Director, Program Management

Summit Therapeutics•Palo Alto, CA

2d•$190,000 - $237,000

About The Position

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) and Colorectal Cancer (CRC). 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. Our Mission To build a viable long-lasting health care organization that assumes full responsibility for designing, developing, trial enrollment, regulatory approval and commercializing patient, physician, caregiver, payor, and societal friendly medicinal therapy intended to improve quality of life, increase potential duration of life and resolve serious medical healthcare needs. We will accomplish this by building a team of world-class scientists and business administrators that apply themselves to this mission. We have in-licensed Ivonescimab (PD-1/VEGF Bispecific Antibody, SMT112), which is a novel, potential first-in-class investigational bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule. We have ongoing phase-III clinical studies in multiple indications including NSCLC and CRC. Overview The Director of Program Management provides strategic and operational leadership across multiple development programs, driving alignment between Research, Development, Business Strategy, Manufacturing, and execution. This role plays a critical part in advancing collaboration programs across the portfolio and enabling long-term value creation from development through regulatory approval. The 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.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and minimum 12 years of relevant project management/scientific experience within the pharmaceutical industry; OR a MS or MBA and minimal 10 years of relevant experience; OR a PhD in a scientific field or a PharmD, DVM or MD degree with 6+ years of relevant experience
10–12+ 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 with 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.

Responsibilities

Responsible for overall execution of multiple programs to deliver on program objectives and maximize value.
Partner with executive leadership on program, strategy,
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
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, in collaboration with Alliance Management.
Present clear insights, recommendations, and program status to C-suite and senior leadership
Mentor and develop Program Managers and strengthen organizational capability
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
Oversee integrated program timelines aligned with enterprise goals
Partner with functional leaders on budgets and forecast planning
Ensure data integrity and transparency in executive reporting
Identify and manage program 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