Executive Director, Portfolio Strategy

Job Title: ExecutiveDirector, Portfolio Strategy

Department: Portfolio Strategy

Location: Chicago (preferred), South San Francisco, CA, Princeton, NJ - On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer

DESCRIPTION 

The Executive Director, Portfolio Strategy will play a key role in enabling data-driven, cross-functional decision-making on Kardigan’s investments in development programs and evaluation of trade-offs across the development pipeline. This individual will partner with Global Program Heads and the broader Program Teams to develop and maintain forward-looking decision frameworks, ensuring clarity on decision scope, trade-offs, and associated risks. They will conduct and oversee development of decision support analytics, such as eNPV analyses. They will drive and facilitate portfolio decision forums, including agenda setting, preparation of supporting materials, and communication of outcomes. The Executive Director will collaborate closely with Finance to develop and maintain dynamic budgets at both the asset and portfolio levels, enabling scenario planning and prioritization aligned with the company’s strategic goals. This role will also lead the semi-annual portfolio planning cycle and support the preparation of materials for executive and Board-level discussions.

Beyond these core responsibilities, the Executive Director will be responsible for building and refining the operational infrastructure that supports portfolio governance, including development of scalable processes, templates, and tools. They will develop best practices, foster cross-functional alignment, and ensure that portfolio decisions are informed by integrated business and scientific perspectives. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong analytical and communication skills, proven leadership in cross-functional settings, and the ability to operate with clarity in a fast-paced, evolving environment. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Lead development and continuous refinement of the company’s portfolio strategy across clinical and preclinical assets.
• Establish objective, data-driven prioritization frameworks (NPV, probability-adjusted risk modeling, scenario planning).
• In partnership with the Global Program Heads, develop forward-looking decision framework and infrastructure/templates to ensure clear decision objectives, alternatives and trade-offs, as well as robust analysis and risk identification
• Develop and evolve decision-support analytical models
• Lead and manage both regular and ad hoc decision forums, ensuring clear supporting materials, outputs, and organizational communication
• Partner with Finance in developing dynamic budgets across assets and portfolio to facilitate trade-off discussions and scenario planning
• Drive a semi-annual portfolio planning process
• Prepare materials for Executive Team and Board discussions related to pipeline strategy and capital allocation.
• Related to the above responsibilities, develop and maintain clear processes and templates to facilitate planning, budgeting, and portfolio decision exercises
• Build and manage a team to support Kardigan’s portfolio strategy activities
• Work in close concert with the Corporate Strategy team; flexibly manage team resources across the Portfolio Management and Corporate Strategy teams when necessary to optimize overall resource utilization and facilitate career development opportunities
• Develop best practices, seeking cross-functional input and communicating best practices across the org

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS

Education:

• BA or BS, with preference for advanced degree, e.g. MBA or science-oriented MA/PhD

Experience:

• 12+ years of relevant industry experience with a focus on portfolio management, complex scenario analysis, and strategic planning OR 5+ years of experience in strategic management consulting with focus on biopharma and exposure to portfolio-related or comparable strategy work
• Familiarity with business case modeling and valuation methodologies, such as Net Present Value (NPV)
• Understanding of clinical development principles, including clinical trial design parameters and alternatives, common trade-offs and statistical considerations
• Broad knowledge of the drug development lifecycle and the roles of cross-functional partners (e.g., Research, Clinical, Regulatory, CMC), including significant exposure to late-stage development and/or commercialization.
• Strong capability in complex scenario analysis and strategic trade-off evaluation
• Demonstrated ability to distill complex issues and communicate clearly with executive leadership
• Experience driving structured decision-making and influencing senior stakeholders
• Experience communicating with executive teams to drive robust decision-making and clear communication processes

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to lead workstreams and influence cross-functionally
• Ability to lead and manage a portfolio management team
• Strong strategic and technical understanding; strong analytical skills and ability to anticipate operational issues and risks, and to proactively recommend mitigations and solutions
• Strong skills in strategic framing and communication via PowerPoint presentations
• Initiative/self-starter with a continuous improvement mindset and demonstrated experience managing across multiple functions and teams
• Strong work ethic with a sense of urgency and demonstrated ability to consistently deliver high quality output
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; comfortable interacting and communicating with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Detail oriented with ability to manage multiple priorities
• Strong sense of resilience and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, dynamic, start-up environment
• Flexibility to travel as needed; spending time periodically with functional and program leaders and teams as well as overall corporate leadership located in SSF and Princeton will be required