Senior Program Manager

Summit Therapeutics Sub•Palo Alto, CA

8d•$153,000 - $180,000

About The Position

The Associate Director of Project Management sits within the Program Management and Business Strategy department and is pivotal in contributing to a fit for purpose PMO and driving cross-functional execution and operational excellence across oncology development programs, particularly Phase 2 and beyond. The Associate Director will serve as a strategic integrator, aligning corporate and clinical development goals with functional execution across departments such as Clinical Operations, Development, Biometrics, Regulatory, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomarker Strategy, Bioanalytical, New Indication Planning, Quality, IT and Compliance. This role will be responsible for building and refining infrastructure and processes that support scalable, transparent, and adaptive program execution. This includes dashboarding, process improvement and continuous monitoring to ensure visibility, accountability, and agility as the organization grows and our pipeline evolves.

Requirements

Minimum of a Bachelors degree, preferably in a scientific or business discipline.
Minimum of 6+ years in a pharmaceutical company or CRO.
Direct experience in oncology drug development (Phase 2 and beyond).
Expertise in drug development, financial operations, and strategic planning.
Strong project management experience: PMP certification preferred.
Experience leading diverse teams in direct and matrixed environments.
Proficiency in Smartsheets and dashboarding tools.
Solid understanding of financial aspects of clinical operations.
Ability to derive key insights on complex topics and deliver verbal and written communications accordingly.
Effective leadership and team-building skills.
Excellent communication, analytical, and conceptual skills.
Strong planning and organizational abilities with a focus on results.
Performance-driven with the ability to lead and deliver in complex environments.
Skilled in recommending and implementing process improvements.
Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree preferred.
Experience with systems such as Veeva, SAP, CTMS, Janus, Power BI highly preferred.
Prior experience in resource planning, capacity management and project baselining highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Project Management Develop integrated project plans, timelines, and templates from scratch tailored to program, cross functional, and governance needs.
Drive execution of project milestones, proactively identifying risks and mitigation strategies.
Ensure alignment between functional execution and strategic program goals.
Lead and manage ad-hoc cross functional workstreams on specific initiatives.
Functional Integration Serve as a project management strategic liaison to 12 functional departments (e.g., Clin Ops, Biometrics, Clinical Quality, Clin Dev).
Translate functional needs into actionable infrastructure and project plans.
Support functional teams in achieving operational excellence and compliance.
Process Improvement & PMO development Design and implement scalable, adaptable processes that support program execution.
Lead initiatives to improve operational efficiency, transparency, and agility.
Ensure all infrastructure initiatives are documented and integrated into the PMO library.
Apply continuous monitoring and feedback loops to refine processes as the organization evolves.
Dashboarding & Visibility Develop and maintain dashboards using Smartsheets and other tools to track timelines, deliverables, and risks.
Ensure real-time visibility into project status for leadership and stakeholders.
Champion data-driven decision-making through effective reporting and visualization.
Leadership & Collaboration Navigate ambiguity with confidence and clarity.
Be a self-starter while knowing when to seek input and guidance.
Lead diverse teams in both direct and matrixed environments.
Foster strong relationships across functions and levels of the organization.
All other duties as assigned