Senior Program Team Leader

Abdera Therapeutics • South San Francisco, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Program Team Leader is responsible for the strategic leadership and cross-functional execution of Abdera’s programs across discovery and development stages. This role drives integrated program strategy, ensures alignment with corporate objectives, and delivers complex portfolios on time, within scope, and within budget.

The Senior Program Team Leader leads cross-functional teams spanning research, preclinical, clinical, regulatory, CMC, and manufacturing functions. They serve as the primary decision-making authority for program direction, risk management, resource allocation, and milestone delivery. The role requires strong scientific acumen, business insight, and stakeholder management expertise.
We are seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Program Team Leader (level commensurate with experience) to lead cross-functional oncology development programs, and to build and manage a global program management organization as the portfolio evolves. This role is highly matrixed, collaborative, and strategic.

Requirements

• The successful candidate should have an advanced degree in life sciences or medicine (MD/ PhD/ MS) and/or an MBA. Candidates with a BS/BA degree in the life sciences or related field will be considered depending on their relevant experiences
• Minimum 8 years of biopharma industry experience, including experience in early phase non-clinical and clinical drug development
• Significant project team leadership or project management experience, specifically in guiding programs from research and/or pre-clinical through lead candidate selection, IND-enabling studies, CMC campaigns, and Phase 1.
• Must have a good understanding of the R&D process for biologics.
• Oncology and/or biologic experience required
• Experience leading, and working in, cross-functional teams and cultivating excellent cross-functional collaborations is required.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating across multiple stakeholder groups with an ability to effectively communicate and partner at all levels
• Leadership skills critical; communicates and demonstrates vision and commitment
• Demonstrated ability to influence and lead others to deliver quality results in a timely manner in both independent and team environments
• Excellent judgment and critical thinking skills
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and drive development with strong decision making and ability to weigh short-and long-term impact of decisions
• Financial acumen in creating and managing large clinical program budgets
• Strong and effective communication skills; verbal, written, and presentation
• Highly motivated and enjoys working in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Positive, flexible, highly motivated self starter, able to multi-task, enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and thrives under pressure
• Ability to delegate work to direct reports to commensurate with their skills
• Builds a learning environment that recognizes the value of each contributor and promotes a solutions orientation.
• Ability to constructively challenge, question, and provide creative suggestions for all standard clinical trial processes in order to create the most efficient and effective methods to deliver quality clinical trial services.
• Willingness to collaborate with team to identify and implement in best practices for optimizing performance.

Nice To Haves

• IND filing experience strongly preferred
• Radiopharmacology experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end leadership of Project Teams across the full development lifecycle, including research and lead selection, CMC, IND-enabling activities, early and late-stage clinical development, through global development and commercialization readiness.
• Serve as the integrative leader and single point of accountability for program execution, ensuring alignment across scientific, technical, regulatory, clinical, and commercial functions.
• Apply deep expertise in oncology disease biology, preclinical development, translational science, and global drug development to drive data-informed strategy, prioritize investments, and guide critical program decisions.
• In close partnership with functional leaders, develop and maintain the integrated program strategy and development plan, including definition of critical path activities, key milestones, decision points, risks, and mitigation strategies.
• Provide clear direction and leadership to Project Teams, with accountability for program planning, execution, budget, and resource management.
• Own and maintain integrated program plans, including timelines, Gantt charts, development and regulatory filing strategies, and executive-level status reporting, in collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proactively conduct gap and scenario analyses to identify risks, dependencies, and missing elements; champion innovative approaches to accelerate timelines while maintaining scientific rigor, quality, and compliance.
• Identify, communicate, and actively manage program risks, bottlenecks, and interdependencies, partnering with team members to develop and execute effective mitigation plans.
• Drive operational excellence through rigorous tracking and monitoring of milestones, deliverables, and decision points; ensure timely escalation and resolution of issues.
• Represent assigned programs to senior leadership and governance bodies, delivering clear, concise, and insightful written and verbal updates, dashboards, and presentations.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality communication across cross-functional teams, senior leaders, and key stakeholders regarding program objectives, progress, risks, and mitigation plans.
• Ensure the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of all program information, documentation, and reporting.
• Lead cross-functional team meetings using best-in-class program and project management practices, enabling efficient decision-making, accountability, and execution. Set agendas, maintain timelines, document decisions, and track actions and risks with internal teams and external partners.
• Facilitate effective collaboration, alignment, and problem-solving across all levels of the organization to achieve shared program goals.
• Lead program-level budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning, with accountability for accurate tracking and adherence to headcount and external spend.
• Challenge assumptions related to scope, timelines, resources, and costs to optimize program delivery and investment efficiency.
• Leverage experience to establish and continuously improve program management best practices, tools, and templates; identify process gaps, design scalable solutions, and lead implementation across programs.
• Build, mentor, and lead a global program management team over time, fostering a culture of accountability, excellence, and collaboration.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, Vision, Prescription drug coverage, Basic Life and AD&D insurance, both Long-Term and Short-Term disability
• 16 paid company holiday, 20 days of PTO and 6 sick days
• 401k plan with up to 3.5% company match, equity and bonus
• Hybrid work schedule with 3 days on-site
• Development and growth opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level