Pioneering Medicines: Associate Director, Program Management Operations

Flagship Pioneering, Inc.•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

Pioneering Medicines, Flagship Pioneering’s in-house drug development unit, is dedicated to conceiving and developing a broad portfolio of life-changing treatments for patients built from Flagship’s innovative platforms. Harnessing the drug development expertise of its team together with the power of Flagship's multiple scientific platforms, Pioneering Medicines explores and identifies new product concepts which are then advanced jointly with Flagship’s bioplatform companies. Within Flagship’s Innovation Supply Chain partnerships, Pioneering Medicines works with external collaborators to apply its unique approach to partners’ R&D priorities. These partnerships are highly co-creative strategic alliances that accelerate therapeutic innovation by bringing together partners spanning the full spectrum of drug discovery, development, and production. THE ROLE The Associate Director, Program Management Operations is an individual contributor within the Program Management Group, responsible for establishing and sustaining the program management operating infrastructure that enables effective execution across the R&D portfolio. This role owns program management processes, systems, tools, reporting, and governance, and operates with a high degree of autonomy within a clearly defined functional scope. The role partners closely with Program Managers and cross-functional leaders to ensure that programs are planned, governed, and reported in a consistent, disciplined, and scalable manner. This role materially influences program outcomes by strengthening the operating environment in which programs are delivered.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or related discipline
8–12+ years of experience in program management, PMO operations, or R&D operations within biotech or pharmaceutical development.
Strong working knowledge of the drug discovery and development process.
Demonstrated experience establishing and operating PM processes, governance, and reporting across multiple programs.
Proven ability to influence and drive adoption of standards in a matrixed organization.
Proficiency with program management tools (e.g., Smartsheet or similar).
Strong analytical and communication skills, including preparation of executive-ready materials
Ability to work and adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree and/or PMP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain fit-for-purpose standards for integrated program planning, milestone and dependency management, risk and issue management, and program reporting across discovery through early clinical development.
Define clear expectations for how programs are planned, governed, tracked, and communicated, balancing consistency with flexibility based on program stage and complexity.
Act as an operational partner to Program Managers, enabling focus on asset execution through guidance, training, onboarding, and hands-on support.
Support onboarding of new Program Managers and cross-functional contributors into the Program Management operating model and systems.
Continuously improve the Program Management operating model based on execution experience, portfolio needs, and feedback from program teams.
Implement and maintain program management processes, tools, and systems that support planning, tracking, and reporting.
Partner with IT to maintain a secure, intuitive SharePoint-based environment for program documentation, Program Management guidance, and governance materials.
Develop and maintain concise, leadership-ready dashboards that provide a trusted, single source of truth for program and function-level reporting.
Ensure accuracy, consistency, and usability of program data across reporting and governance forums.
Ensure governance forums are prepared with clear, decision-focused materials and documented outcomes.
Track governance decisions, risks, and action items, ensuring timely follow-through and escalation as needed.
Identify and implement improvements to PM processes, tools, and reporting, including data- and AI-enabled solutions where appropriate.
Partner with Pioneering Intelligence and IT to pilot efficiency-enhancing approaches that reduce manual effort and improve decision readiness.
Promote a culture of operational discipline and continuous improvement within Program Management.
Develop approaches that can be shared and replicated across the Flagship ecosystem, building a modular, repeatable and consistent approach to Program Management.