather than by command.
• Highly motivated, proactive and organized with an ability to operate independently
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to develop collaborative relationships internally and externally
• Excellent communication and analytical skills, with an ability to navigate, synthesize and convey complex issues
• Financial acumen to develop and provide oversight of project budgets and product valuations, with an understanding of portfolio management concepts
• Ability to translate strategy into action, requiring strong influencing, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Ability to travel, about 5%

Pay Range

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $175,000 and $225,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits

A top priority for Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. is to provide a robust and comprehensive health and wellness program for our employees and their families. We offer a variety of high-quality coverage and benefit options.

• Health Care benefits. Protagonist covers 100% of the premium cost for medical, dental, and vision coverage for all full-time employees and their dependents.
• Flexible Spending Accounts – Healthcare FSA, Dependent Care FSA, Commuter Benefits
• 401(k) Plan
• Flexible Vacation Policy
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Company paid lunch and snacks