Director, Program Management

Who is BlueRock?
BlueRock Therapeutics, a wholly-owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a leading engineered cell therapy company using its unique cell+gene platform to direct cellular differentiation and genetically engineer cells to create a new generation of cellular medicines that address large patient populations suffering from neurological, cardiovascular, and immunology diseases.The convergence of cell biology and genetic engineering is creating fundamental new ways to impact disease. Founded in 2016 to capitalize on these technological breakthroughs, we are advancing our novel cell+gene platform to develop, manufacture, and deliver an entirely new generation of authentic and engineered cell therapies across three therapeutic areas: neurology, cardiology, and immunology.
What Are We Doing?
Our foundational science harnesses the ability to create and then direct the differentiation of universal pluripotent stem cells into authentic, functional cells that can be used as allogeneic cellular therapies to treat a broad array of diseases. We can also further engineer these cells, enabling them to produce enzymes, antibodies, and other proteins for additional therapeutic benefit. We are passionate about delivering on the promise of cellular and gene therapy, shaping the future of cellular medicine, and delivering new therapies to millions of patients with treatment options. We are seeking individuals who are collaborative, thrive in a fun and dynamic culture, and are steadfast in the commitment to advance cutting-edge cellular therapies to impact patients’ lives.
The Director of Program Management drives execution and operations of BlueRock’s therapeutic and platform programs, including our heart failure program. The incumbent partners with the program and platform team leaders to ensure program strategy is defined and translated into an operational plan that meets BlueRock’s objectives. This is a highly collaborative, cross-functional role requiring an understanding of drug development, IND-enabling and clinical stage programs, critical path activities, and risk management practices. In addition to supporting cutting edge science leveraging BlueRock’s cell+gene platform, this role enhances our program management function through development and deployment of processes and tools in a growing function. The successful candidate has strong leadership, organizational, and team building skills, experience managing communication with both internal and external and external partners, negotiation and conflict resolution, and a passion for advancing compelling drug candidates.
The ideal candidate for this position has worked in a technical, operational or scientific capacity in the biopharmaceutical industry prior to professional experience in a program/project management role and has experience managing projects with external collaborators.Responsibilities:

Partner with program leads to define/refine program strategy and drive operational execution of a selection of our research & development stage programs, including our heart failure program.

Develop, manage, and implement integrated program plan to enable scope definition, timelines, resource needs, goals, and key deliverables in partnership with program team and key stakeholders.

Lead management of team and governance meetings, including defining clear objectives, coordinating cross-functional preparation, and follow-through.

Track deliverables and milestones with a sense of ownership; continually seeking opportunities to improve program execution by aligning “big picture” strategy to details, managing risks with mitigation strategies and ensuring clear communication and/or escalation.

Support cross-functional Program Teams by:

Providing strong team leadership and drive to ensure projects are executed on-time and within budget.

Reporting to key stakeholders and executives on program and project progress.

Driving risk management process for lifecycle of the program, including identification and mitigation strategies.

Identifying and responding to escalated project issues that impede program delivery and coordinating solutions.

Partnering with key stakeholders to successfully achieve program and project objectives.

Collaborate with functional leaders on budget and resource planning.

Identify issues, drive escalation and resolution, in balance with opportunities for the program(s).

Implement appropriate project change control and manage resources during change control in collaboration with functional leads as necessary.

Manage joint collaboration with existing partner to support R&D efforts.

Support further development of program management best practices and tools.

Support Alliance Management activities by preparing supporting documents related to assigned programs.

Minimum Requirements:

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required; Advanced degree (MS or PhD) is preferred

10+ years overall industry experience with 7+ years in PM/leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry

Demonstrated experience advancing programs through pre-clinical development to IND filing and early clinical studies, with comprehensive understanding of all functional areas, including, translational research, preclinical, manufacturing, clinical, and regulatory

Excellent written and oral communication skills; strong ability to work independently, prioritize, problem solve, and manage multiple tasks

Experience navigating a matrixed organization, balancing line function and matrix inputs in project planning and delivery

Successful track record managing partnered programs or projects

Experience in cell or gene therapy is desirable or in lieu of that experience, having the interest and ability to truly understand BlueRock’s technology

Advanced proficiency with MS Project and/or Smartsheet, Excel and PowerPoint

Formal training (e.g. diploma/certificate) in program or project management or PMP

Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, including the ability to motivate and influence team members, and a history of developing cross-functional relationships at all levels of an organization

Ability to embrace the challenges inherent to drug development with enthusiasm in bridging gaps, anticipating impediments, adapting to a dynamic environment, championing innovation, facilitating negotiations, and fostering an environment of open team communication and advancing issues to timely resolution

Ability to join team in hybrid model (2-3 days/week onsite) and periodic travel is required, primarily to BlueRock locations (Cambridge, NYC, Toronto, Germany)

BlueRock Therapeutics Company Culture HighlightsWinner of Boston Business Journal's Best Places to Work (Mid-size Company) 2023Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Diversity 2022Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Women 2022Winner of Comparably's Award for Best CEO 2022BlueRock Therapeutics is ranked in the top 5% of companies for Overall Culture on Comparably.Engineering Department is ranked in the top 5% of companies for Overall Culture on Comparably.
Check us out on Comparably: https://www.comparably.com/companies/bluerock-therapeuticsFollow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluerocktx/
Equal Opportunity Workplace: At BlueRock, we welcome and support differences and diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.  Please let us know if you require disability-related accommodation or other grounds protected by human rights legislation during the recruitment process so that we can work with you to meet your needs.