insitro · 21 hours ago
Senior Director, Project & Portfolio Management
South San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$242K/yr - $274K/yr
15+ years expInsitro is a drug discovery and development company utilizing machine learning and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. They are seeking a Senior Director of Project & Portfolio Management to build an AI-forward PPM organization that partners with various teams to advance a high-value portfolio of drug candidates for complex diseases.
BiotechnologyHealth CareLife ScienceMachine LearningPharmaceuticalTherapeutics
Responsibilities
Build an AI-forward PPM organization that will partner with Therapeutic Area, Operations, Clinical and Business Development teams
Develop rightsized project strategies and create successful team environments to foster high performance and rapid advancement
Develop and execute high quality integrated project plans with clear timelines spanning research, discovery, clinical development, software engineering, and data science/machine learning
Partner with Compute, Operations and Finance colleagues in establishing agentic AI project management, decision and resource allocation tools and methodologies across the portfolio
Lead matrix team meetings to enable collaboration, decision-making, and alignment with internal and external customers while leading all aspects of project scope, deliverables, risks, and resources
Resolve complex problems using strong interpersonal skills while building and maintaining positive working relationships with collaborators
Drive execution while balancing speed, quality, and cost including proficiency with project management tools and software
Set up or lead decision making bodies (governance) and/or portfolio planning and reviews processes with appropriate decision tools
Qualification
Required
BS degree required in a life science field, MS or PhD preferred
Minimum of 15 years of experience in biotech/pharmaceutical industry in the R&D and clinical development space, including 8+ years in project/portfolio leadership leading cross-functional matrix teams
Extensive knowledge of the drug development process and deliverables at each stage of the pipeline across at least one preferred drug modality (recombinant biologic, small molecule, oligonucleotide), with deep experience in translational stages, CMC workflows, early commercial assessment and clinical development (IND into Phase 2)
Highly skilled at conventional project management – driving execution while balancing speed, quality, and cost including proficiency with project management tools and software, e.g., critical path analyses, scenario planning, budget and resource management
Exposure to the design and implementation of agentic workflows in a pharma or biotech environment
Experience with setting up or leading decision making bodies (governance) and/or portfolio planning and reviews processes with appropriate decision tools
Solid understanding of metabolism, neuroscience or ophthalmology disease areas and its competitive environment with the ability to take part in strategic discussions
Previous experience in high visibility roles requiring the ability to think strategically and summarize complex information into important concepts for broader communication including executive leaders
Deep experience leading matrix team meetings to enable collaboration, decision-making, and alignment with internal and external customers while leading all aspects of project scope, deliverables, risks, and resources
Ability to resolve complex problems using strong interpersonal skills while building and maintaining positive working relationships with collaborators
Comfortable working in dynamic startup settings; adept at navigating ambiguity, evolving priorities, and time/resource constraints
Self-directed and proactive with ability to exercise good judgment and respond quickly and effectively to changing environments
Preferred
Project Management Certification (PMP or equivalent)
Familiarity with Google Suite and Smartsheets strongly preferred
Prior use of generative AI tools / LLM technologies in day-to-day work (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude)
Understanding of high-content human data modalities (e.g., genetics/genomics, histopathological imaging, spatial biology) and data generation technologies
Familiarity with and passion about machine learning enabled drug discovery
Benefits
401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus and ferry network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area
Company
insitro
Insitro is a drug discovery and development startup that utilizes machine learning and biology to transform drug discovery.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
insitro has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (12)
2024 (12)
2023 (12)
2022 (7)
2021 (4)
2020 (8)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$643MKey Investors
CPP InvestmentsAndreessen Horowitz
2021-03-15Series C· $400M
2020-05-26Series B· $143M
2018-05-02Series A· $100M
Leadership Team
Daphne Koller
Founder and CEO
D
Divya Kanichar
Director
Recent News
2026-01-06
Company data provided by crunchbase