Associate Director/ Director Program Management (Contractor)

Umoja Biopharma is a game-changing biotech start-up with locations in Seattle, WA and Boulder, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off-the-shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in a brand-new facility in downtown Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting-edge drug development. We are committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and strongly invite applications from enthusiastic individuals who share our commitment and help position Umoja as a leader on this front.  We at Umoja believe in the importance of stories; we are looking for great people to join our team to help us create more stories for ourselves, for you, and most importantly for patients and their families.  

Umoja Biopharma – Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.  

 

POSITION SUMMARY  

This role will be responsible for overseeing select Umoja internal programs and partnered programs to ensure consistency across these functions and drive cross-functional partnerships to implement practices which support efficient drug development with high-quality deliverables. This position reports to the Vice President, Portfolio, Program & Alliance Strategy (PPAS). 

This candidate is: Collaborative | Energetic | Agile | Organized | Courageous | Inclusive | Curious | Forward-Thinking | Action-focused. 

This is a 12-week contract position. This role reports to the Vice President, Portfolio, Program & Alliance Strategy and will ideally be based out of our Seattle, WA office and work onsite at least 2 days a week. The position may have the ability to be remote in the US based on candidate experience.  

 

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Specific responsibilities include:    

• Manage / lead cross functional teams to drive programs into and through clinical trials 

• Partner with project teams and functional leadership to create development strategies with options, define goals and milestones, track and report program progress, identify and escalate gaps and challenges, and execute asset development plans 

• Within PPAS team, establish program management infrastructure buildout and process development within Umoja. Work closely with leadership and key stakeholders to establish standards, policies, and practices across organization. 

• Partner with functional leadership to drive operational excellence across the organization. 

• Enable efficient drug development by driving highly effective, inclusive and collaborative program/alliance teams and ensuring inclusive and robust discussions leading to optimized operational plans 

• Support product and Governance decisions with best meeting practices to ensure robust, durable decision making and operational implementation follow-up. 

• Ensure clear and consistent program communications across the organization including systematic reporting to ensure transparency across the organization (e.g., monthly reports, milestone tracking) 

• Partner with Finance, Business operations and other functional stakeholders to support corporate program planning, including cross-functional resource planning and financial assessments. 
• Support initiatives and special projects as needed 

 

The successful candidate will have: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Advanced degree in immunology, biology, or genetics highly preferred. 

• Associate Director Level: 10 years of experience with at least 5 years of experience in program management in a pharmaceutical/biotech setting 

• Director Level: 12 years of experience with at least 7 years of experience in program management in a pharmaceutical/biotech setting 

• Experience in oncology and/or autoimmune disease, and/or gene and cell therapy preferred. 

• Successful experience in oversight of IND-stage and clinical programs required; experience in INDs and ex-US equivalent(s) strongly desired. 

• Expertise in Smartsheet required. 

 

Preferred Qualifications:    

• Demonstrated strong leadership capabilities in a scientific multi-disciplinary setting. 

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills including attention to detail. 

• Strong technology skills including PowerPoint, SharePoint, Excel, MS Teams. 

• Demonstrated ability to drive initiatives in a fast-paced nimble environment. 

 

Physical Requirements:    

• Location flexible. Ability to work onsite two days a week in Seattle office preferred. 

• Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time  

 

Salary Range: $198,050 - $256,300