Director, Portfolio Management and Operations

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.•South San Francisco, CA

3d•$243,000 - $270,000

About The Position

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of novel integrin-based therapeutics. Based in South San Francisco, California, Pliant was founded in 2015 to develop therapeutics to modulate specific pathways upregulated or dysfunctional in certain diseases. Our approach involves developing novel integrin-based therapeutics to treat solid tumors and other diseases. Integrins are a crucial link between a cell's internal structure and its external environment and function in cell signaling, regulation and adhesion as well as wound healing and immune response. Founded by a team of world-renowned researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, this group discovered key insights into the integrin biology and developed small molecule therapeutics to target this devastating disease process. Launched in 2016 by Third Rock Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital firm, Pliant has developed an industry-leading proprietary library of over 15,000 integrins that serve as a key driver to its portfolio. We believe our platform may be broadly applicable across multiple disease areas including delivery of drug payloads to cells utilizing integrin receptor-binding molecules as tissue-specific delivery and internalization mechanisms. Currently, Pliant is conducting a Phase 1 study of PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that has shown encouraging clinical activity in the development of a treatment of immune checkpoint resistant solid tumors. Description Reporting to the SVP of Development Operations, this role will play a central role for the Portfolio and Program Management (PPM) function. In addition, this role will serve as the Program Manager of Pliant’s key program(s) including but not limited to PLN-101095 and will be accountable for the day-to-day operations of the Global Program Team (GPT) and Clinical Core Team (CCT).

Requirements

BA/BS with 12+ years (or equivalent combination of education and experience) of biotech/pharmaceutical experience with deep expertise in program and portfolio management is required. Advanced degree preferred (Ph.D., M.S., Pharm.D., MBA).
Proven track record in a program management/project management role as part of a research-driven biotech/pharmaceutical company.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, driving tactical delivery of programs.
Experience with negotiation and conflict resolution, including the ability to influence without reporting authority.
Strong understanding of preclinical development, CMC, regulatory pathways, and clinical development fundamentals.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and executive‑level presentation skills.
Ability to operate in alignment with Pliant’s values and culture.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred (Ph.D., M.S., Pharm.D., MBA).
Experience across all stages of drug development is preferred.
Experience in late-stage regulatory filings is preferred.
Experience with drug development in oncology is preferred.
Experience with forecasting spend associated with a program’s development plan is preferred

Responsibilities

Developing and implementing the standards, processes and tools leveraged by PPM.
Developing and maintaining all portfolio and program dashboards, reports and project management tools (e.g., decision calendar, program milestones and timelines, decisions & actions log, risk register, agendas, minutes).
Working with Research and Pre-Clinical teams to identify potential drug candidates and collaborating with Development functions in building a business case to bring them forward for IND or development activities.
Guiding and facilitating the cross-functional development of detailed budget forecasts for the development portfolio.
Serve as primary business partner to Corporate Finance to enable organizational processes such as long-range planning and budget cycles.
Leading a biweekly organizational leadership meeting (Executive Team and their direct reports) to inform on portfolio and departmental updates.
Partnering with the GPTL in the development of the program strategy and defining the tactics required to deliver through the GPT ensuring integrated plans, timelines, risk assessments, and decision trees.
Partnering with the CCT Leader and members to drive the design and delivery of the clinical development plan in alignment with the program strategy.
Leading and coordinating the efforts of the GPT as they engage with the ELT and the Board of Directors (BOD) to seek endorsement of program strategy.
Responsible for maintaining and ensuring team execution of the development plan for Pliant’s lead program.
Partnering with functional leads and representatives (e.g. Clinical Operations, Regulatory and CMC) to achieve program objectives.
Operating independently within a matrix environment to guide team members and influence applicable stakeholders to enable the program strategy.