---
title: 'Senior Director, Project & Portfolio Management at insitro'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-project-portfolio-management-insitro-south-san-francisco-4yd17c8z2wys'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-10'
---

# Senior Director, Project & Portfolio Management at insitro

- **Company:** insitro
- **Location:** South San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-01-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/insitro/de685a17-397d-4b09-9980-ba492df957b4

## Job description

The Opportunity The unprecedented convergence of multi-modal data, advanced disease modeling, and computational power is revolutionizing drug discovery. insitro is harnessing this moment to redefine how medicines are developed for complex diseases. Our AI/ML-enabled platforms integrate and scale data to rapidly discover novel biological insights to redefine complex diseases and identify new targets and drugs. To enable this vision we are seeking a Senior Director of Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) who will build an AI-forward PPM organization that will partner with Therapeutic Area, Operations, Clinical and Business Development teams to discover and advance a high-value portfolio of exciting drug candidates into the clinic for neurological, ophthalmological and metabolic indications. Reporting into the CSO, you and your staff will partner with project team leaders in developing rightsized project strategies and create successful team environments to foster high performance and rapid advancement. You will develop and execute high quality integrated project plans with clear timelines spanning research, discovery, clinical development, software engineering, and data science/machine learning. As the leader of PPM you will partner with Compute, Operations and Finance colleagues in establishing agentic AI project management, decision and resource allocation tools and methodologies across our portfolio to support critical initiatives. This role will be hybrid, coming onsite to our South San Francisco headquarters with three days per week in the office.

## About You

- BS degree required in a life science field, MS or PhD preferred
- Minimum of 15 years of experience in biotech/pharmaceutical industry in the R&D and clinical development space, including 8+ years in project/portfolio leadership leading cross-functional matrix teams
- Extensive knowledge of the drug development process and deliverables at each stage of the pipeline across at least one preferred drug modality (recombinant biologic, small molecule, oligonucleotide), with deep experience in translational stages, CMC workflows, early commercial assessment and clinical development (IND into Phase 2)
- Highly skilled at conventional project management – driving execution while balancing speed, quality, and cost including proficiency with project management tools and software, e.g., critical path analyses, scenario planning, budget and resource management
- Exposure to the design and implementation of agentic workflows in a pharma or biotech environment
- Experience with setting up or leading decision making bodies (governance) and/or portfolio planning and reviews processes with appropriate decision tools
- Solid understanding of metabolism, neuroscience or ophthalmology disease areas and its competitive environment with the ability to take part in strategic discussions
- Previous experience in high visibility roles requiring the ability to think strategically and summarize complex information into important concepts for broader communication including executive leaders
- Deep experience leading matrix team meetings to enable collaboration, decision-making, and alignment with internal and external customers while leading all aspects of project scope, deliverables, risks, and resources
- Ability to resolve complex problems using strong interpersonal skills while building and maintaining positive working relationships with collaborators
- Comfortable working in dynamic startup settings; adept at navigating ambiguity, evolving priorities, and time/resource constraints.
- Self-directed and proactive with ability to exercise good judgment and respond quickly and effectively to changing environments

## Nice to Have

- Project Management Certification (PMP or equivalent)
- Familiarity with Google Suite and Smartsheets strongly preferred
- Prior use of generative AI tools / LLM technologies in day-to-day work (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude)
- Understanding of high-content human data modalities (e.g., genetics/genomics, histopathological imaging, spatial biology) and data generation technologies
- Familiarity with and passion about machine learning enabled drug discovery

Your Ways of Working and Alignment with insitro Values

- "Get Things Done": A self-starter, with a strong bias to action, who can prioritize and advance multiple projects under the resource, information and time constraints of an early stage startup
- "Engage with Respect": Prioritize a compassionate understanding of the needs and perspectives of insitro teams and leaders in every interaction and analysis
- “Create together”. We innovate through curiosity, collaboration, and learning from diverse perspectives
- "Own the Outcome": Proactively take ownership of solving problems

## Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $264,000 - $298,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data. This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

- 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
- Open, flexible vacation policy
- Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
- Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
- Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
- New hire stipend for home office setup
- Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
- Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
- Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @[insitro.com](http://insitro.com), and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com. #LI-Hybrid

## About insitro

insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit [www.insitro.com](http://www.insitro.com).

