Senior Director, R&D Program Management

Role Summary

Senior Director, R&D Program Management leads complex, high-priority programs with significant impact on BioNTech's oncology and immuno-oncology portfolio. You will shape the long-term vision and strategy for your programs and play a pivotal role in advancing multi-platform technologies and therapeutic pipelines. You will collaborate closely with executive management and cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment, with leadership responsibilities across multiple high-priority programs within the R&D PM division. Locations include Cambridge, MA; Gaithersburg, MD; New Jersey.

Responsibilities

• Fully independent management of one or several complex programs with highest priority and significant impact on pipeline, leading and managing large strategic partnerships.
• Assume high-level leadership role with significant strategic influence over the direction of multiple programs and/or robust collaboration.
• Ensure program management leadership including program daily operations, prioritization, program's resource management, budget, timelines, issue resolution and risk management risk/opportunity management and issue resolution. Overarching responsibility for planning, strategizing, coordination, integration and execution, and managing of assigned programs and associated and successor projects.
• Shape the long-term vision and strategy for the entire program, aligning closely with the company and portfolio's overarching goals and market dynamics.
• Responsibility beyond managing individual programs, foster cross-functional collaboration, and identify opportunities for growth and improvement within program teams.
• Critical stakeholder engagement and interface with C-level management executives, board members, and other key stakeholders to communicate program/collaboration progress and strategic priorities, risk management escalation and mitigation, resource allocation and strategic decision-making to position the organization for sustained success in a competitive landscape.

Qualifications

• Education: Completed relevant higher education, e.g. higher degree in natural/life sciences, medicine or a comparable field and several years of professional experience.
• Preferably advanced degree incl. PhD in medicine, natural/life sciences, pharmacy (or equivalent).
• Extensive drug development knowledge in the areas of oncology and immuno-oncology. Preferably profound knowledge with mRNA or antibody product candidates development.
• Extensive expertise in the drug development management and senior program management roles.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in relevant legislation and international guidelines of pharmaceutical drug development.
• Proven leadership and strategic planning skills.
• Experience: Extensive work experience in drug development in a global pharmaceutical industry with several years direct experience in project leadership and project management.
• Demonstrated track record in leading global cross-functional R&D program teams in early and late development stages in a fast-speed matrix environment.
• Expert working knowledge of pharmaceutical discovery and drug development processes, including profound knowledge of interfaces and interdependencies of activities across the global project team (CMC, non-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial, pre and post launch requirements).
• Expert project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including performance on one’s own initiative, excellent adaptability skills.
• Excellent leadership and strategic thinking, leading problem-solving in a solution-oriented mindset.
• Strong lateral and disciplinary leadership skills.
• Proficiency in resource management along with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong acumen in building and leading cohesive R&D cross-functional program teams.