Senior Director, AIRx Program Management

Role Purpose

The Program Manager for AIRx serves as the operational and strategic integrator for a novel, high‑velocity drug discovery model designed to deliver candidates at biotech speed within a large enterprise. This role goes beyond traditional program management in drug discovery and will set the standard for program management excellence in the new operating model.

• Own the integrated program strategy execution framework across AIRx teams, ensuring alignment from concept through candidate nomination.
• Translate scientific strategy and functional plans into clear, actionable integrated program plans, including milestones, activity‑level planning, clear critical path, and decision points.
• Drive decision readiness, ensuring teams operate with clear assumptions, risks, and alternative scenarios to rapidly evolve plans based on emerging data.
• Maintain real‑time visibility into program health, proactively identifying and resolving bottlenecks across all program domains.
• Lead end‑to‑end program integration, integrating internal teams, CRO partners, and consulting functions.
• Drive high‑tempo execution through structured forums that prioritize outcomes over process.
• Implement fit‑for‑purpose tools, dashboards, and workflows to enhance transparency and accelerate execution.
• Own governance strategy and execution, including preparation for PRC and executive‑level discussions.
• Establish a culture of early risk identification and escalation, leading structured scenario planning and mitigation strategies.
• Oversee coordination with CROs and external collaborators, ensuring clear deliverables, timelines, and accountability.
• Own AIRx‑level and program‑level budget tracking and forecasting, ensuring disciplined use of ring‑fenced funding.
• Capture and codify AIRx best practices, learnings, and operating principles, contributing to a repeatable, scalable Labs of Tomorrow model.
• Serve as an enterprise leader within Research PM, shaping best practices and raising the bar for program execution & management excellence.

• Sound scientific knowledge with a Bachelor’s degree and 23 years of experience, MS with 21 years, or PhD with 15 years in Science or Management related discipline.
• 8–10 years of program management experience in early drug discovery (target identification, hit‑to‑lead stages) and late drug discovery (candidate stage, preclinical/IND enabling stages).
• Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification required.
• Demonstrated success advancing programs from discovery through preclinical stages to IND filing/Phase 1 enablement.
• Experience operating in fast‑paced, resource‑constrained, or biotech‑like environments strongly preferred.

• Strategic & Operational Leadership – Ability to integrate scientific, operational, and business inputs into coherent program strategies; strong systems thinker who can introduce structure without slowing teams down.
• Decision Orientation – Drives clarity in ambiguity; prioritizes decisions over data accumulation; frames complex problems into actionable insights and trade‑offs.
• Execution & Accountability – Demonstrated ability to deliver in high‑ambiguity, high‑velocity environments; strong bias for action with disciplined follow‑through.
• Influence & Communication – Exceptional communicator capable of engaging scientific, operational, and executive audiences; able to influence without authority across a complex matrix.
• Risk & Problem Solving – Proactively identifies risks early and drives timely escalation and resolution; applies structured problem‑solving to complex, cross‑functional challenges.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset – Thrives in building new models and ways of working; comfortable operating with limited structure and evolving direction.

• The position will be based in Cambridge, MA. This position is currently classified as “hybrid” by Takeda’s Hybrid and Remote Work policy.

U.S. Base Salary Range: $ – $. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location of the applicant.…