Sr. Project Manager / Associate Director, Project Management
Kezar Life Sciences, United States
Job Description
Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ: KZR), a clinical-stage biotechnology sciences company located in South San Francisco, is seeking a Sr. Project Manager / Associate Director, Project Management. This position will report to the Sr. Director of Project Management and will be responsible for providing project management support for the protein secretion and KZR-261 development programs. This position will work closely with Project Leadership in developing, actively managing, and ensuring delivery across all aspects of planning and execution related to their program and potentially other projects in nonclinical and clinical stages of development. The successful candidate must thrive in a fastpaced team environment, and have excellent communication, planning, and organizational skills. Strong knowledge of Clinical Operations and CMC is required.
Kezar is focused on small molecule drug discovery and development to target immune-mediated diseases and cancer. Kezar’s lead product candidate, KZR-616, a selective inhibitor of the immunoproteasome, is being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. KZR-261, Kezar’s first oncology candidate targeting the protein secretion pathway via the Sec61 translocon, is entering Phase 1 clinical trials in several oncology indications. This is an exciting time to help drive the development of novel therapies for unmet needs in multiple indications.
Requirements
- Provide project management support for the protein secretion and KZR-261 development programs with an initial focus on oncology
- Contribute to the success of the Project Management Department by sharing best practices and participating in the development of new department processes and tools
- Partner with Project Leadership, Clinical, CMC, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and other pertinent departments to develop, maintain, and execute development plans and timelines for assigned projects
- Serve as a single point of contact for project information for assigned teams
- Develop and manage the execution of integrated cross-functional development plans for assigned projects
- Set agendas, key discussion points, and lead project team meetings ensuring cross-functional alignment and communication between the project team and project sub-teams
- Establish and maintain functionally integrated project timelines across all departments
- Ensure project team activities, decisions, and project status are clearly communicated, documented, and archived
- Proactively identify project risks; prepare mitigation and contingency plans
Skills/Experience
- Comfortable in a fast-paced small company environment
- Able to multi-task and shift priorities quickly while working under tight timelines
- Strong analytical skills
- Well organized
- Proficiency with Teams, Word, Excel, Project, and PowerPoint
- Project Management Professional certification a plus
- Experience in oncology is preferred
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, ability to build productive internal/external working relationships with cross-functional teams
- Experience in helping prepare for and managing regulatory interactions and submissions (e.g. IND/IMPD, NDA/BLA/MAA) a plus
- Sr. Manager: BA/BS degree, 5+ years pharmaceutical/bio pharm industry experience with at least 3 years direct project management in drug development
- Assoc. Director: BA/BS degree, 8+ years pharmaceutical/bio pharm industry experience with at least 5 years direct project management in drug development