Senior Project Manager, Discovery

General Scope and Summary

SAGE Therapeutics is searching for a creative, resourceful, integrative thinker with a scientific background to provide project management support for drug discovery programs (including exploratory through lead optimization) and for cross-program departmental initiatives.  This role will assist Program Teams in achieving their goals by supporting team alignment and stakeholder management, developing, and tracking program timelines and plans, organizing program team meetings, and facilitating team communications. Interacting collaboratively with team members at Sage to ensure alignment on project action items, deliverables, and reporting is critical. The successful candidate will be independent and proactive, but also a team player who is motivated by his/her contributions to the success of not only the Program and Research Operations teams, but to Sage overall.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Partner with the Program Leader and other functional leaders to drive program team development and execution of strategic and operational plans.

• Integrate, document, and communicate program plans.  Track progress of key milestones and identify / monitor key program risks in conjunction with the team.

• As-needed, provide project management support for large, cross-functional, business-critical program workstreams.

• Assist the Program Team Leader in driving the team to clear and effective decision points.

• Manage official program timeline.  Assist the program team in the creation of any timeline-based program scenario plans.

• Oversight of program budget in partnership with the head of operations and finance team.

• Organize team meetings including agendas, pre-work, minutes, action items and overall program correspondence.

• Assist in facilitating information flow between team members; strive to identify and resolve issues arising on the project.

• Assist Program Team Leaders in preparing slide decks and information for ongoing project team meetings, reviews, board meetings, scientific presentations and other appropriate meetings involving moving through the key decision points of a program

• Contribute to the development and implementation of program and portfolio tools and processes.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills

Must thrive working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient.  Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders, good conflict management and negotiation skills, ability to analyze complex issues to develop relevant and realistic plans, programs and recommendations.  Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action; excellent analytical skills and an ability to communicate complex issues in a simple way and to orchestrate plans to resolve issues and mitigate risks.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, business or equivalent.

• 5+ years’ in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry including

• 2+ years’ experience in R&D program management or cross-functional project management

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a scientific field preferred. Neuroscience background highly desirable.

• Knowledge of the drug development process; strong understanding of technical, business, and regulatory issues.

• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in a matrix environment. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication, team building, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• Established ability to work independently, prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and demonstrated ability to identify and resolve issues.

• Strong initiative and a can-do attitude, excellent organizational skills, proven effectiveness in a quick-changing, fast-paced environment, excellent people skills, and a proven record as a team player.

• Embrace our core values: Put People First, Improve Lives, Cultivate Curiosity, Do Right, Forge New Pathways

• Excitement about the vision and mission of Sage

• Strong knowledge of MS Office, including MS Project and ThinkCell.

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time at the sole discretion of Sage.

All Sage new hires will be required to provide documentation that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or, if not, that they are legally entitled to an accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief.  Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and Sage will consider, among other things, whether the proposed accommodation would create an undue hardship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

EEO is the Law

EEO is the Law - Poster Supplement

We value our relationships with professional recruitment firms. To protect the interests of all parties, and given the large volume of inquiries received from third-party placement agencies, we are not able to respond to all agency inquiries. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates for current or future positions. Submission of unsolicited resumes in advance of a signed agreement between our company and a placement agency does not create an implied obligation and, if an unsolicited candidate represented by a placement agency is hired, we are not obligated to pay a fee. Only approved recruitment firms will be allowed to provide services to Sage Therapeutics, Inc.