Biotech Project Lead — Drug Discovery & SPARK Program

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Virginia is seeking a Project Manager for the UVA Manning SPARK Program, based on-site in Charlottesville, VA. You will drive execution of a growing portfolio of early-stage drug discovery and development programs, partnering with SPARK investigators, industry advisors, and external partners to move projects toward licensing or clinical development.

Reporting to the COO and Senior Project Manager of Operations, you will manage stage-gate milestones, budgets, and

Qualifications

• Master's degree required.
• 4+ years of relevant experience required.
• PMP certification required within one year of hire if not held.

Responsibilities

• Program planning with SPARK investigators to develop and maintain a Target Product Profile (TPP) and integrated project plan, budget, timeline, milestones, and risk register.
• Track program progress against milestones and scorecards; organize stage-gate reviews; synthesize considerations into recommendations for leadership; drive action on decisions.
• Plan and manage lead optimization and IND-enabling studies (DMPK, safety/toxicology, CMC/formulation) and support regulatory strategy, including pre-IND with external experts.
• Identify, evaluate, engage and manage CROs/CDMOs, consultants, and other external partners; manage scopes of work, budgets, timelines, and data quality; steward program budgets.
• Engage SPARK investigators and partners; coordinate with licensing and ventures groups to support IP strategy, licensing, and follow-on funding.
• Coordinate student and faculty teams across UVA for commercial, market, payer, IP, and regulatory analyses for SPARK programs.
• Develop and improve portfolio governance: intake, stage-gate criteria, decision processes, reporting cadence, metrics, and tools; track INDs, licenses, and company formation; produce dashboards.
• Manage SPARK Tank competition cycle and liaise with Stanford SPARK GLOBAL for education and cross-institution programs.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Vendor management

Project governance

Strategic planning

Education

Master's degree

Ph.D. in biomedical or related field

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

Job description

The University of Virginia is seeking a Project Manager for the UVA Manning SPARK Program, based on-site in Charlottesville, VA. You will drive execution of a growing portfolio of early-stage drug discovery and development programs, partnering with SPARK investigators, industry advisors, and external partners to move projects toward licensing or clinical development.

Reporting to the COO and Senior Project Manager of Operations, you will manage stage-gate milestones, budgets, and