Director / Sr. Director, Program Management

Confidential; United States; On-site; USD 220,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential is seeking a Senior Director of Program Management to translate program strategy into robust development plans from discovery through clinical development. You will lead cross-functional alignment with internal and external stakeholders, including vendors, and drive decision points early to enable on-time execution within forecasted budgets.

The role demands deep drug development expertise, executive communication, and the ability to operate with strategic independence in a

Qualifications

• Over a decade of multi-disciplinary pharmaceutical/biotech experience.
• Ability to translate strategy into development plans and manage risks.
• Proven cross-functional leadership across R&D, CMC, Clinical, Regulatory and Quality.

Responsibilities

• Own translation of program strategy into robust development plans.
• Identify risks, dependencies and decision points early and propose solutions.
• Lead cross-functional program alignment from discovery to development.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders and vendors.
• Ensure plans align with budget and timelines and escalate as needed.
• Develop decision-ready dashboards and portfolio analytics for leadership.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Risk management

Education

BS/BA degree in life science

Tools

Portfolio management systems

Dashboard development

Job description

Our organization is still currently in stealth mode, however candidates selected for an interview will receive more information on the organization.

The Senior Director of Program Management will own the translation of program strategy and goals into robust, decision-ready development plans. This is a central and key role that works closely with both internal and external stakeholders and is responsible for cross functional program alignment from discovery through clinical development. The successful candidate combines deep fluency in drug development with expert program management capabilities, demonstrating the ability to independently engage in scientific development and program planning discussions with both external vendors and internal stakeholders. This leader will create clarity, transparency, and strategic and operational leadership across assigned programs and functions.

This role will identify barriers, risks, cross-functional dependencies, and key decision points early and work with both internal and external stakeholders to develop pragmatic solutions and strategies to enable execution of development plans within forecasted timelines and budget.

Your Contributions

Program Planning & Cross-functional Partnership

• Report into the COO and serve as an operating partner to both internal R&D leadership and key external vendors
• Work with cross-functional teams to create program plans, identifying decision points, acceleration opportunities, key predecessors, critical risks, and risk mitigation scenarios
• Lead scenario planning efforts, identifying risk, budget, or timeline mitigation strategies while identifying key considerations and trade-offs; recommend actions to senior leadership
• Be a liaison between internal stakeholders and key vendors; ensure vendor workstreams remain aligned to program priorities, risks, and decision timelines.
• Ensure robust project plans drive external project work
• Facilitate close collaboration between internal and external stakeholders with regular touchpoints and close monitoring of project quality, timeline, and budget
• Recognize when issues require broader leadership involvement and facilitate timely escalation with clear options and recommendations
• Ensure decisions are supported by relevant data, clearly documented, and translated into updated plans and accountabilities
• Monitor the outcomes of significant decisions and adjust plans as necessary to maintain progress toward objectives Program operations
• Support execution of R&D priorities by translating strategic objectives into clear tactical plans, deliverables, timelines, and accountabilities
• Partner with COO and CSO to shape executive R&D operating cadence, ensuring leadership forums focus on progress, decision points, risks, timelines, and budget implications.
• Work closely with CBO and finance team to provide input on program budgets that enable planned activities
• Ensure compliance with procurement, contracting, and vendor management processes
• Contribute to resource and capacity discussions by providing visibility into workload, timing, dependencies, and program priorities
• Evolve the program-team operating model, operating cadence, and program management standards as the pipeline and organization grow

Requirements

• BS/BA degree in a life science
• 12+ years of multi-disciplinary experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry
• Development experience spanning early discovery through clinical proof of concept
• Understanding of the interfaces among Research, CMC Technical Operations, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and other development functions
• Direct experience supporting Technical Operations and manufacturing
• Working knowledge of core CMC disciplines, including cell line development, drug substance and drug product manufacturing, analytical development and qualification, clinical supply chain and storage, Quality, and CMC Regulatory
• Expert program and portfolio management capabilities, including integrated development planning, scenario planning, risk management, resource and budget planning, and portfolio analytics
• Ability to integrate technical plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables across multiple disciplines, sub-teams, and workstreams
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact, communicate, and drive alignment with individuals at all levels across the organization
• Demonstrated ability to drive consensus and decision-making in complex cross functional environments
• Excellent team member with a strong willingness and ability to work across projects at different stages of development in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment

Strongly Preferred

• Therapeutic area experience in immunology, specifically with a background in inflammation and autoimmunity
• Experience across multiple drug candidate modalities, including large molecule analytical and formulation development platforms
• Experience with PM tools such as portfolio management systems, and building decision-ready dashboards

We comply with all federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws. In all hiring and employment practices, we make every effort to ensure that it doesn’t discriminate against employees and applicants. This policy addresses our commitment to providing equal opportunity employment for all employees and applicants and to promoting diversity in the workplace.

The range for this role depends on experience but is estimated at $220,000-$260,000 per year plus a comprehensive benefits package, bonus opportunity and equity.