Senior Director, Portfolio & Program Management

Location
Philadelphia, PA, US
Workplace
On-site

About this role

Job Summary

As Senior Director of Portfolio Management at GEMMABio, you will lead the Program Management team in driving strategic execution across preclinical and clinical-stage gene therapy programs targeting rare diseases. This role is pivotal in aligning cross-functional efforts with GEMMABio’s portfolio objectives and ensuring timely, budget-conscious delivery of key milestones.

Key Responsibilities

  • Strategic Leadership & Alignment
    • Partner with the Executive and Management teams to shape and execute strategies for GEMMABio’s lead assets.
    • Collaborate with the COO and leadership team to manage program prioritization and resource allocation.
    • Lead and facilitate meetings across all organizational levels to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and execution of program plans.
    • Ensure working group meetings are agenda-driven and focused on efficient decision-making.
  • Program Oversight & Execution
    • Develop and maintain integrated program development plans, including cross-functional timelines, milestones, dependencies, and critical paths through BLA/MAA filing.
    • Collaborate with R&D (Preclinical, Clinical, Regulatory, QA, and CMC) teams to define and manage departmental deliverables and timelines.
    • Oversee Supply Chain activities to support effective operational execution.
    • Drive accountability across departments and facilitate risk mitigation strategies and contingency planning.
    • Facilitate program budgeting by partnering with R&D departments and Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, alignment with strategic priorities, and adherence to budgetary constraints.
  • Operational Excellence
    • Lead strategic initiatives that impact program execution and portfolio success.
    • Champion process improvements within R&D operations, working closely with R&D and CMC leadership to optimize meeting management and cross-functional workflows.
  • External Collaboration & Alliance Management
    • Serve as the primary point of contact for sponsored research agreements, ensuring alignment with sponsor and internal team expectations.
    • Oversee delivery of sponsored programs within scope and timelines, and act as a key escalation point for project-related issues.
    • May lead one or more external preclinical-stage sponsored research projects.
  • Performance & Team Leadership
    • Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Portfolio Management department.

Supervise and mentor a team of 2–4 direct reports, fostering professional growth and operational excellence

Qualifications

  • Master's Degree (life sciences or molecular biology desired) and 10 years of applicable experience in program management is required.
  • PMP or PMI certification beneficial but not required.
  • Strong leader with experience in developing and leading high-performance cross-functional teams to achieve desired outcomes with internal and external teams.
  • Experience in project management with the ability to develop clear action plans and execute.
  • Experience managing multiple complex programs and demonstrated adeptness with dynamic prioritization of deliverables and resources.
  • Experience focused on clinical assets with hands on experience in filing a BLA with the FDA is beneficial. Experience in the rare disease space is beneficial.
  • Knowledge of FDA and/or EMA Regulations (or relevant local regulations), ICH Guidelines, and GCP governing the conduct of clinical studies is beneficial.
  • Ability to perform well under pressure and embrace dynamic environment. 
  • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills required.

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