Senior Director, Origination Strategy & Operations, Strata PBU

As Senior Director, Origination Strategy & Operations, you will work closely with Molly Gibson, other scientists and operators within her Pioneering Business Unit (PBU), and stakeholders across the Flagship enterprise. Molly’s PBU is focused on founding, building, and growing companies at the intersection of AI and Science, including companies like Generate Biomedicines and Lila Sciences. We are driven by making the impossible possible, creating a future where AI expands the boundaries of scientific imagination and creativity. Join us!

Your central responsibility will be to support the day-to-day execution, coordination, and operational rhythm of the PBU — ensuring that strategy becomes reality through well-organized processes, timely execution, and cross-functional alignment. Beyond daily operations, you will coordinate portfolio-level planning, monitor progress toward critical milestones, and contribute insights and recommendations that shape the execution of strategic initiatives across the PBU and Flagship ecosystem.

We believe AI is not just a scientific tool — it’s a catalyst for transformation in every part of our business. The successful candidate shares this perspective and will help lead the charge in embedding AI into the fabric of our PBU, finding bold, creative ways to harness it for operational excellence, portfolio integration, and groundbreaking science.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Excellence - Drive the operational rhythm of the PBU, ensuring meetings, workflows, and deliverables run smoothly and on time. Prepare agendas, track and drive follow-up actions to completion, and coordinate across workstreams to keep priorities on track.
• Origination Portfolio Management - Lead portfolio-level planning and milestone tracking, own budgeting and financial planning in partnership with Finance and drive quarterly reviews with Flagship leadership. Develop and execute process to manage new company pipeline from idea generation to launch.
• AI-Enabled Innovation - Lead the integration of AI tools and workflows across scientific and operational processes, pioneering new ways to accelerate innovation within the PBU and portfolio companies.
• Culture & Team Building - Build and nurture a high-performance, values-driven culture across the PBU. Design and run an effective recruitment and interview process to ensure we consistently attract and retain top talent. Partner with HR and leadership to embed mentorship, leadership development, and our core values into daily operations, decision-making, and ways of working. Coach and develop high-potential team members into future entrepreneurial leaders.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Serve as the primary interface with G&A teams to align priorities, troubleshoot challenges, and streamline operations across the PBU and portfolio companies.
• Support Company Operations - Partner with Molly and senior leadership to run effective company operations, including leading LT meetings, managing and driving follow-ups to completion, ensuring strong board governance, supporting financing processes, and executing special strategic projects as needed.

Professional Experience & Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have experience in strategy & ops within a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment. Exposure to biotech, life sciences, AI, or other deep-tech sectors is valuable. The candidate must have a passion for novel science and should be operationally savvy.

Important skills/capabilities include:

• Strategic mindset with operational rigor – Ability to translate ideas into clear roadmaps, systems, and results; skilled at bringing order to complex, fast-moving environments.
• Trusted advisor with high EQ – Presence and interpersonal skills to influence senior leaders, build strong cultures, and foster trust across teams.
• Strong financial literacy – Comfortable with capital planning, budgeting, and forecasting in partnership with finance teams.
• Complex initiative leadership – Proven ability to drive cross-functional programs through ambiguity and change while maintaining momentum and focus.
• AI-enabled innovation mindset – Track record of experimenting with and deploying AI tools to amplify core operating functions and decision-making.
• People leadership and team building – Skilled in general management, talent development, and cultivating high-performing, values-driven teams.
• Open, transparent communication – Able to distill complex topics into clear actions; willingness to engage in difficult conversations productively and with professionalism.
• Commitment to growth mindset – Demonstrated openness to giving and receiving feedback and a track record of acting on it to improve performance and outcomes.

How we work

Our team thrives on curiosity and exploration, especially when the path forward is unclear. We take ownership and accountability for our vision and our results, working with transparency, authenticity, and the highest standards of quality. We expand the context window by sharing information openly and giving feedback generously. And we make good choices — acting decisively when it matters, to turn great ideas into impactful companies.

Location:  Cambridge, MA

More about Flagship Pioneering:

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  

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. 

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.