Director of Program Management

About GlycoEra

GlycoEra operates as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Zurich and Boston, focusing on advancing novel autoimmune therapeutics developed through a proprietary biologics expression platform. The company is well-funded and driven by scientific rigor, aiming to convert cutting-edge science into medicines for diseases with urgent unmet medical needs while assembling a top-tier team aligning with its ambitious goals.

Role Overview

The Director of Program Management is a pivotal leadership role responsible for unifying and steering strategies throughout the organization. This position involves translating intricate scientific goals into structured, actionable program plans while closely collaborating with the executive leadership and functional heads to ensure coherent prioritization and momentum. The role demands a deep scientific understanding combined with outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills, facilitating productive dialogue between research scientists and executive stakeholders to maintain alignment and timely progress.

Key Responsibilities

• Devise and uphold comprehensive, cross-functional integrated development plans featuring explicit milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and resource needs.
• Identify and actively manage potential program risks through a live risk register, implementing mitigation tactics with clear responsibility assignment.
• Monitor project progression rigorously and promptly alert leadership to any delays or necessary trade-offs, suggesting actionable solutions.
• Conduct contingency and scenario planning for major program decision points.
• Establish and administer effective governance frameworks including program team meetings, steering committees, and decision documentation, fostering accountability across multiple departments such as Research, Clinical, Regulatory, Manufacturing & Tech Ops, Finance, and Business Development.
• Collaborate closely with C-suite executives and senior leaders to solve cross-functional conflicts, dependencies, and resource challenges.
• Support technical teams in managing interactions with external vendors and partners, including meeting organization, minute-taking, action tracking, and accountability enforcement.
• Drive proactive follow-up beyond scheduled meetings by engaging directly and leveraging relationships to advance work items.
• Generate succinct, high-quality program status reports and updates for senior leadership and Board members, translating complex multi-stream data into clear insights and recommended actions.
• Partner with Finance to develop and supervise program budgets, including forecasting, tracking expenditures, and reporting variances to leadership.
• Engage deeply with Research, Process Sciences, and Clinical teams to grasp scientific aims and technical risks for accurate reflection in planning and communication.
• Compose detailed program updates, decision documents, and Board materials that precisely summarize scientific and operational developments.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in a life sciences field such as biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, immunology, or similar scientific domains; scientific credibility is mandatory.
• At least 10 years of experience managing cross-functional programs in biopharmaceutical or biotechnology settings, with proven responsibility over complex, multi-stream clinical programs.
• Demonstrated success in engaging and securing alignment among C-suite executives and senior functional leaders across organizational units.
• Experience in program budget development and financial management, including forecasting and reporting.
• Expertise in integrated timeline creation, critical path evaluation, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Background in clinical-stage biotech environments overseeing early clinical development, preferably involving novel biologics or differentiated platform technologies.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and skillful use of planning tools such as Smartsheet or Microsoft Project.

Additional Information: Benefits

• Attractive salary package complemented by an annual target bonus linked to goals and performance metrics.
• Comprehensive benefits coverage including medical, dental, vision insurances, and a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching.

Equal Opportunity and Recruitment Policy

The company champions equal employment opportunity and embraces diversity, ensuring confidential handling of all applications and non-discriminatory hiring and employment practices.

Recruitment agencies and third-party recruiters should note that unsolicited resumes will not be considered; submissions without prior agreement will be treated as company property with no associated fees.