Fate Therapeutics is looking for a Senior Manager or Associate Director of Project Management to join the Global Business Operations team. This is a key position working closely with the Development and Technical Operations departments to manage the full lifecycle of complex projects. The role serves as a key liaison between operational execution, program development strategy, and portfolio direction across the company’s clinical stage programs. This is a full-time, exempt position and located at our corporate headquarters in San Diego, CA while reporting to the Vice President, Global Operations.
Responsibilities
- Manage the full lifecycle of complex CMC, clinical and product development projects.
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans that define scope, timelines, budgets, resource allocation, and risk management strategies.
- Translate pre-clinical, process development, analytical and clinical development program strategies into clear executable project plans and communicate them effectively across teams and senior management.
- Use project management tools to develop timelines, monitor progress, track key performance indicators, analyze data, and ensure accurate reporting from inception through commercial realization.
- Lead and motivate cross-functional project teams, ensuring clear communication, collaboration, and accountability.
- Provide regular governance updates to senior management on project status, risks, and financial performance in compliance with company FP&A policies.
- Communicate program strategy decisions and rationale to team members and other key stakeholders to ensure alignment and informed decision making
- Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues, developing contingency plans as needed
- Facilitate project meetings, including kick-off meetings, core team meetings, status updates, and milestone reviews.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of project management practices, fostering knowledge sharing and best practices across teams.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA, EMA) and internal company policies.
- Partner with functional and executive leadership to prioritize projects and initiatives across the portfolio, balancing timelines, and resource capacity.
- Maintain forward-looking portfolio roadmaps that integrate development programs, publications, conferences, and key external milestones.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing within project teams. Navigate ambiguity and support creative problem solving.
Qualifications
- BS or MS degree preferably in a technical or scientific field or business administration, with 7+ years related industry/consulting experience, including management responsibilities in a cross-functional environment.
- A blend of CMC/clinical, operational, strategic matrix leadership experience is preferred.
- Knowledgeable in industry regulations and best practice in CMC and/or clinical development.
- Experience leading complex cross-functional and technical projects with process development, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, and clinical groups.
- Relevant experience in pharmaceutical/biotechnology regulated manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience applying project management methodologies.
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications and project management software (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Asana).
- Proven track record in leading a project forward through development milestones and/or approval by mapping out deliverables and ensuring activities progress and stay on course.
- Knowledgeable in current and possible future trends, technology, policies, practices and information of the relevant competitive landscape and global health authority requirements for drug approval.
Working conditions & physical requirements
- Position is onsite at our corporate headquarters in San Diego, CA.
- Travel may be required (up to 10%).
Compensation
- The salary offer will be based on a variety of factors, including level, experience, qualifications, internal equity, and location.
- Fate offers a competitive employment package that includes an annual bonus, equity, and a generous benefits package.
- The anticipated salary range for this role is $155,000 - $185,000.
Top Skills
What We Do
Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for patients with cancer. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Company’s immuno-oncology pipeline includes off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell product candidates, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit www.fatetherapeutics.com.







