Senior Director, Program Management
Position Description
Reporting to the Chief Scientific Officer, the Senior Director, Program Management will be a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving the execution of our early stage- research and development programs. This individual will partner closely with cross-functional teams, including the Directors, VPs and SVPs of Discovery and Platform, Pharmacology, Bioanalytical Sciences, CMC, and Drug Development to ensure the successful advancement of our pipeline from early research to developmental candidate status.
You will help plan, coordinate, monitor and communicate R&D KPI progress to drive portfolio management processes of operational objectives. You will also play a critical role in managing and fostering relationships with strategic partners, ensuring that collaborations deliver value to all stakeholders.
The position is full-time, partly on-site. This is the perfect opportunity for someone interested in the exciting and fast-paced environment of a startup company and looking to make a difference in improving people’s lives through science. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in drug discovery and development, a proven track record of program management excellence in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, and a passion for bringing transformative therapies to patients.
Company Summary
Juvena Therapeutics is a clinical stage, venture-backed biotech company leveraging its AI-enabled platform to discover and advance tissue restorative biologics to tackle chronic muscle and metabolic diseases. The company’s approach stems from mapping the therapeutic potential of stem-cell secreted proteins and translating them into a growing pipeline of engineered biologics. Juvena is achieving this through a fully integrated, end-to-end platform, JuvNET, that combines a compounding database leveraging quantitative proteomics, multi-omics, and high content imaging to map secreted proteins to specific disease phenotypes, utilizing in silico and in vitro human cell screening, pharmacology, and protein engineering capabilities. Juvena is progressing multiple clinical and preclinical programs, including a clinical stage, muscle regenerative biologic and a novel preclinical lipolysis inducing obesity asset with a unique mechanism.
Juvena’s lead asset, JUV-161, is a muscle regenerating fusion protein with broad indication potential, currently in Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers, with the aim of developing the drug candidate for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). Juvena’s obesity candidate, JUV-112, is based on a novel secreted protein with an orthogonal, non-appetite suppressing, energy expenditure based MOA (non-GLP-1/GIP mediated) for improved fat metabolism, including improved insulin sensitivity and adipose regulation. JUV-112 is currently in lead optimization. Juvena is also identifying muscle targeting pro-metabolic and hypertrophic secreted proteins for Sarcopenic Obesity, with an active discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly. Additionally, Juvena has discovered and validated 55+ hits across 6 therapeutic areas including fibrotic, hepatic, pulmonary, metabolic, osteopathies and inflammatory diseases.
Juvena’s venture-backed preclinical programs were also supported by funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). At Juvena we embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experience and approaches that all combine to lead us to world-class scientific results in an inclusive environment. To learn more about Juvena Therapeutics, visit JuvenaTherapeutics.com or follow the company on LinkedIn @Juvena-Therapeutics.
Position Location and work permit requirement
640 Galveston Dr. Redwood City, 94063
Strong preference for onsite work at our office, but open to hybrid or remote working arrangements.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Key Responsibilities
- Working with senior leadership and other stakeholders to establish quarterly KPIs, R&D program plans, and portfolio governance processes that provide a foundation for achieving annual corporate objectives.
- This is a key leadership role within Juvena Therapeutics, Inc., facilitating communication across internal technical and cross-functional teams
- Directly coordinate project portfolio plans development and tracking for
- a) the Discovery programs through IND-filing for multiple Therapeutic Areas, and for
- b) the Platform program including Data Science/Bioinformatics/AI-ML projects.
- Monitor ongoing projects for potential risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies with management and the relevant R&D teams. Identify, track, and support resolution efforts for all program-related issues and effectively communicate to relevant internal and external contractor teams via regular and ad-hoc status updates.
- Drive the development and maintenance of comprehensive program plans roadmaps, including timelines, budgets, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Develop and maintain project/portfolio dashboards, reports, and metrics including timeline GANTTS and status summaries.
- Facilitate effective communication and collaboration within program teams and across the organization to ensure clarity of goals, progress, and issues.
- Track and report on program progress to senior management and other key stakeholders at regular internal meeting cycles.
- Support the presentation of program progress updates at quarterly board meetings.
- Step in as necessary to drive down general administrative or technical debt associated with a fast moving start-up environment
- Contribute to the development and implementation of best practices in program management to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence within program teams.
Position Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline is required; an advanced degree (e.g., MS, PhD, MBA) is preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, with at least 5 years in a program management role.
- A thorough understanding of the drug development process, from pre-IND to commercialization.
- Proven experience leading cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
- Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build consensus.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and timelines.
- Experience with program management tools and software notably both Microsoft and GSuite systems.
- A proactive and results-oriented mindset, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Proven Track Record: Demonstrated success in managing high-impact partnerships, with an emphasis on deep cross-functional collaboration in biotechnology. Experience with biologics or drug discovery alliances is preferred.
- Skills: Excellent communication, relationship management, negotiation, and collaboration skills, with the ability to drive alignment across cross-functional teams.
- Track record of advancing R&D programs through Discovery to developmental candidate nomination
- Ability to wear many hats with a team-first attitude.
Compensation
- Competitive salary, annual bonus and stock options
- Health/Dental/Vision insurance
- Paid vacation and holidays
- Partial 401K matching
- $135,000- $175,000 annual salary
- Salary range and total compensation is based on candidate qualifications, skill level and internal equity.
Career Opportunities at Juvena Therapeutics, Inc.
At Juvena Therapeutics, we believe everyone deserves a seat at the table and an equal chance at success, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, cultural heritage, or
age. Most importantly, we are an equal opportunity employer and respect an individual’s right to freedom of expression within the boundaries of mutual respect and equal treatment.
We are seeking to grow our company with a diverse team of enthusiastic scientists and technologists who share our vision and determination to discover and develop tissue-restorative biologics to tackle muscle, metabolic, and age-related chronic diseases and promote healthspan. Explore all our open positions, and let’s grow together at https://www.juvenatherapeutics.com/careers/.
Apply Now
Please email your CV and Cover Letter to apply@juvenatherapeutics.com with the title of the position as the subject line.
