Scientific Operations Leader (Director / Senior Director)

JLSa2 Therapeutics•South San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Scientific Operations Leader provides operational leadership for outsourced research and development activities supporting discovery through clinical development. This individual will serve as the operational hub for scientific study execution, partnering closely with Chemistry, Biology, DMPK, Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Development, CMC, Project Management, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, and external contract research organizations (CROs) to ensure high-quality, on-time, and on-budget execution of research and development activities. Working in a dynamic biotechnology environment, this role will oversee operational planning, CRO identification and management, budgeting, contracting, study tracking, and portfolio coordination across multiple programs. As the organization grows, this position may expand into broader development and clinical operations leadership, supporting clinical trial execution and clinical operational strategy. This position may have a supervisory role while leading cross-functional initiatives through collaboration and influence.

Requirements

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, or a related scientific discipline.
Minimum of 8 years of experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or CRO environments supporting scientific operations, research operations, project management, development operations, or related functions.
Demonstrated experience coordinating outsourced nonclinical research and development activities.
Experience identifying, selecting, negotiating with, and managing CROs and scientific service providers.
Strong experience managing study budgets, vendor quotations, purchase orders, contracts, timelines, and operational deliverables.
Working knowledge of drug discovery and early development, including DMPK, bioanalytical sciences, toxicology, pharmaceutical development, and IND-enabling studies.
Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex programs simultaneously.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills with demonstrated success collaborating across multidisciplinary scientific organizations.
Experience developing operational processes, tracking systems, and performance metrics to improve organizational efficiency.
Proficiency with project management software, Microsoft Office applications, and budget tracking tools.
Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and operational excellence.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with the ability to proactively identify and resolve operational challenges.
Collaborative leader capable of influencing multidisciplinary teams without direct authority.
Excellent relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders and external partners.
Adaptable and comfortable working in a rapidly evolving biotechnology environment.
Strategic thinker capable of building scalable operational infrastructure to support company growth.
Effective communicator with the ability to translate complex operational information into actionable business insights.

Nice To Haves

Experience supervising or mentoring scientific operations or project management staff.
Experience supporting regulatory submissions or IND-enabling development activities.
Familiarity with clinical development operations, clinical trial management, or clinical CRO oversight.
Experience implementing electronic project management, vendor management, or portfolio management systems.

Responsibilities

Lead operational planning and execution for outsourced discovery and development activities.
Develop and continuously improve operational processes, workflows, and best practices that support efficient execution of research and development activities.
Coordinate study planning and execution across multiple functional areas to ensure alignment with program objectives and corporate priorities.
Monitor study progress, project costs for studies/activities, identify operational risks, and implement mitigation strategies to maintain project timelines and deliverables.
Develop operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools to communicate study status, resource utilization, and portfolio progress to project teams and senior leadership.
Assist in building scientific operations capabilities, including supervision and development of future operations staff as the organization expands.
Identify, evaluate, qualify, and manage CROs and external scientific service providers supporting discovery and development programs.
Coordinate requests for proposals (RFPs), obtain and compare vendor quotations, negotiate scopes of work, and support contract execution.
Monitor CRO performance, deliverables, timelines, budgets, and scientific quality throughout study execution.
Serve as the primary operational liaison between internal scientific teams and external partners, ensuring effective communication and timely resolution of operational issues.
Develop and maintain strong strategic relationships with CROs and key external vendors.
Coordinate operational planning for nonclinical studies across Chemistry, Biology, DMPK, Bioanalytical experts, Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Development, CMC, Project Management, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, and related functional areas.
Develop and maintain integrated study schedules, milestone trackers, and timelines across multiple programs.
Ensure study documentation, protocols, work orders, reports, and operational records are complete, organized, and readily accessible.
Facilitate cross-functional planning meetings and monitor execution of key project milestones.
Support technology transfer and operational coordination as programs transition from discovery into development.
Facilitate communication across multidisciplinary teams to ensure alignment of priorities, timelines, and operational objectives.
Present operational updates, portfolio metrics, timelines, and resource forecasts to project teams and senior leadership.
Support strategic planning activities, portfolio prioritization, and organizational resource planning.
Partner closely with Finance to develop study budgets, monitor expenditures, forecast spending, and reconcile invoices.
Track purchase orders, contracts, change orders, and vendor invoices to ensure accurate financial management of outsourced activities.
Monitor budget performance and provide regular forecasting updates to functional leaders and executive management.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and optimize utilization of external resources.