Senior Director, Research Program Management

Insmed Incorporated

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Insmed, every moment and every patient counts — and so does every person who joins in. As a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious and rare diseases, you’ll be part of a community that prioritizes the human experience, celebrates curiosity, and values every person’s contributions to meaningful progress. That commitment has earned us recognition as Science magazine’s No. 1 Top Employer for five consecutive years, certification as a Great Place to Work® in the U.S., and a place on The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list in the UK. For patients, for each other, and for the future of science, we’re in. Are you? About the Role: We're looking for a Senior Director, Research Program Management on the Program Management team to help us expand what's possible for patients with serious and rare diseases. Reporting to the Executive Director, Research & Respiratory Disease Program Management, you'll provide strategic and program management leadership across Insmed's early research portfolio - from target identification through development candidate selection. Operating at the intersection of scientific strategy and operational rigor, this role serves as the senior operational backbone of research program teams at Insmed's NJ and NH sites, enabling scientific leaders to focus on discovery while ensuring programs advance with speed, clarity, and accountability. While primarily focused on NJ/NH programs, this role will interact and collaborate with program management counterparts across Insmed's broader global research network as needed. This position requires flexibility for on-site presence across NJ and NH research sites.

Requirements

• You have a Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline along with 12+ years of experience in biotech/pharma R&D, including significant experience in drug discovery and early development, and 10+ years in program/project management within a matrixed R&D environment.
• Demonstrated track record of advancing programs to development candidate selection or IND-enabling stage, with strong understanding of drug discovery workflows including target validation, hit/lead identification and optimization, developability, candidate selection criteria, and translational and preclinical considerations
• Ability to interpret scientific data and connect it to program-level decisions and risks, with experience identifying when cross-modality assumptions are being misapplied and driving course correction
• Experience with integrated planning, scenario analysis, attrition modeling, and risk management frameworks, with proficiency in program management tools: MS Project, Smartsheet, SharePoint, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve systemic cross-program bottlenecks, engaging cross-functional partners (CMC, Development, Finance, Regulatory) as structural contributors to program planning
• Proven ability to lead through influence in a cross-functional, matrixed environment — without formal authority over scientific teams — navigating ambiguity and evolving data in a fast-moving discovery setting
• Highly structured and organized, with the ability to manage multiple complex programs simultaneously while maintaining execution rigor without slowing scientific creativity
• Excellent communicator, able to distill complexity into clear, actionable insights for leadership, with a strong problem-solving mindset and collaborative, low-ego approach that builds trust with scientific and functional partners
• Models Insmed's Program-First culture — prioritizing program outcomes, reinforcing shared accountability, and enabling cross-functional alignment across all levels of the organization
• Ability to work across NJ and NH research sites, with flexibility for on-site presence as needed

Nice To Haves

• PhD or advanced degree strongly preferred - consistent with the scientific depth needed to challenge modality-specific planning assumptions, engage credibly with research leadership, and apply modality-appropriate benchmarks across small molecule, biologics, and gene therapy programs

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain integrated, milestone-driven program plans from discovery through candidate selection, including critical path, key decision points, and success criteria - ensuring plans are grounded in modality-appropriate benchmarks for small molecule, biologics, and gene therapy programs.
• Establish clear, stage-appropriate deliverables (e.g., target validation, lead optimization, developability, candidate nomination) aligned to industry benchmarks, proactively challenging planning assumptions before they are embedded in program baselines
• Maintain a real-time portfolio view across NJ/NH programs, driving consistency in how programs are planned, tracked, and reported — enabling leadership visibility into progress, risks, timelines, and trade-offs
• Partner with Program/Project Leaders and functional scientists to translate strategy into clear execution plans and priorities, facilitating effective team operating cadence (core team meetings, deep dives, decision forums) with clear objectives, documented decisions, and strong accountability
• Act as a cross-functional connector across biology, protein engineering, immunology, translational, and CMC interfaces to resolve dependencies, remove bottlenecks, and ensure inter-program and cross-site interactions are visible and well-managed
• Proactively identify scientific, technical, and execution risks; drive mitigation planning and support data-driven decision making by framing options, trade-offs, and scenario analyses for program advancement
• Challenge teams to focus on critical experiments and minimal data packages required for decisions, and identify opportunities to accelerate timelines through parallelization, externalization, manufacturing sourcing optimization, or scope prioritization
• Ensure clear documentation of program decisions, risks, and assumptions — maintaining decision logs and version-controlled program records with rigor and discipline
• Lead preparation of portfolio updates and materials for senior leadership and quarterly reviews, owning the narrative, ensuring executive summaries accurately reflect material risks and timeline changes, and driving post-review action tracking
• Drive adoption of fit-for-purpose program management tools and templates tailored to early research, including modality-specific planning templates for small molecule, biologics, and gene therapy programs
• Contribute to building a scalable research operating model, including standard milestone frameworks, portfolio tracking approaches, and ways of working that reinforce accountability, speed, and cross-site collaboration

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage and mental health support, annual wellbeing reimbursement, and access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous paid time off policies, fertility and family-forming benefits, caregiver support, and flexible work schedules with purposeful in-person collaboration
• 401(k) plan with a competitive company match, annual equity awards, and participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and company-paid life and disability insurance
• Company Learning Institute providing access to LinkedIn Learning, skill building workshops, leadership programs, mentorship connections, and networking opportunities
• Employee resource groups, service and recognition programs, and meaningful opportunities to connect, volunteer, and give back

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees