Director of Project & Portfolio Management

Company: Outpace Bio
Location: Seattle
Posted on: January 24, 2025

Job Description:

About Outpace BioOutpace Bio is pioneering the future of cell therapy for solid tumors by harnessing unrivaled AI-powered protein design. Our mission is to program immune cells for enhanced function inside patients, overcoming key barriers such as poor tumor access, weak survival, antigen escape, and dose-related toxicity. By creating and integrating modular, plug-and-play technology assets, we are developing cell therapies with unprecedented efficacy, transforming how engineered T cells interact with cancer and the immune system to deliver life-changing outcomes. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, coders, and cell therapy developers works at the cutting edge of computational protein design, synthetic biology, and immunology. Together, we are reimagining how cells function to unlock novel therapeutic possibilities. Located in Seattle's vibrant biotech hub overlooking scenic Lake Union, Outpace Bio is led by pioneers in computational protein design and engineered cell therapies. Our culture is built on a foundation of respect and inclusion, which are fundamental to how we collaborate to revolutionize cell therapy through groundbreaking innovation rooted in rigorous science.Our Commitment to DiversityAt Outpace Bio, we believe that the highest performing teams include people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to cultivating an open, diverse, and inclusive culture for all employees. Recognizing that the best candidates do not always match all criteria of the job description, we encourage you to apply if you think you would be a good fit for the role and are inspired by our mission to cure disease by pushing the boundaries of biology.Our MomentumIn August 2024, Outpace Bio secured an oversubscribed $144 million Series B financing, led by RA Capital Management and supported by a premier syndicate of life science investors. This funding accelerates our pipeline of programmed T cell therapies, including our lead candidate OPB-101, a mesothelin-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell enhanced by Outpace's proprietary OUTSMART, OUTLAST, OUTSPACER, and OUTSAFE technologies. OPB-101 is advancing toward IND clearance and first dosing in 2025 for patients with advanced platinum-resistant ovarian cancers. The Series B investment also supports the expansion of our pipeline, enabling us to develop additional transformative therapies leveraging our innovative plug-and-play technology platform.To enable this vision we are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Director of Project & Portfolio Management to help lead our cross-functional teams designing and advancing programmed T cell therapies into the clinic. Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, you will play a pivotal role in managing drug development projects at both preclinical and clinical stages. Partnering with Asset and Project Team Leaders, you will foster a high-performing team environment while driving the development and execution of integrated project plans across functional disciplines. As the central source of project status, you will ensure alignment, facilitate timely decision-making, and escalate challenges as needed. In addition to managing individual projects, you will contribute to building project management tools and methodologies to support initiatives across our portfolio. This role may also involve serving as an alliance manager for external partners and vendors. We're looking for a detail-oriented problem solver who thrives in dynamic environments and is passionate about Outpace's mission to revolutionize cell therapy. If you're a project or program management professional eager to work on cutting-edge science with a collaborative team and grow your career, this could be the role for you.Responsibilities (Position responsibilities may include, but are not limited to):

• Project & Program Leadership: Partner with functional sub-team leaders (CMC, Clinical, Research, Regulatory) to manage one or more program sub-teams, ensuring alignment and successful execution of development plans.
• Cross-Functional Planning & Integration: Collaborate with the Program Leads or Asset Leaders to integrate functional sub-team plans into a comprehensive cross-functional program plan. Identify key milestones, interdependencies, critical paths, and risks, while ensuring seamless execution.
• Risk & Timeline Management: Own program timelines across cross-functional workstreams. Anticipate and mitigate risks, align deliverables, and drive accountability for execution across project teams. Utilize project management tools to facilitate decision-making and communication.
• Stakeholder Communication & Reporting: Clearly communicate program status, risks, and progress to key stakeholders, including senior leadership and external partners. Establish a reporting cadence to ensure visibility across the organization and prepare materials for key meetings such as Portfolio Steering Committees and Scientific Advisory Board reviews.
• Budget & Resource Management: Partner with finance to manage program budgets, monitor spending, and guide resource allocation decisions to meet project goals.
• Meeting Management & Documentation: Schedule and lead project meetings. Maintain clear documentation of decisions, actions, and progress through meeting minutes and action logs.
• Process Improvement: Help to build the project management function by implementing tools, templates, and methodologies to enhance team productivity and efficiency.
• Strategic Alliance & Vendor Management: Manage high-profile partnerships and vendor relationships, including CDMOS, as needed. Serve as the main point of contact for external stakeholders. Ensure alignment on deliverables and successful execution.
• Portfolio Management: where possible contribute to program strategy and life cycle management by helping to track the evolving scientific landscape and treatment paradigms. Incorporate insights from scientific, clinical, and investor presentations to inform decision-making.Qualifications (Required):
  • Bachelor's degree in a life science, engineering, technology, business, or related field; an advanced degree (MS, PhD, or MBA) is preferred.
  • 10+ years of experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, with at least 5 years of direct project and portfolio management in a science-based organization.
  • Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional programs & projects through stage gates, ideally including experience delivering against IND filings, early clinical, and the cross-functional activities (Tech Ops, clinical, regulatory, translational) to drive program expansion from Phase 1 to pivotal development for cell therapies in oncology.
  • Expertise in program and project management best practices, including proficiency with tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar platforms.
  • Strong analytical & problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable insights.
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to motivate teams, maintain positive working relationships with collaborators, influence without authority, and effectively resolve conflicts.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, take initiative, and work cross-functionally in a dynamic environment.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical and strategic information (including the core elements of engineered T cell therapies) effectively to scientific and business audiences.
  • Proven ability to identify risks proactively, prioritize tasks, and drive issue resolution.
  • Proven success in goal setting, prioritization, and time management.
  • Results-oriented, detail-oriented, and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, adapting effectively to evolving priorities and ambitious timelines.Qualifications (Preferred):
    • PMP Certification preferred.
    • Experience in nonclinical, CMC and clinical disciplines is highly advantageous.
    • Familiarity with FDA regulatory processes and clinical trial management.
    • Direct experience working on gene or cell therapy development programs, with recent cell therapy experience being particularly desirable.
    • Prior experience in a direct management role is a plus.$200,000 - $240,000 a yearThe salary range is based on Outpace Bio's reasonable estimate of base salary for this role at the time of posting. Actual base salary will be based on a variety of factors including skills, experience, and other related factors permitted by law.Working at Outpace offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research that has the potential to transform the lives of people around the world.Outpace Bio Total RewardsFull time employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in Outpace's medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, flexible spending account, and 401k plan. In addition, employees may receive stock option grants to be outlined in their offer of employment. Outpace employees enjoy flexible PTO, paid sick leave which complies with local requirements, and fifteen paid holidays plus a winter shutdown. Outpace also offers a generous paid parental leave policy to all regular full-time employees.Outpace Bio is committed to a diverse workforce. Employment decisions regarding recruitment and selection will be made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status, or other non-job related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state and local laws.Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. If you are legally authorized to work in the United States now, or in the future without any form of sponsorship, we encourage you to apply.
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Keywords: Outpace Bio, Edmonds , Director of Project & Portfolio Management, Executive , Seattle, Washington