Senior Director, Program Management

Syndax Pharmaceuticals • New York, NY

15h • Onsite

About The Position

Syndax Pharmaceuticals is looking for a Senior Director, Program Management. At Syndax, we are determined to realize a future in which people with cancer live longer and better than ever before. Syndax Pharmaceuticals is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies.

As a senior member of our Portfolio and Program Management (PPM) function, you will be a hands-on leader with a passion for building our asset strategy while driving results across a highly cross-functional teams focused on developing life-saving products. You will direct strategic and operational planning for at least one of Syndax’s mid-to-late stage oncology drug development teams across multiple indications, partnering closely with the Asset Strategy Leader (ASL) and the Asset Strategy Team (AST) to ensure a unified global strategy and fully- integrated global development plan. Further, as a senior team member in an emerging function, you will both lead and contribute to the development of functional and cross-functional PPM initiatives including operating model refinement, improving collaboration, systems and tool development, process mapping, and innovation. In this role, you may hold managerial responsibilities for junior program managers associated with your asset(s).

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the drug development process and technical project management skills and is highly experienced in mid-to- late-stage Hematology (Oncology) development. Experience in transplant medicine, immunology, or pulmonary disease is also desirable.

Requirements

• Graduate-level degree in life sciences highly preferred; MBA desirable, bachelor’s degree required.
• 10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology Program Management, with at least 5+ years in Phase 2 or later oncology development programs with specific experience in hematology, transplant medicine, immunology, or pulmonary disease.
• Proven history of successful project management experience supporting mid-to-late-stage drug development programs and asset strategy teams (or their equivalent, e.g., global program team, program development team, etc.).
• Experience working within co‑development and/or co‑commercialization partnerships, including cross‑company governance, joint program planning, and stakeholder alignment, is highly desirable.
• PMP highly preferred but not required.
• Strong knowledge of project management tools and software including timeline visualization and dashboards; Smartsheet experience is highly preferred.
• Extensive experience in project management, with a strong understanding of project management principles and methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to address technical issues and improve tool functionality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively listen to, collaborate with, and design or update solutions with team members and stakeholders.
• Strong people skills and the ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to lead, interact with, focus, negotiate, influence, and resolve conflict.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, prioritize, and resolve key program issues.
• Demonstrated ability to interact with and present to senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

• MBA desirable
• Experience in transplant medicine, immunology, or pulmonary disease is also desirable.
• Experience working within co‑development and/or co‑commercialization partnerships, including cross‑company governance, joint program planning, and stakeholder alignment, is highly desirable.
• PMP highly preferred but not required.
• Smartsheet experience is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the ASL and AST to facilitate the design, approval, and execution of the global program strategy, and support decision-making via the company’s governance process.
• As the strategic and tactical partner to the ASL and AST members, efficiently establish and deliver aligned cross-functional plans across all relevant development functional groups into a cohesive development plan to achieve the agreed TPP(s) and overall program goals.
• Coordinate and drive development process planning activities of the project team, including milestone setting, stage-gate reviews, strategic integrated development plans, long-range plans, budget inputs, and “go/no-go” criteria, as appropriate.
• This role will work closely with external co‑development and/or co‑commercialization partners, ensuring alignment across joint governance forums, integrated development plans, decision‑making processes, and execution cadence.
• Create and maintain the overall development plans for assigned program(s) in our Smartsheet environment, collaborating with others, while driving the cross-functional team to meet agreed goals.
• Anticipate potential obstacles and facilitate risk-benefit discussions to guide the team towards a clear direction and path forward. Actively perform risk-management processes and articulate risks clearly.
• Establish, maintain, and utilize our PPM Tools (Smartsheet, OnePager, Sharepoint, etc.) to ensure clarity on program/project timelines, budget, resources, action and decision logs, and risk registers/logs.
• Develop scenarios as needed, highlighting interdependencies and downstream impacts, and define milestones and decision points.
• Maintain a program team shared site (MS TEAMs/SharePoint), inclusive of reports and dashboards, for communication purposes and archiving of project management documents.
• Lead working groups on short-term special projects or initiatives as needed.
• May manage one or more junior program managers associated with your asset.

Benefits

• Base pay is just one element of our package and is determined within a range based on several factors including market data, experience, qualifications, demonstrated skills, relevant education or training, travel requirements and internal equity.
• Our overall package also includes an equity offering, annual target bonuses, and an outstanding benefits program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees