Senior Director/Executive Director, Development Program Management

We are seeking a Senior Director/Executive Director, Development Program Management to co-lead and manage cross-functional planning of Xenon’s small-molecule early stage Development Track Candidate (DTC) programs advancing to IND and beyond.  This position would partner with the Product Development Team Leader (PDTL) and Product Development Team (PDT) to lead the strategic planning and execution of multiple DTC candidates.  Prior experience advancing drug candidates to IND and beyond is required, including key document generation (e.g., Target Product Profiles, Integrated Development Plans).  This role involves strong cross functional engagement with stakeholders including Discovery, CMC, Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Translational, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and outside of development (e.g., Finance, Commercial, Legal).

This position reports to the Senior Vice President, Portfolio and Alliance Management and will be in Vancouver, BC, Canada or Boston, MA, USA. We will consider other jurisdictions for exceptional candidates. The level of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s education and industry experience. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Overall responsibility to provide strategic and operational expertise as part of the development program management function. This includes working with other leaders within the PM department to define, implement, maintain and continuously improve project standards, processes, metrics, and practices in order to deliver projects and programs according to plan and within budget.
• Support global product development strategy for Xenon’s products from DTC to product launch including support for commercialization and life cycle management.  
• Create team charters and develop and maintain clear, concise and accurate dashboards for monitoring and communicating program progress to the program team and all levels of the organization, including supporting the development of presentations for Senior Management
• Chair, facilitate and coordinate program and/or project meetings and maintain decisions and action items for tracking to completion.
• Work with the development PM leadership to articulate the 5-year plan and create the development program objectives as part of the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) cycle.
• Responsible for partnering with functional leaders and key stakeholders to lead the development, implementation and maintenance of high-quality integrated plans for multiple projects or programs addressing program scope, components, schedule, budget, communications, risks, staffing and change management.
• Ensure cross-functional alignment and accountability on all aspects of program and proactively monitor timelines, milestones, critical path activities and resource needs for assigned programs and/or projects.
• Support and facilitate resources and financial planning and assessments for programs including working directly with functional leads on assessment of resource timing across programs.
• Manage program variances and root cause analyses, develop risk mitigation / issue management plans with the objective to meet the timeline and resource targets.
• Ensure effective, proactive and open communications, to achieve transparency and clarity of program goals, progress and issues. Establish key metrics and monitor performance, through dashboards and reports to enable timely information and analyses for senior leaders.  
• Present to senior leadership, governance teams and external audiences on the project strategy and plans
• Develop and propose short- and long-term objectives for the function in accordance with overall Company strategies and plans.
• Plan and manage budget proposals and approved budgets in accordance with the Company’s strategic and operating plans and Finance policies.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor direct reports, if any, in accordance with the Company’s Human Resource policies and practices.
• Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.
• Other duties as required from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• MSc or PhD in a relevant technical/scientific discipline; an advanced degree in business is desired
• 12+ years of in-depth pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry experience and drug development in a program management capacity in all phases of development with significant experience within related functions (e.g. Clinical Science, Clinical Operations, Research, Regulatory, CMC, Marketing); program management experience reflects leading complex pharmaceutical projects in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Demonstrated ability to positively influence outcomes, key project decisions, and strategic problem-solving.
• Proven ability to communicate clearly and present key information objectively to all levels of the organization including executive management.
• Matrix program leadership and management skills are required.
• Ability to influence and negotiate in a matrix environment to optimize development and address barriers.
• Proactive risk management with ability to propose solutions and deliver appropriate mitigation plan.
• Ability to communicate (written and verbal) with impact to provide appropriate context, articulate views, drive clarity, and address barriers to progress program development.
• Ability to drive decision-making within a cross-functional and cross-cultural, global team structure.
• Ability to inspire and motivate in a matrix and global, cross-geographical team.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Highly effective presentation skills.

The base salary range for this role is $243,000 to $307,300 CAD / $257,200 to $311,500 USD; we will consider above this range for exceptional candidates. Base salary is determined by a combination of factors including, but not limited to, education and other qualifications, years of relevant experience, and internal equity.