Senior Director, Scientific Project Lead (Cardio-Renal-Metabolic)
$210,000–$300,000 year
On-siteSomerville, Massachusetts, United States
Job Summary
Lead complex scientific programs from concept through preclinical proof-of-concept, driving strategy, execution quality, and stage-gate readiness across cardio-renal-metabolic therapeutic areas. Develop integrated program strategies that align scientific objectives with resourcing, while setting direction for target proposals by integrating biology, platform capabilities, and competitive intelligence. Facilitate cross-functional discussions to resolve divergent perspectives, own key scientific decisions, and drive timely go/no-go recommendations. Manage and develop direct reports through clear objectives, regular feedback, and career development, fostering a high-performing team culture grounded in scientific rigor and accountability. Build effective operating mechanisms for program planning, governance preparation, and risk tracking.
Required Qualifications
- PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in the life sciences or another discipline relevant to therapeutic discovery and development
- 12+ years of relevant experience in biotech, pharma, academia, or a related scientific environment
- Experience identifying, evaluating, and advancing therapeutic targets and programs in cardio-renal-metabolic diseases or related areas, including relevant in vitro and in vivo preclinical models and translational considerations such as biomarkers and PK/PD
- Demonstrated success advancing complex programs across discovery and translational stages, including stage-gate reviews, prioritization decisions, and early development planning
- Experience managing and developing scientists or other technical professionals, together with a strong record of leading multidisciplinary teams through influence
- Strong scientific grounding in biology, experimental design, data interpretation, and synthesis across multiple technical domains
- A track record of identifying, evaluating, and advancing novel targets or therapeutic opportunities with strong biological and translational rationale
- Experience shaping program strategy, influencing senior stakeholders, and driving decisions in matrixed environments without relying solely on direct line authority
- Ability to synthesize complex scientific issues, make sound recommendations with incomplete information, navigate scientific and resource tradeoffs, and communicate clearly in governance settings
- Strong operational leadership, learning agility, intellectual curiosity, and comfort working in ambiguous and evolving environments, with a practical approach to solving problems and unblocking teams
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with protein therapeutics and related modalities, including peptides and conjugate-based approaches
- Familiarity with computational protein design, machine learning-enabled discovery, or platform-scale biological systems
- Familiarity with IND-enabling studies and early clinical development
- Experience working effectively with consultants, CROs, and other external partners
- Comfort using LLM-enabled tools and emerging agentic workflows to support scientific planning, analysis, and execution
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