Project Manager

About Us

We are looking for dedicated professionals who thrive on tackling complex challenges and are committed to improving the lives of patients. If you value innovation, collaboration, and integrity, and are eager to contribute to advancing therapies for renal diseases, we encourage you to join our team. Based in the state-of-the-art Bakar Labs in Berkeley, CA, we are focused on pioneering medicines that make a meaningful impact.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Project Manager to oversee the planning, execution, and successful delivery of pre-clinical programs focused on small molecule drug discovery and development. The Project Manager will be responsible for managing timelines, budgets, resources, and risk, ensuring that all program milestones are met on time and in accordance with scientific, regulatory, and quality standards. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a fast-paced, early-stage biotech company focused on impacting patients in the renal disease space.

This newly created role will report directly to our Vice President of Strategy and Operations.

What You'll Do

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Project Leadership & Coordination

• Lead and manage projects, ensuring they progress according to the agreed timelines and within scope.
• Develop comprehensive project plans outlining key milestones, deliverables, timelines, budget, and resource allocation.
• Coordinate across various internal functions, including medicinal chemistry and biology teams to drive projects forward, ensure all stakeholders understand their deliverables, and prioritize key workstreams.
• Serve as the central point of contact for all project-related activities, communicating status updates, issues, and next steps to stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with the discovery team to align on project goals, timelines, and deliverables.
• Work with the pre-clinical team to ensure smooth coordination between discovery, in vivo studies, ADME/Tox, and scale-up phases.
• Facilitate regular project meetings to track progress, identify challenges, and define action plans to resolve any issues.
• Maintain continuous communication with internal stakeholders and multiple external partners, such as contract research organizations (CROs) and academic collaborators to oversee project execution.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage project budgets, ensuring all expenses are tracked and aligned with budget forecasts.
• Monitor project resources (including personnel and materials) and optimize utilization to avoid delays.
• Work with senior management to make strategic decisions related to resource allocation, timeline adjustments, and budget management.
• Negotiate contracts, review terms, and establish statement of work (SOW) agreements with vendors.

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight

• Ensure projects are conducted in compliance with industry regulations and organizational quality standards.
• Prepare and maintain detailed project documentation, including meeting notes and action items.

Risk Management & Problem-Solving

• Proactively identify risks and potential roadblocks in the project pipeline and develop mitigation strategies.
• Anticipate and address project challenges and work with functional leads to resolve issues in a timely and effective manner.
• Communicate risks and mitigation plans to senior management and stakeholders.

Progress Tracking & Reporting

• Maintain up-to-date project timelines and track project deliverables, ensuring milestones are met on schedule.
• Ensure timely and effective communication of timeline/budget changes to stakeholders and team members.
• Prepare and present regular status reports to senior management, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and decision points.
• Use project management tools to track progress and ensure transparency across all stakeholders.

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to the development and improvement of internal project management processes, tools, and methodologies.
• Participate in post-project reviews and help identify lessons learned to improve future project planning and execution.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemistry, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in project management in the biotech, pharmaceutical, or related industry, with a focus on pre-clinical or small molecule drug development.
• Experience working in drug discovery and pre-clinical development stages (e.g., early-stage drug discovery, animal studies, ADME/Tox).
• Strong understanding of small molecule drug development processes, including pharmacokinetics, toxicity studies, formulation, and scale-up.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional teams, multiple vendors and projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with an ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Solid problem-solving and critical thinking skills, with the ability to anticipate challenges and address them proactively.
• Proficiency with project management software, such as Smartsheet
• Familiarity with pre-clinical data analysis and reporting tools is a plus.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management training is a plus.

We believe in building balanced teams. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.