Senior Director, Program Leadership

Deciphera Pharma; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Senior Director of Program Leadership, where you will spearhead cross-functional teams in the oncology space. This dynamic role requires a strategic leader with extensive drug development experience to drive program strategies, manage risks, and ensure operational excellence. You'll mentor junior team members while fostering a culture of collaboration and data-driven decision-making. With a commitment to improving lives, this innovative firm offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and a vibrant work culture that promotes personal and professional growth. If you're ready to make a significant impact in the fight against cancer, this opportunity is for you.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

401(k) retirement plan with company match

Generous parental leave

Family planning benefits

Opportunities for personal and professional growth

Qualifications

• 10+ years in drug development in biopharma, 5+ years in program leadership.
• Solid understanding of oncology drug development processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional program teams to define strategy and goals.
• Cultivate effective program teams and ensure operational excellence.

Skills

Oncology drug development expertise

Interpersonal skills

Strategic leadership

Data-driven decision-making

Communication skills

Tools

MS Office Suite

Project management tools (Smartsheet, ThinkCell, MS Project)

Job description

Job Description

The Role:

Deciphera’s cross-functional program teams drive the strategy and operations of our late preclinical, clinical, and commercial assets. We are seeking a dynamic Senior Director, Program Leadership who will have responsibility for leading one or more of these program teams. The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who can leverage their strong oncology drug development expertise, EQ, and organizational skills to drive and execute the integrated program strategy. The Senior Director, Program Leadership will work closely with functional representatives to deeply understand and communicate program activities / interdependencies, risks, and potential mitigations. This role will partner closely with the broader program leadership and management group to ensure consistency across programs, establish best practices, and communicate cross-program priorities. The Senior Director, Program Leadership will facilitate communication between the program team and the Portfolio Strategy Committee / executive team to ensure adequate visibility into program strategy and operations.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead one or more cross-functional program teams to define program strategy, goals, decision points, investments and areas of risk and associated mitigations and contingencies.
• Cultivate healthy, effective, and highly functioning program teams, partnering closely with program managers to ensure operational excellence.
• Develop and maintain fully integrated project plans (Gantt), incorporating activities, responsibilities and interdependencies.
• Drive the development and execution of the strategic plan, appropriately balancing the “need for speed” with potential risks.
• Holistic and confident communication: ensure PT clearly understands expectations from leadership, ensure leadership clearly understands program status, timelines, milestones, risks and mitigations.
• Focus team efforts on most critical tasks; identify and resolve communication bottlenecks.
• Lead data-driven decision-making processes to enable timely and objective development decisions.
• Liaise with peers within the program management function to maintain consistent cross-project standards, ensure aligned strategies, and to determine overlap of competing priorities.
• Participate in Portfolio Strategy Steering Committee meetings as the key representative of the program team.
• Mentor junior PLs and program managers.

What You’ll Bring:

• A minimum of 10 years drug development experience in the biopharmaceutical industry including a minimum of 5 years development program leadership experience.
• Solid understanding of oncology drug development process (steps, functions and their roles, key interdependencies).
• Strategic, efficient, organized, and empathetic leader who can zoom both in and out.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a proven track record of influencing without authority across a matrixed organization.
• Outstanding written and oral communicator, able to clearly and accurately express complex ideas.
• Builds consensus, but identifies a final decision maker / escalates when required.
• Highly effective influencer without authority at all levels.
• Performs well in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment.
• Always planning and thinking two steps ahead, but able to flex in response to changing variables.
• Highly motivated with a "hands on" leadership style - no task is too big or small!
• Experience with MS office suite (Powerpoint, Excel, MS Teams) required, project management tools (Smartsheet, ThinkCell, MS Project) a plus.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and annual bonus.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with company match, and more.
• Generous parental leave and family planning benefits.
• Outstanding culture and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Apply Now: Join us in our mission to improve the lives of people with cancer. Apply today to become a part of our dynamic team!