Associate Director, Project Management

About the role

Lakefront Biotherapeutics is a global biotech focused on developing innovative treatments for serious diseases with high unmet medical needs. Our pipeline includes T-cell engager programs and preclinical programs in autoimmune diseases. We are seeking an Associate Director, Project Management to drive early development programs, particularly Phase I/II clinical development in autoimmune diseases.

Responsibilities

• Drive day-to-day project management planning and coordination for early development programs, focusing on Phase I/II clinical development activities.
• Partner with Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, and functional leads to build and maintain integrated development plans, program timelines, milestone maps, critical path analyses, risk/issue logs, action trackers, and decision logs.
• Facilitate cross-functional program and study team meetings, including agenda-setting, pre-read coordination, decision capture, action follow-up, and escalation of key issues.
• Guide cross-functional teams through competing priorities and ambiguity by building trust, clarifying ownership, encouraging balanced input, and driving alignment around decisions and next steps.
• Career development and mentorship of junior staff.
• Coordinate with CMC, Research/Preclinical, Translational Medicine, Regulatory, Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Biometrics, Data Management, Quality, Finance, and external partners to ensure program plans are integrated and interdependencies are visible.
• Support clinical execution planning and governance activities, including study team coordination, vendor and CRO milestone tracking as appropriate, key deliverables, and readiness for internal decision points.
• Proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and resource constraints; partner with the Sr. Director, Project Management and functional leaders on mitigation options and timely escalation.
• Prepare concise program updates, dashboards, and materials for leadership, governance, partnership, and board discussions as requested.
• Contribute to fit-for-purpose PM processes, templates, and tools that support a lean startup environment without adding unnecessary complexity.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Advanced degree (Master’s, PhD, PharmD, or MBA) is a plus but not required if relevant experience is present.
• 8+ years of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience, including 5+ years in project/program management or closely related drug development roles.
• Hands-on experience supporting clinical development programs is required; early clinical development experience, including Phase I/II programs, is strongly preferred.
• Experience in autoimmune diseases is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence matrix teams without direct authority, with strong emotional intelligence, listening skills, facilitation, conflict resolution, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to create alignment among diverse stakeholders, manage competing priorities, and keep teams focused on high-impact activities and timely decisions.
• Working knowledge of clinical development, clinical operations, and development governance, with the ability to understand and integrate cross-functional inputs into practical program plans.
• Cross-functional experience across CMC, Research/Preclinical, Translational Medicine, Regulatory, Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Biometrics/Data Management, Quality, Finance, and/or external partners is a plus.
• Background in biologics or antibody-based therapeutics is a plus.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, early-stage company environment where priorities may evolve and processes must be appropriately scaled.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to balance rigorous project management discipline with pragmatic execution and team flexibility.
• Skillful in relevant project management tools and methodologies, such as Gantt charts, MS Project, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OnePager, Power BI, integrated portfolio management, and/or PPM platforms.
• Prior direct people management experience is helpful but not required; successful matrix leadership and team facilitation are essential.

Qualifications

• Base compensation for this position ranges from $180,000 – $200,000. Actual base compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including experience, qualifications, job-related knowledge, demonstrated skills and geographic location.
• The company reserves the right to modify base salary ranges at any time.
• This position is eligible for participation in Lakefront Biotherapeutics’ performance bonus plan.

Benefits

We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support important moments in life.

Schedule

Full-time position.

Pay

Base compensation for this position ranges from $180,000 – $200,000. Actual base compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including experience, qualifications, job-related knowledge, demonstrated skills and geographic location.