Sr. Director, Program Management

Zai Lab (US) LLC•South San Francisco, CA

1h•$258,000 - $361,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Program Management will lead and manage 1-3 programs, depending on the stage and scope, across the development and commercialization stages. Reporting to the VP, Program & Portfolio Management (PPM), this role is crucial for overseeing programs from strategic development through implementation, ensuring consistently high standards, on-time achievement of objectives, and adherence to the company's professional and regulatory standards. The Senior Director will also support the development of departmental tools and processes across the portfolio. This position is based in our South San Francisco, CA office.

Requirements

Advanced degree with 8 years of industry experience of which at least 5 years are in multi- and cross-functional leadership in the development stage and commercialization of products; or equivalent combination of higher education, training and experience.

Nice To Haves

Advanced level of science and clinical acumen.
Experience working in oncology and autoimmune disease.
Strong cross-functional team-building, relationship-management, and leadership skills.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation abilities for bridging scientific and business participants, negotiating timelines, and collaborating effectively with internal and external executive-level management.
Previous work and leadership experience in international, multidisciplinary drug development teams, with broad operational experience and a strong understanding of the drug development process.
In-depth knowledge of preclinical, clinical, regulatory (US, EU required, China and broader Asia a plus), and commercial functions, as well as business strategy and business requirements.
Outstanding Project Management skills, including expertise in designing, developing, and managing project schedules, resource and financial planning (headcount and budget), and risk and issue management, etc.
Ability to critically and objectively interpret and evaluate scientific and competitive, business-related information.
Exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches critical to the program/organization; requires minimal strategic direction from senior management.
Proficiency in Microsoft software (Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Think Cell, etc.) and experience with SharePoint site operation.
Growth mindset coupled with creativity and adaptability, and strong learning and sharing capabilities.
Strong verbal communication and expert written communication skills.
Experience in biotech and cross-regional collaboration with Asia/China.
Must have the highest personal values and ethical standards.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and execute the integrated development strategy for programs.
Direct and control multiple programs involving cross-functional development and commercial teams, throughout the development and lifecycle management process.
Lead and drive objective-setting process for programs. Develop cross-functional plans together including realistic but aggressive timelines, budget and resources planning, risk assessment and contingency planning, and publication.
Drive cross-functional teams to develop and update TPP, PTRS, competitive intelligence, and other necessary assessments for LRSP and governance decisions.
Ensure cross-functional alignment and organizational support for the execution of the program plan by facilitating internal and external stakeholder meetings and drives the team toward out-of-the-box thinking and creative issue resolution.
Responsible for monitoring and tracking the projects against approved timelines and milestones and ensure adherence to agreed-upon team objectives and deliverables.
Responsible for comprehensiveness and quality of program information in the internal systems, databases, and communication to senior management and program teams.
Identify bottlenecks, surface issues, and proactively drive for their resolution. Leads contingency planning efforts. Conducts thorough assessment of intangible variables, fundamental issues, providing strategy and directions for multiple programs and/or initiatives.
Lead ad-hoc cross-functional task forces as needed, aiming at issue resolution.
Ensure effective, proactive, and open communications, horizontally and vertically, in order to achieve transparency and clarity of program goals, progress, and issues.
Contribute and develop departmental processes, procedures, and tools to improve departmental functioning and portfolio management.
Support Business Development in in-licensing activities and Alliance Management.