## About insitro

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: insitro is a drug discovery company using machine learning, high-throughput biology, and human genetics to build causal models of disease and accelerate the development of transformative medicines.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C)
- **Headquarters**: South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Daphne Koller (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biotechnology Research; AI-driven drug discovery
- **Target customers**: B2B (pharma partnerships) and self-originated pipeline – therapeutic areas including metabolism (MASH, lipogenesis), oncology, and neuroscience
- **Mission/purpose**: “Bring better drugs faster to the patients who can benefit most” by decoding the complexities of biology with ML and data at scale

## Products & Services
- **Insitro Platform**: An industrialized ML platform that integrates in vitro cellular data (produced in automated labs) with human clinical and genetic data to identify causal disease drivers and design optimal therapeutic interventions.
- **Virtual Human™**: A genetically anchored causal AI engine that models how disease begins, progresses, and can be resolved.
- **TherML™ AI Platform**: An AI system for designing optimal small molecule medicines.
- **Pipeline Programs**: Wholly-owned and partnered programs in metabolism (e.g., CTRO-1013 for MASH), oncology (ADC biology), and neuroscience.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric – Total Funding**: $743M (per LinkedIn) to >$750M (per company press release); includes Series A ($100M, 2018; $100M, 2019), Series B ($143M, 2020), Series C ($400M, 2021)
- **Annual Revenue**: $20.3M (LinkedIn estimate; also reported ~$140M in total collaboration revenue to date from partnerships with BMS, Lilly, and Gilead)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: a16z, ARCH, BlackRock, Casdin, CPP Investments, Foresite Capital, GV, SoftBank, Temasek, Third Rock Ventures, T. Rowe Price. Partners include Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Gilead.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount decreased ~20.6% YoY to ~211 employees; however active job postings increased 400% YoY (10 postings). The lead MASH candidate CTRO-1013 is expected to enter first-in-human clinical trials in 2026. New data presented at ADA 2025 shows anti-fibrotic signals.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Causal biology focus**: Integrates human genetics, multi-modal cellular data, and clinical imaging to identify causal intervention points – distinguishes from purely correlative AI models.
- **Industrialized learning loop**: Each program generates data that improves the platform’s predictive models, enabling faster scaling across therapeutic areas.
- **World-class team and investors**: Led by AI pioneer Daphne Koller with backing from top-tier tech and healthcare investors.
- **Revenue‑generating partnerships**: Validated by large pharma collaborations (BMS, Lilly, Gilead) bringing in ~$140M.

## Strategic Focus
- **Advancing pipeline to clinic**: CTRO-1013 (IRS1 inhibitor for MASH) is the lead wholly-owned program entering human trials in 2026. Additional programs in metabolism, oncology, and neuroscience are progressing.
- **Deepening platform capabilities**: Continued investment in automation, multi-modal data generation (imaging, genomics, proteomics), and ML model refinement across all biology scales.
- **Expanding partnerships**: Leveraging platform to support partner drug discovery while retaining wholly-owned programs.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Cross-disciplinary environment where life scientists, data scientists, engineers, and drug hunters collaborate on first-in-class drug discovery problems.
- **Work model**: Roles primarily based in South San Francisco, CA and Krakow, Poland; specific remote/hybrid policy not publicly detailed.
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the company emphasizes a “unique culture” focused on scientific breakthroughs and scaling data-driven medicine.
- **Employer ratings**: Mixed (2.7/5 on LinkedIn from 31 reviews). Compensation scores higher (3.6/5) while culture (2.6/5) and career development (2.7/5) are areas of concern.
- **Engineering/ML culture**: Strong focus on applying state-of-the-art ML (including generative AI, causal inference, imaging analysis) to real biological problems. Open roles span ML science, software engineering (scientific pipelines), and computational biology.
- **Growth trajectory**: Despite recent headcount reductions, the near-term clinical milestone (CTRO-1013 Phase 1) and increased hiring point to a potential inflection point.

## Sources
1. [insitro.com – Company site](https://www.insitro.com/)
2. [insitro.com – Platform page](https://www.insitro.com/platform/)
3. [LinkedIn – Insitro company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/insitro)
4. [CBInsights – Insitro company profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/insitro)
5. [Greenhouse – Insitro careers page](https://boards.greenhouse.io/insitro)

## Other roles at insitro

- [Lead/ Senior Machine Learning Scientist, Integrative Phenotyping](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-senior-machine-learning-scientist-integrative-phenotyping-insitro-south-hscncem9jg0s) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Vice President, FP&A & Financial Transformation](https://feeny.ai/job/vice-president-fp-a-financial-transformation-insitro-south-san-francisco-cdp49byy462j) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Vice President, Regulatory Affairs](https://feeny.ai/job/vice-president-regulatory-affairs-insitro-south-san-francisco-ap5d1em1hqjk) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Director, Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting](https://feeny.ai/job/director-financial-reporting-technical-accounting-insitro-south-san-francisco-gynm79dbmdwn) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Full Stack Software Engineer, Lab Platform (LIMS)](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-software-engineer-lab-platform-lims-insitro-south-san-francisco-q1n6e6kjbmsx) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Manager / Director, Statistical Genetics](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-director-statistical-genetics-insitro-south-san-francisco-f30j4ng5z3q5) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Associate Scientist III, Cardiac Modeling](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-scientist-iii-cardiac-modeling-insitro-south-san-francisco-xfsc4xtkj93z) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Director, Quality Assurance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-quality-assurance-insitro-south-san-francisco-9enwbdgv2t0y) — South San Francisco, CA
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