Sr Director, Program/Project Manager Lead

CareDx, Inc. • Brisbane, CA

4h • $243,000 - $280,000

About The Position

CareDx, Inc. is a leading precision medicine solutions company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers. CareDx offers products, testing services, and digital healthcare solutions along the pre- and post-transplant patient journey, and is the leading provider of genomics-based information for transplant patients.
The Sr Director, PM lead is accountable for leading a high-impact team of Senior Program/Project Managers, and driving the successful execution of complex, enterprise-wide initiatives. This pivotal role requires a unqiue blend of operational rigor, strategic insight and deep biotechnological acumen. As a strategic partner in product and portfolio management, the PM Lead ensures technical delivery and drives long-term business growth while fostering a culture of transparency, excellence, and disciplined execution.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in life sciences or related field
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in project/ program management

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (MS, MBA, PHD)
• PMP, Six Sigma or equivalent certification

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Oversight of Senior Program Managers
• Direct Management: Lead, mentor, and supervise senior program managers, ensuring alignment with company goals and PMO best practices.
• Performance Evaluation: Set performance objectives, conduct regular reviews, provide feedback, and foster professional growth within the team.
• Resource Allocation: Strategically assign program managers to projects based on individual strengths, workload, and organizational priorities.
• Talent Development 1: Coach and upskill the PMO team in advanced program/portfolio management fundamentals and long-term strategic analysis
• Talent Development 2: Champion talent growth by crafting individual career plans and sourcing strategic opportunities to accelerate the professional trajectory of the Program Management team.
• Program Oversight and Execution
• Strategic Program Management: Drive execution of complex, large-scale programs, ensuring alignment with business milestones, budgets, and regulatory requirements.
• Strategic Thought Partnership: Operate as a key collaborator in product development and portfolio optimization to ensure technical delivery remains synchronized with the company’s broader growth strategy.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation plans for high-impact programs, particularly those involving clinical trials, R&D, or regulatory submissions.
• Stakeholder Communication: Serve as the primary liaison for stakeholders, cross-functional teams, and external partners regarding program status, risks and achievements.
• Executive Reporting: Leverage real-time dashboards and performance KPIs to facilitate executive-level decision-making and portfolio optimization.
• Change Management: Lead organizational change initiatives tied to major programs, ensuring smooth transitions and adoption of new processes or technologies.
• PPMO Process Improvement and Governance
• Standardization: Develop, refine, and enforce PPMO methodologies, tools, and templates to ensure consistency across projects.
• Quality Assurance: Conduct regular project health checks to ensure compliance with internal methodologies and financial reporting standards.
• Audits: Facilitate quarterly process audits and post-implementation reviews to surface improvement needs.
• Metrics and Reporting: Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for project and program success, preparing executive-level reports.
• Compliance: Ensure all projects adhere to regulatory, quality, and ethical standards specific to the biotech industry.
• Budget Oversight: Measure value realization via portfolio budget oversight, variance tracking and routine review of project value assumptions.
• Center of Excellence (COE): Facilitate quarterly process audits and post-implementation reviews to surface performance data, improvements or strategic pivots
• Collaboration and Cross-Functional Leadership
• Cross-Departmental Coordination: Facilitate collaboration between R&D, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial teams to achieve program objectives.
• Executive Strategy Support: Assist executive leadership in strategic planning, portfolio management, and prioritization of initiatives.
• Resource allocation: Coordinate site-level project validation and prioritization based on available resources, lead site prioritization reviews and support training and rollout of PPMO processes.
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation
• Process Optimization: Identify and implement continuous improvements for project/ portfolio management processes, leveraging industry best practices and innovative approaches.
• Technology Adoption: Evaluate and implement project management technologies to enhance efficiency and transparency.
• Data insights: Utilize data driven insights to inform service-design decisions, drive project progression and make timely recommendations for project/program success

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and incentive compensation
• Health and welfare benefits, including a gym reimbursement program
• 401(k) savings plan match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Living Donor Employee Recovery Policy that allows up to 30 days of paid leave annually to a full-time employee who makes the selfless act of donating an organ or bone marrow.

What This Job Offers

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