Senior Director, Program Management

Role Summary

Strategic and operationally-savvy leader to oversee and drive the program management function, building best-in-class practices and strategic approaches to drive results. Responsible for establishing program-related processes, systems, and templates to enable portfolio-level oversight and decision-making. Lead and mentor a team of program management professionals and foster strong partnerships across internal teams to ensure program success and maximize portfolio value.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing Project Management Office that supports strategic planning and execution across all development programs.
• Establish and manage program governance to enable prioritization of resources and activities including the facilitation of annual operating plan process in conjunction with FP&A.
• Develop, implement and continuously refine PMO processes, frameworks and tools (e.g., timelines, stage-gates, communication plans, resource planning, budgeting, decision-making, etc.).
• Serve as a strategic partner and communicator with senior leadership: provide program status, decision-support, trade-offs, and portfolio linkage.
• Facilitate decision-making processes, including risk mitigation strategies and scenario planning.
• In partnership with program managers, identify key hurdles across programs.
• Identify, assess and proactively mitigate portfolio-level program risks and dependencies; escalate issues appropriately.
• Maintain continuous communication with Program Leads to ensure timely support and proactive involvement in program dynamics and team performance.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration: align stakeholders (clinical, regulatory, CMC, finance, commercial) around program strategy and deliverables.
• Mentor and develop program managers, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Coach and mentor PT members on their roles, team interactions, program deliverables & interdependencies, action plans, presentations (executive style) to senior management
• Actively resolve issues and elevate concerns with a sense of urgency to promote a culture of rapid improvement and responsiveness.
• Serve as the Program Manager for one of Mirum’s programs or during corporate development evaluation of potential new assets, as needed.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, engineering or related field required; advanced degree (MS, PhD, MBA) strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• 10+ years of experience in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, with substantive exposure to drug development.
• Demonstrated portfolio and program management experience with cross-functional and global teams, including milestone budget/resourcing management.
• Previous experience building a PMO is a plus.
• Deep understanding of the therapeutic development lifecycle, including non-clinical, clinical, CMC/manufacturing, regulatory and commercial interface.
• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills: ability to influence without direct authority, build relationships across functions and navigate matrix environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities; comfortable with ambiguity and dynamic change.
• Familiarity with program management tools and frameworks (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, stage-gate process).