Senior Director, Strategy and Operations

FL89, Inc. is a privately held early-stage company investigating secreted protein function and regulation in human physiology by combining a newly developed high throughput -omics platform with cutting edge cellular biology approaches and machine learning. Our mission is to leverage natural evolution to understand drivers and early biomarkers in the secretome which underlie chronic disease and develop next generation of therapeutics with increased potency & specificity. 

One of FL89’s founding principles is to build an inclusive and exciting working environment that fosters personal and professional growth by ensuring that all team members contribute to and feel ownership of our scientific vision. 

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture. 

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com. 

Position Summary: 

FL89, Inc. is seeking a highly motivated and innovative individual to join our team as the Director of Strategy & Operations. This individual will partner across all functions to drive collaboration, cross-functional clarity, alignment, and delivery on key projects, initiatives, and operations that are critical to our business, including R&D and corporate strategy and operations, program management, indication expansion efforts, portfolio strategy optimization, due diligence on new platform opportunities, and enabling strategic decision making and planning across the organization. The successful candidate will work closely with the FL89 leadership. Reporting to the President, this candidate will contribute to the company's success by providing strategic expertise, managing operational activities, and facilitating the growth and impact of FL89. The ideal candidate must be independent, open-minded, goal-oriented, have excellent communication skills and work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Work with the leadership team to develop the corporate strategy and operational plan, including coordinating SAB and board meeting preparations, as well as supporting content development. 
• Lead regularly scheduled strategy and program updates/reviews with the executive team; manage schedule, agenda, and content for Leadership Team and All Hands meetings and leading discussions to ensure team-based discussions on innovation as well as drive decisions 
• Prepare strategic communications utilizing a clear understanding of the business strategy and issues; develop and maintain consistent, relevant content for use in executive level communications and to support/lead projects to further organizational and business goals  
• Lead program management to track progress on goals, ensure timely delivery of key milestones, refining strategy as needed. 
• Build a portfolio management strategy to assess platform performance and identify future opportunities  
• Develop market opportunity assessments and report on the competitive landscape and its impact on the company  
• Support lab operations from establishing additional contracts to managing our move across facilities as well as leading space planning activities.  
• Collaborate with the leadership team to drive the annual and long-term budgeting process and support fundraising activities. 
• Advance partnering framework to develop and maintain map of potential partners including rationale, possible scope, comparable deals 
• Lead External Alliances, establishing and maintaining relationships with collaborators and CROs. 
• Coordinate with corporate & business development counsel to establish, review and maintain external contracts such as CDAs, MTAs, licenses, consulting agreements, sponsored research agreements, etc. to enable R&D and corporate operations 
• Support the development and execution of the IP strategy

Candidate Qualifications: 

• PhD in Life Sciences or related field is strongly preferred. 
• 10+ years of experience in strategy and operations roles within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry. 
• Strong scientific background with a deep understanding of drug discovery and development. 
• Proven track record of developing and executing strategic plans in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. 
• Experience in portfolio management, including assessment of platform opportunity space and identification of expansion pools, and experience in project management planning, prioritization, and execution. 
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse, cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.  
• Experience in establishing and managing external relationships across all levels of the organization. 
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex scientific concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences clearly and concisely. 
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think strategically and identify creative solutions to complex challenges. 
• Experience working in a startup or early-stage company is highly desirable. 
• Passion for driving innovation and making a positive impact on human health and sustainability. 

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background. 

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.