Executive Director, Lifecycle Leader

Overview

The Lifecycle leader (LCL) is responsible for shaping the program vision, strategic context, and lifecycle plan (LCP) across indications globally. The LCL oversees the development and execution of the LCP in line with the company strategy. They are able to navigate complex program challenges, the commercial and development landscape, and assess and prioritize development in future indications.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Shaping the program's cross-functional vision, strategic context, and lifecycle plan (LCP) for both current and future business opportunities.
• Working with leadership & SMEs (subject matter experts) to build out appropriate internal ways of working to enable best practices around development of data-driven recommendations, decision making, and communication.
• Ensuring timely delivery and managing the associated execution plan and milestones, closely aligning them with the approved LCP.
• Overseeing integration across Iovance involving multiple stakeholders to ensure optimal program execution in line with program strategy and LCP.
• Fostering alignment across different sub-teams to ensure execution achieves team and corporate goals (Commercial Team, Development Team, Regulatory Team etc.).
• Serving as a point of triage, facilitating clear decision-making by incorporating cross-functional input to address high-impact issues.
• Leading the team in framing program needs and developing a range of options and recommendations for presentation to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).
• Ensuring transparent communication with senior leadership, highlighting relevant scenarios, assumptions, and risks to inform decision-making and trade-offs.
• Representing the enterprise mindset and ensuring all relevant functional perspectives have been considered.
• Ensuring the inclusion of subject matter experts (SMEs) and situational members in discussions, guided by a predefined agenda set with guidance from the Program Manager.
• Accountable to the ELT for program recommendations and framing them within the context of the broader portfolio.
• Accountable for day-to-day management of the program to ensure all established deliverables with high program impact remain on track and in line with program strategy.
• Ensuring the health of the team, creating a highly functional environment with collaborative ways of working where debate and honest feedback are encouraged.

Additional Responsibilities

• Risk identification and mitigation planning.
• Ensuring financial stewardship of approved and recommended projects.
• Clear communication throughout organization of key milestones, deliverables, and progress.
• Ensure appropriate resourcing of functions to achieve program goals and vision.
• Work with Development and Commercial Teams to define the disease area strategy and execute a business plan with clear deliverables and resource needs.
• Advocate on behalf of Iovance and effectively communicate scientific/medical/clinical concepts in both written and oral communication to both internal and external stakeholders.

Required Education, Skills, and Knowledge

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline; advanced or professional degree highly desirable (e.g., PhD, MD, or MBA).
• 15+ years of bio-pharmaceutical industry experience with at least 5 years of relevant work experiences in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry as a Lifecycle Leader or Program Team Leader.
• Strong knowledge of the overall drug development process relevant to biotech/pharmaceutical companies; commercial launch experience and a depth of experience with drug development is required.
• Experience working with or on program strategy teams required.

Preferred Education, Skills, and Knowledge

• Strong leadership skills from leading cross-functional teams in a matrix organization, with highly collaborative instincts and a track record of resolving conflicts within the team.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with clinical scientists, biologists, manufacturing experts, as well as with regulatory and commercial colleagues at all levels of the organization.
• High degree of organizational awareness and understanding of change management and leading innovation.
• Possess significant depth and breadth of experience across phases of drug development that enable you to immediately bring considerable strategic value to a project.
• Possess understanding of drug development experience and understand what it takes to shepherd an asset through its lifecycle.