Director, Project Management

Science    ·       San Francisco      ·    Full time

Atomwise is seeking a highly motivated Director, Project Management  to manage early drug discovery PMs within our growing team. This position will play a key role in our mission to transform pharma drug discovery – to shorten timelines, reduce costs, and increase the number of safe and effective treatments.

Atomwise is a technology-enabled pharmaceutical company leveraging the power of AI to revolutionize small molecule drug discovery. The Atomwise team invented the use of deep learning for structure-based drug design; this technology underpins Atomwise’s best-in-class AI discovery engine, which is differentiated by its ability to find and optimize novel chemical matter. Atomwise has extensively validated its discovery engine, delivering success in over 185 projects to-date including a wide-variety of protein types and numerous “hard-to-drug” targets. Atomwise is building a wholly-owned pipeline of small-molecule drug candidates, with three programs in lead-optimization and over 30 programs in discovery. The company has raised over $174 million from leading venture capital firms to advance its mission to make better medicines, faster.  

Our team is our most valuable asset. You and your team will collaborate with Project Leads, Project Teams, and internal and external partners to facilitate decision-making, troubleshoot issues, identify and mitigate risks, and drive the development of the programs. The ideal candidate for this position will combine strong project management and pharmaceutical development experience with a passion for leading cross-functional teams, working with key internal partners, and driving positive outcomes in a dynamic environment. This position is within a diverse, growing organization reporting to the Head of Program and Alliance Management.

We are based in San Francisco and provide excellent opportunities for professional development and advancement.

Responsibilities and Learning Opportunities:

• Lead and manage a team of Drug Discovery Project Managers while fostering an open-minded and collaborative culture
• Working in partnership with the Project Leads, develop, gain approval and execute on the project strategy, and manage the associated timelines, deliverables, and resources
• Co-chair timely, efficient, and action-oriented project team meetings, and coordinate team operations and communications
• Serve as the main point of contact for early discovery program progress, objectives and timelines
• Coordinate and drive program strategy to completion across early drug discovery development phases within scope, timelines and budget
• Facilitate action follow-up and issue resolution within the matrix environment in order to achieve program deliverables
• Organize preparation of high-quality documents in collaboration with the project teams for budget, governance and portfolio reviews, and investor relations/Board updates
• Coordinate scenario planning to provide management with decision-making information, timelines and costs. Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills and understanding of team dynamics, be able to influence, coach, and motivate teams, and create an inclusive environment
• Develop and implement continuous improvement and optimization initiatives to improve speed, cost, timing or effort within projects; may be responsible for representing PM on company initiatives
• May be required to take part in supporting the preparation of regulatory submissions. 

Qualifications and Skills

• Extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical drug development process, including experience with IND submissions
• Deep understanding/application of pharmaceutical project management, including developing and managing project scope, deliverables, risks and resource requirements
• Ability to enable high-performing teams and encourage a productive and positive team environment
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, able to summarize and present complex information in a clear and concise manner across all levels within the company
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to translate strategy into action
• Advanced knowledge and skill with Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel and other reporting and tracking tools, experience with Smartsheet a plus

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience OR  Ph.D. in a scientific field/ MD degree with 6+ years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry
• Requires line-management experience, and 5+ years experience leading cross-functional project teams within the pharmaceutical industry; and building, managing and articulating comprehensive, cross-functional plans
• PMP (Project Management Professional) or other PM certification equivalent a plus

When applying, please provide

• A cover letter
• A resume

Compensation & benefits

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience
• Stock compensation plan – you’ll be an Atomwise co-owner
• Platinum health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401k with 4% match
• Funding for professional development and conference attendance
• Flexible work schedule
• Generous parental leave
• High performance culture
• Great colleagues

Atomwise is an equal opportunity employer and strives to foster an inclusive workplace.  Our mission is to develop better medicines faster, and we know that we need a diverse team to develop medicines that serve diverse populations.  Accordingly, Atomwise does not make any employment decisions (including but not limited to, hiring, compensation, and promotions) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.

We strongly encourage people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives to apply.

Atomwise is not currently offering visa sponsorships for any position. Please only apply if eligible to work in the U.S.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records

Please click here to apply.