Program Manager - Discovery, Platform, and G&A

Position Description

Juvena Therapeutics, Inc. is a regenerative medicine biotech startup inviting applicants for Program Manager – Discovery, Platform, and G&A. Applicants should be excited to join a company focused on the discovery and validation of novel disease-modifying biologics that promote tissue regeneration by inducing tissue-specific rejuvenating phenotypes.

This position (“the PM”) will report to the VP of Program Management and work closely with other Senior Leaders at Juvena daily. The PM will serve as the hands-on project manager of a broad portfolio of Discovery and Platform projects that are core to Juvena’s mission and strategy. Working with Leadership and other stakeholders, the successful candidate will work with the VP Program Management in the planning, execution, and control of integrated KPIs, Research, Discovery (R&D), and G&A program plans, and portfolio management processes that provide a foundation for driving operational objectives. The PM will train, coach, and mentor Staff and Leaders on project management best practices and proactively manage weekly project objectives, identify and analyze dependencies, perform resource planning, develop alternative scenarios based on priority changes and/or pivots on KPIs or objectives, liaise with key stakeholders, and provide regular status updates and recommendations to Leadership on projects within their portfolio.

The position is temporary with the option to convert to a regular full-time position with health benefits. This is the perfect opportunity for someone interested in the exciting and fast-paced environment of a startup company and looking to make a difference in improving people’s lives through science.

*Title commensurate with experience

Company Summary

Juvena Therapeutics is a venture backed biotechnology startup discovering and developing disease-modifying biologics by leveraging their computationally-driven discovery platform to rapidly identify and validate secreted proteins with regenerative potential for multiple rare and chronic diseases.

At Juvena Therapeutics, we are on a mission to discover and develop biologics for rare and chronic degenerative diseases by mapping secreted proteins to unmet medical needs through a machine learning (ML)-enhanced platform. Juvena’s approach integrates proteomics, transcriptomics and imaging with phenotypic human in vitro disease model screening and extensive preclinical validation to mine the therapeutic potential of human stem cell secretomes as a rich source of new medicines that promote tissue regeneration and repair. We are advancing lead drug candidates for muscular dystrophies, atrophy, injury, and osteopathies, and establishing new programs targeting tissue-specific degenerative diseases across multiple therapeutic areas. Since our launch in mid-2018, Juvena has discovered and validated several hits for neuromuscular, skeletal, and metabolic diseases. Juvena’ preclinical programs are supported by funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Juvena is advancing a lead program for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, a rare autosomal dominant, progressive muscle-wasting disease.

At Juvena we embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experience and approaches that all combine to lead us to world-class scientific results in an inclusive environment.

Position Location and work permit requirement

640 Galveston Dr. Redwood City, 94063

Candidate must be legally authorized to work in the US.

Position Requirements and Duties

• Collaborate with the VP of Program Management to develop, promote, and support a foundation of project management best practices across Juvena by training, coaching, and mentoring Staff and Leaders in its adoption.
• Work with Leadership and other stakeholders to lead the establishment of integrated KPIs, R&D program plans, and portfolio management processes that provide a basis for driving operational objectives, deliverables, execution, and timelines.
• Drive program and project management processes and activities such as managing priorities, scope definition, schedules, budgets, risk, quality, and changes while ensuring key company milestones and KPIs are defined and met.
• Manage meetings in alignment with Juvena’s best practices (e.g., agenda and pre-read information provided, meeting outcomes pre-defined, logging of risks, action items, issues, and decisions [RAID log], etc.).
• Develop and manage portfolios for Platform and Discovery through pre-clinical readiness and Corporate G&A projects.
• Monitor ongoing projects for potential risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies with Leadership and the relevant R&D teams. Identify, track, and support resolution efforts for all program-related issues and effectively communicate to relevant internal and external contractor teams via regular and ad hoc status updates.
• For projects within their program, drive resource planning and impact analysis of priority change/pivot scenarios. Manage changes to project scope, ensuring that all impacts and changes are approved through Governance and appropriately communicated.
• Liaise with external partners such as pharmaceutical companies and critical suppliers.
• Support the development of TCPs (Target Candidate Profile) and initial TPPs (Target Product Profile).
• Develop and maintain project/portfolio dashboards, reports, and metrics including GANTT charts and status summaries.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications

You may be a great fit if you have the following qualifications:

• Basic Qualifications (required)
  • Undergraduate degree,
  • PMP certification,
  • Strong working knowledge of common project management best practices & tools (RAID logs, Gantt charts, Risk registers, etc.),
  • 2+ years project management experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery, development, or healthcare related R&D,
  • Ability to operate in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary scientific environment that is often required to be adaptive and agile to respond to new discoveries and industry changes,
  • Strong oral and written communication, meeting facilitation, and organizational skills,
  • Ability to motivate, collaborate, and innovate to achieve objectives,
  • Ability to wear many hats with a team-first attitude.

• Bonus Qualifications (preferred)
  • Graduate degree, especially in a scientific or computational area,
  • 4+ years relevant experience in in pharmaceutical drug discovery, development, or healthcare related R&D,
  • Experience with biologics development,
  • Track record of advancing R&D projects through discovery to successful candidate nomination,
  • Experience advancing R&D projects through preclinical to successful IND or CTA regulatory filings,
  • Agile project management certification (CSM, PMI-ACP, etc.),
  • Industry and startup R&D experience.