Pioneering Medicines: Executive Director, Product Innovation

What if... We could harness the power of Flagship’s scientific platforms and create novel treatment options that benefit more patients, sooner?

Pioneering Medicines, an initiative of Flagship Pioneering, is building a world-class biopharmaceutical R&D capability focused on conceiving and developing life-changing treatments for patients by harnessing the power of Flagship's scientific platforms and applying those innovative approaches to serious diseases with unmet medical need. Unique to Pioneering Medicines’ approach is the opportunity to combine platforms to create truly novel and potentially transformative treatments. 

About Us:

Pioneering Medicines is on a mission to discover, develop, and deliver transformative therapies for patients with urgent, unmet medical needs. Our diverse portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas and leverages cutting-edge science and innovative technologies. We foster a collaborative environment where creativity and excellence drive us to pioneer new therapies.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a dynamic, results-driven, and visionary leader to serve as Executive Director, Product Concept Innovation (PCI). This key leadership role will be responsible for defining and executing a long-term strategy that advances breakthrough therapies, driving operational excellence, and managing a high-performing team. The ideal candidate will blend strategic foresight with hands-on execution, ensuring our innovation pipeline aligns with the organization's overarching goals while fostering a culture of accountability, efficiency, and bold thinking.

Leading a team of up to 8 professionals, this leader will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our innovation initiatives, integrating operational rigor, and optimizing resource allocation to accelerate discovery and development.

 

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Define and drive a cohesive product concept innovation strategy that translates cutting-edge science into differentiated therapeutic opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to assess, prioritize, and shape product concepts from platform insights, ensuring alignment with enterprise-level goals.
• Serve as a senior thought partner to platform leaders, therapeutic experts, and key  stakeholders—integrating scientific, clinical, and strategic dimensions into concept evaluation.
• Build and scale organizational capability by developing clear frameworks for early decision-making, portfolio entry, and milestone progression.

Innovation & Product Development

• Guide concept development from ideation through early-stage validation, ensuring high scientific rigor and translational potential.
• Leverage deep scientific knowledge, disease insight, and external landscape awareness to identify high-impact opportunities across diverse therapeutic areas and modalities.
• Set strategic direction for early product hypotheses, enabling successful advancement into development-stage programs with strong scientific and commercial rationale.

Operational Excellence & Process Optimization

• Establish consistent, fit-for-purpose approaches for concept evaluation and progression across modalities.
• Lead long-range planning and resourcing for the PCI function to support scalable growth of the portfolio.
• Ensure operational efficiency and transparency through rigorous milestone tracking, scenario planning, and cross-team coordination.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a senior liaison with internal stakeholders, Flagship platforms, and external pharma partners to guide origination efforts and shape collaborative strategy.
• Represent PCI in leadership forums, portfolio governance, and joint steering committees, with responsibility for communicating strategy, rationale, and progress.
• Influence decision-making at the enterprise level by articulating scientific opportunity in the context of clinical impact, portfolio strategy, and business priorities.

 

Qualifications & Experience

• Advanced degree (PhD, MD, or MD/PhD) in Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in biopharmaceutical R&D or translational science, including strategic roles spanning early-stage product or portfolio development.
• Proven ability to lead concept development and advance programs from scientific idea to clinical candidate nomination or early IND-stage development.
• Strong executive presence and experience influencing cross-functional and cross-organizational stakeholders, inc