PROGRAM LEAD, ENZYME INHIBITION
Biotech · Confidential Search · Managed by TSE Executive Search
THE COMPANY
This is a high-conviction biotech operating at the forefront of targeted enzyme biology — advancing a pipeline of small molecule inhibitors with the potential to meaningfully change outcomes for patients with diseases driven by dysregulated enzymatic activity. The organization combines the scientific depth of a world-class research institution with the speed and ownership culture of a startup. The Enzyme Inhibition Program Lead will sit at the center of that mission.
THE OPPORTUNITY
This is not a traditional program management role. As Program Lead, Enzyme Inhibition, you will own the full strategic and operational life of the enzyme inhibition programs in your portfolio — from target biology and mechanistic rationale through clinical development strategy, business case, and competitive landscape.
You will build and own the scientific plan, business plan, budget, and strategy for each program. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage industry relationships, drive competitive intelligence, build NPV models, and translate extraordinarily complex biochemistry and clinical development information into clear, decision-ready communication for senior leadership.
This role demands someone as comfortable interrogating a structure-activity relationship as they are building a financial model — and who brings equal intellectual rigor to both.
WHAT YOU WILL OWN
Scientific & Program Leadership
- Develop deep command of the scientific, operational, and external-facing dimensions of assigned enzyme inhibition programs — including mechanism of action, selectivity profile, competitive differentiation, and clinical rationale
- Stay current on the enzyme inhibition landscape — emerging structural biology, resistance mechanisms, and next-generation inhibitor modalities — and translate that knowledge into program strategy
- Set, prioritize, and manage milestones and deliverables for team members across one or more programs — spanning discovery, translational, and early clinical stages
- Coordinate cross-functional team meetings and delegate effectively to medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, DMPK, clinical, regulatory, and CMC experts — holding the team accountable to quality, precision, and speed
- Interpret, collate, and communicate key biochemical and clinical data findings in a succinct, executive-ready manner to senior leadership
- Develop and maintain the scientific plan for each program — questioning selectivity assumptions, stress-testing the MOA hypothesis, and identifying mechanistic blind spots before they become clinical problems
Business Development & Financial Analysis
- Own the business plan, strategy, and budget for enzyme inhibition programs in your portfolio
- Build and maintain NPV models and financial frameworks that underpin investment, prioritization, and partnership decisions across the pipeline
- Lead competitive intelligence efforts — synthesizing emerging data on competing inhibitor programs, resistance mechanisms, combination strategies, and evolving target biology into clear strategic implications
- Manage and develop industry relationships with partners, collaborators, and external experts that support BD objectives and pipeline advancement
- Identify problems independently, locate the right resources, and drive data-driven solutions without waiting for direction
Cross-Functional Communication & Leadership
- Distill complex enzyme biology, inhibitor pharmacology, and clinical development strategy into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences — from medicinal chemists to Board members
- Serve as the authoritative scientific and strategic voice on your programs — internally to leadership and externally to partners, investors, and collaborators
- Inspire excellence in the teams and colleagues around you — modeling the intellectual rigor, ownership mindset, and patient-first values that define the organization’s culture
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Education
- Advanced degree (PhD in biochemistry, chemical biology, pharmacology, or related discipline; MD, or MBA) from a top-tier academic institution; scientific undergraduate degree with highly distinguished industry experience considered
- Deep training in enzyme biochemistry, kinase or non-kinase inhibitor biology, structural pharmacology, or related fields strongly preferred
Experience
- Deep domain knowledge in enzyme inhibition — including kinase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, HDAC, PARP, IDH, or other enzymatic targets; experience across multiple enzyme classes a plus
- Drug discovery or early clinical development experience within a biotech startup or top-tier pharma organization — familiarity with the IND-enabling and Phase 1/2 process
- Strategic planning, operating, and program management experience in a cross-functional life sciences environment
- Management consulting from a top-tier firm (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, or equivalent) and/or investment banking experience strongly preferred
- Demonstrated ability to interpret and question scientific strategy across enzyme biology, translational pharmacology, and early clinical development
- Track record of building financial models, business plans, and competitive intelligence frameworks in a life sciences context
- Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing external industry relationships in a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment
Competencies
- Scientific depth — you can engage credibly on enzyme kinetics, inhibitor selectivity, resistance mechanisms, and structural pharmacology — and challenge the assumptions behind them
- Financial acumen — comfortable with NPV modeling, scenario analysis, and budget ownership
- Communication excellence — you translate mechanism of action into investment thesis, and inhibitor pharmacology into clinical rationale, for any audience
- Independent judgment — you identify the problem, find the data, and drive the solution without being asked
- Ownership mindset — you treat the programs you cover as if the outcomes are yours personally
THE RIGHT PERSON
The organization describes its best team members in four ways — and they mean it:
Patient Champion — Puts patients first in every program decision — from target selection to dose design to trial enrollment. Upholds strict ethical standards without compromise.
Entrepreneurial Operator — Drives toward practical solutions with urgency. Takes ownership of outcomes end-to-end and doesn’t wait to be asked.
Truth Seeker — Detailed, rational, and humble. Asks the hard questions about the enzyme biology, the selectivity data, and the clinical hypothesis — and finds the real answer, not the comfortable one.
Excellence Inspirer — Holds themselves and those around them to the highest standard. Makes every team they join better by being in it.
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA — in-person or hybrid
HOW TO APPLY
This search is managed exclusively and confidentially by TSE Executive Search.
Please submit your resume/CV and a brief cover letter to:
jobs@tseworldwide.com
All applications are held in the strictest confidence.
TSE Executive Search · tseworldwide.com · (732) 690-2709 · Michael Tal Sharon, Managing Partner