Director, Program and Portfolio Management

Septerna; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Annual target bonus

Job summary

Septerna seeks a Director of Program Management to drive complex development programs from discovery to clinical development. You will own integrated plans, schedules, risks, and governance, partnering with research, development, regulatory, and clinical functions.

This full‑time onsite role reports to senior leadership in South San Francisco. The position requires 10–15+ years in biotech/pharma, advanced degrees, and a track record in endocrinology/immunology/CNS programs.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in drug discovery/development or related field.
• 10–15+ years in biotech/pharma with clinical development PM experience.
• Proven track record in planning, risk management, and program governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead program management for development programs from preclinical through clinical stages.
• Define strategy with cross‑functional teams and translate into executable plans.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and mitigation plans; escalate decisions with options.

Skills

Program management

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Education

Advanced degree in relevant field

PhD/PharmD/MBA preferred

Tools

Smartsheet

Job description

Director, Program and Portfolio Management

Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA on a mission to develop life-changing medicines for patients with the vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused drug discovery company. The company’s Native Complex Platform™ recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular context. This approach enables novel access to modern structural and screening technologies used in industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule programs with potential for growth to target many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.

We are excited to expand our multidisciplinary team of individuals focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. At Septerna we strive to embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background through collaboration. To join our ambitious team, be prepared to bring your real self to work every day; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals; and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to accomplish our mission. We share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations and cultivate an environment where our employees succeed by learning from each other and working as a team.

We are committed to the development of meaningful therapeutics for patients with indications of high unmet need. This is a tremendous opportunity to work with talented individuals on the frontlines of therapeutic discovery and development. You will directly help move therapies through preclinical research, positioning them for success in the clinic. The successful candidate will add their passion, unique talents, and expertise to a dynamic team motivated to discover new disease-modifying therapeutics for patients in a fast-paced environment.

We are seeking an experienced Director of Program Management to join our dynamic team. This role will be critical in driving programs from discovery and development candidate nomination through clinical development, ensuring high-quality, decision-ready execution across research, preclinical, regulatory, and clinical functions.

In this role, you will provide end-to-end program management leadership, serving as the operational owner for assigned programs. You will be accountable for integrated program plans, timelines, risk management, and governance, and will partner closely with scientific and development leaders to align execution with company strategy. As the point of contact for program execution, you will proactively manage risks, facilitate trade-off discussions, and enable informed decision-making at both the team and executive levels.

This position reports to the Vice President of Program and Portfolio Management and is a full‑time, onsite position requiring in‑person collaboration with cross‑functional teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Management and Coordination

• Lead program management for one or more development programs from preclinical development through clinical stages
• Partner with the cross‑functional Program Team to define program strategy, conduct scenario planning, and translate strategy into executable plans to achieve program objectives
• Identify and manage program-level risks, assumptions, and interdependencies; lead mitigation planning and issue resolution
• Escalate risks and decision points with clear options and recommendations
• Work with teams to prepare presentations for internal and external meetings (e.g., team presentations, abstracts, posters, management review, Board of Directors meetings)

Strategic & Operational Planning

• Develop and maintain integrated program plans, including milestones, timelines, budgets, and resource assumptions
• Monitor progress against plans, identify deviations, and implement mitigation strategies or alternative scenarios
• Conduct critical path and dependency analyses to proactively identify risks and bottlenecks

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Ensure clear, consistent, and transparent communication of program status, key risks, and upcoming milestones through minutes, action items and decision tracking
• Align diverse stakeholders around priorities, decisions, and execution plans in a matrixed environment

Process Excellence & Capability Building

• Contribute to the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of program management processes, tools, and templates
• Promote best practices in program planning, governance, and execution across the organization

ABOUT YOU

• Advanced degree relevant to drug discovery/development; Ph.D./ PharmD/MBA preferred
• Minimum of at least 10-15+ years of experience within the Biotech or Pharma industry; prior experience in project management required, specifically in the clinical development space
• Proven expertise in project planning, execution, and risk management, with a deep understanding of drug development processes, particularly in endocrinology, immunology, CNS
• Demonstrated track record of managing small molecule discovery projects from early research through development candidates and IND/CTA submissions, clinical trial management, and program strategy development
• Experience with commonly used project management tools, including Smartsheet
• Ability to execute diverse and novel strategies in a matrix environment; experience managing and influencing complex issues and a variety of key stakeholders
• Demonstrated skill in driving execution and focusing on deliverables
• Strong organizational skills, persistent attention to detail, and ability to work independently and collaboratively to manage timelines and priorities
• Ability to manage complex situations and adapt to changing business needs by prioritizing multiple tasks
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with individual project leads/teams and scientific leadership
• Desire to work on a small team in a fast‑paced environment

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $230,000 - $255,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job‑related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Septerna's compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full‑time positions.

We are an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

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