Director, Discovery Program Management

Job Description

Job Description

About Parabilis Medicines  

Parabilis Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to creating extraordinary medicines for patients with serious diseases by unlocking biologically important targets long considered undruggable. The company has pioneered a new class of alpha-helical peptides – Helicons™ – capable of modulating intracellular proteins that have historically been beyond the reach of conventional medicines. The company's lead investigational medicine, zolucatetide, is the first and only direct inhibitor of the β-catenin:TCF interaction, a central node in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway that has eluded drug developers for decades. Zolucatetide is being evaluated in the clinic across multiple Wnt/β-catenin-driven diseases, including desmoid tumors, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and a range of other solid tumor indications. Beyond zolucatetide, Parabilis is advancing additional Helicon-based programs focused on other challenging targets where we believe our medicines could have life-altering impact. For more information, visit or follow us on LinkedIn. 

What's the opportunity?

The Program Manager will be central to driving the Discovery programs forward that are most critical to our pipeline. This role focuses on the program management of late-stage Discovery programs, those in the final stretch toward development candidate (DC) nomination, ensuring that cross-functional teams move with urgency, alignment, and scientific rigor, and that programs transition smoothly into the Development function.

The ideal candidate brings a scientific foundation, deep familiarity with drug discovery workflows, and a proven ability to leverage modern project management tools, including AI-powered tools, to accelerate program execution. You will be a trusted partner to our program leaders and a key connector across the teams in Discovery and into Development.

Key responsibilities:

• Project management of multiple late-stage Discovery programs through lead optimization to development candidate nomination.
• Build and maintain integrated program timelines, track budgets, and manage resourcing questions across functions.
• Drive alignment on program priorities, decision gates, and go/no-go criteria in partnership with scientific leads and senior leadership.
• Serve as the primary operational partner to Discovery program teams, facilitating communication and decision-making across Research functions.
• Prepare and support program review meetings, including milestone tracking, risk registers, and leadership updates.
• Leverage AI-powered and modern project management tools to synthesize program data, surface risks, and accelerate decision-making.
• Contribute to portfolio-level planning and be a strategic voice in shaping how Discovery operates and scales.

What you'll need to be successful:

• BSc in a Life Science related field, with 10+ years of drug discovery experience in industry
• Project management experience in drug discovery within a pharmaceutical or biotechnology setting, with direct exposure to late-stage Discovery or DC nomination processes.
• Strong scientific literacy, with the ability to engage meaningfully with Discovery data and program science.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional programs with multiple workstreams and competing priorities.
• Proficiency with modern project management and a genuine enthusiasm for leveraging AI tools to improve program execution.
• Experience in oncology drug discovery is a plus but not required.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, and science-driven environment.
• Energized by contributing broadly in a small, growing organization where impact is direct and visible.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize AI tools for day-to-day work; baseline proficiency is expected, and advanced or innovative use of AI is a strong plus.

Core Values

Parabilis Medicines is a team of passionate pioneers who are trailblazing the future of precision medicine with the aim of making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients. The company is committed to promoting an inspiring and flourishing working environment for all employees across the business, in all departments, and driving innovation for patient benefit.

• Growth-Minded . We're inventing a new class of medicines—one applicable to therapeutic targets that have been dreamt about, but always considered impossible to drug. Our work requires us to be curious, humble and adaptable.
• In(ter)dependent. We are fiercely  independent as a leader in defying the limitations of current therapeutic modalities, and  interdependent as a team as we work collaboratively to shift drug discovery paradigms and provide patients with better treatment options.
• Patient-focused. We are deeply focused on patient outcomes, and all energy in the company is focused on science as it translates to patient impact.
• All-In. We're All-In on solving some of the hardest scientific challenges and delivering one of the most effective new classes of drugs in history.

The base salary range for this position is $200,000-$240,000, depending on experience, qualifications, and internal practices. Parabilis's total compensation package also includes an annual target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive suite of competitive benefits designed to support our employees' overall well-being.

As an equal opportunity employer, Parabilis Medicines values an inclusive workplace and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

30 Acorn Park Drive | Cambridge, MA 02140 |