Senior Director, Portfolio & Program Management

About the role

GEMMABio is a therapeutics company focused on speeding the research of and global access to life-changing advanced therapies for those living with rare diseases. The company will provide research and product development functions to bring gene therapy discoveries from the bench to the bedside faster and affordably. GEMMABio is led by gene therapy industry pioneer Jim Wilson and his team of experts, who previously conducted their work in academia. Wilson is also the Chairperson of Franklin Biolabs, a Contract Research Organization. The collective goal of the two affiliated companies is to translate innovative scientific work into clinical trials, to then commercialize and distribute the new therapies around the world to patients who need them most.

As Senior Director of Portfolio Management at GEMMABio, you will lead the Program Management team in driving strategic execution across preclinical and clinical-stage gene therapy programs targeting rare diseases. This role is pivotal in aligning cross-functional efforts with GEMMABio’s portfolio objectives and ensuring timely, budget-conscious delivery of key milestones.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Alignment: Partner with the Executive and Management teams to shape and execute strategies for GEMMABio’s lead assets; Collaborate with the COO and leadership team to manage program prioritization and resource allocation; Lead and facilitate meetings across all organizational levels to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and execution of program plans; Ensure working group meetings are agenda-driven and focused on efficient decision-making.
• Program Oversight & Execution: Develop and maintain integrated program development plans, including cross-functional timelines, milestones, dependencies, and critical paths through BLA/MAA filing; Collaborate with R&D (Preclinical, Clinical, Regulatory, QA, and CMC) teams to define and manage departmental deliverables and timelines; Oversee Supply Chain activities to support effective operational execution; Drive accountability across departments and facilitate risk mitigation strategies and contingency planning; Facilitate program budgeting by partnering with R&D departments and Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, alignment with strategic priorities, and adherence to budgetary constraints.
• Operational Excellence: Lead strategic initiatives that impact program execution and portfolio success; Champion process improvements within R&D operations, working closely with R&D and CMC leadership to optimize meeting management and cross-functional workflows.
• External Collaboration & Alliance Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for sponsored research agreements, ensuring alignment with sponsor and internal team expectations; Oversee delivery of sponsored programs within scope and timelines, and act as a key escalation point for project-related issues; May lead one or more external preclinical-stage sponsored research projects.
• Performance & Team Leadership: Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Portfolio Management department; Supervise and mentor a team of 2–4 direct reports, fostering professional growth and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree (life sciences or molecular biology desired) and 10 years of applicable experience in program management is required.
• PMP or PMI certification beneficial but not required.
• Strong leader with experience in developing and leading high-performance cross-functional teams to achieve desired outcomes with internal and external teams.
• Experience in project management with the ability to develop clear action plans and execute.
• Experience managing multiple complex programs and demonstrated adeptness with dynamic prioritization of deliverables and resources.
• Experience focused on clinical assets with hands on experience in filing a BLA with the FDA is beneficial.
• Experience in the rare disease space is beneficial.
• Knowledge of FDA and/or EMA Regulations (or relevant local regulations), ICH Guidelines, and GCP governing the conduct