Senior Director, Program Management

Summit Therapeutics, Inc.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 217,000 - 271,000; Full time

Job summary

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is seeking a Senior Director of Program Management to provide strategic and operational leadership across multiple development programs and a portfolio of assets, driving alignment among Research, Development, Business Strategy, Manufacturing, and execution.

This role reports to the VP, Program Management and may involve people leadership. The role requires extensive cross-functional collaboration, governance oversight, and the ability to influence executive leadership

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher with specified years of experience.
• 12-15+ years of pharma/biotech industry experience.
• Solid tumor oncology experience including late-stage development.
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with operational execution.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Program & Portfolio Leadership: Manage multiple programs or a therapeutic portfolio to maximize pipeline.
• Cross-Functional & Executive Leadership: Lead and integrate complex cross-functional workstreams; present to C-suite.
• Program Execution & Governance: Oversee end-to-end program execution and governance models.
• Timelines & Scenario Planning: Oversee integrated timelines; lead portfolio scenario planning.
• Risk, Opportunity & Continuous Improvement: Identify risks and drive improvements.

Skills

Global cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Program management

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MS or MBA

PhD/PharmD/MD/DVM

Tools

MS Office

Microsoft Project

Smartsheet

Job description

About Summit

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

About Summit

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summit’s Team Is Inspired To Touch And Help Change Lives Through Summit’s Clinical Studies In The Field Of Oncology. Summit Has Multiple Global Phase 3 Clinical Studies, Including

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

• HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.
• HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.
• HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

• HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

Overview

The Senior Director of Program Management provides strategic and operational leadership across multiple development programs and/or a portfolio of assets, driving alignment between Research, Development, Business Strategy, Manufacturing, and execution. This role has enterprise-level impact on initiating new indications, pipeline prioritization, and long-range value creation from early development through regulatory approval. The Senior Director serves as the primary point of contact for key programs to executive leadership, ensures disciplined program governance, and strengthens the Program Management function as the organization scales. This position reports to the VP, Program Management and may have people leadership responsibility.

Role And Responsibilities

Strategic Program & Portfolio Leadership

• Manage multiple programs or a therapeutic portfolio to maximize pipeline
• Partner with executive leadership on program, indication, and portfolio strategy, including prioritization and sequencing
• Define and oversee major milestones, decision points, objectives, and inflection points across programs
• Lead scenario planning, trade-off analyses, and decision frameworks to support executive decision-making
• Ensure alignment across Development, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and Corporate Strategy

Cross-Functional & Executive Leadership

• Lead and integrate complex cross-functional workstreams across Research, Development, Regulatory, and Manufacturing
• Facilitate effective decision-making and accountability across global teams and external partners
• Present clear insights, recommendations, and program status to C-suite and senior leadership
• Mentor and develop Program Management leaders and strengthen organizational capability

Program Execution & Governance

• Oversee end-to-end program execution, including activation of new indications post-Go decision
• Ensure consistent application of program management standards, dashboards, and governance models
• Chair timely, efficient, and action-oriented team meetings to coordinate operations and communications.
• Review and validate integrated program plans, timelines, and metrics for accuracy and strategic alignment
• Represent Program Management on senior governance forums and key internal or external teams

Timelines & Scenario Planning

• Oversee integrated, cross-program timelines aligned with enterprise goals
• Partner with functional leaders on budgets and forecast planning
• Lead portfolio-level scenario and contingency planning to support strategic agility
• Ensure data integrity and transparency in executive reporting

Risk, Opportunity & Continuous Improvement

• Identify and manage program- and portfolio-level risks and mitigation strategies
• Communicate risks, opportunities, and trade-off s clearly to executive leadership
• Drive continuous improvement of program management processes, tools, and operating models
• Lead strategic initiatives to mature the Program Management function as the company grows
• All other duties as assigned

Experience, Education And Specialized Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree and minimum 15 years of relevant project management/scientific experience within the pharmaceutical industry; OR a MS or MBA and minimal 12 years of relevant experience; OR a PhD in a scientific field or a PharmD, DVM or MD degree with 7+ years of relevant experience
• 12-15+ years of pharmaceutical or biotech industry experience with progressive responsibility in program or portfolio management
• Extensive pharmaceutical drug development experience required;
• Prior solid tumor oncology experience, including late-stage development and registrational trials, required
• Demonstrated success leading complex, global cross-functional programs and influencing senior executives
• Experience managing alliances and external partners strongly preferred
• Proven ability to balance strategic leadership with operational execution
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and presentation skills
• Strong proficiency in program management and planning tools (e.g., MS Office, Project, Smartsheet)
• Willing to travel for key meetings.

This is the pay for this position

Pay Transparency

$217,000 - $271,000 USD

Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.

Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summit’s Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail] to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and takes pride in creating and maintaining diverse environment. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training or promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.